1-Qur'لn, Liberation and Pluralism

'This is a splendid piece of work, and should be read by all who care deeply that religions should change people and structures for better, not for worse.'
MARTIN FORWARD, EXPOSITORY TIMES

'Esack has produced an engaging memoir that demonstrates that Islam contains within itself the possibility for cooperation with other faith traditions in the struggle against oppression.'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

FARID ESACK is an internationally known South African Muslim scholar, speaker and social activist. In early 1997 he was appointed by President Nelson Mandela to serve on the Commission for Gender Equality, a body created by the country's post-apartheid constitution.
ISBN 1-85168-121-3 | 288 pages

2-Muhammad: A Short Biography

'Even through [a] minefield of complex questions, Forward writes in a balanced, honest, respectful, accessible, and sensitive style for which he should be commended.'
SOPHIE GILLIAT, MUSLIM WORLD BOOK REVIEW

MARTIN FORWARD is Senior Tutor and Lecturer at Wesley House, Cambridge.
ISBN 1-85168-131-0 | 144 pages

3-Islam: A Short Introduction

This is a much-needed, concise and innovative introduction to the religion of Islam. Abdulkader Tayob's unique approach takes the reader on a symbolic voyage of discovery around a mosque, from the minaret to the minbar (pulpit). He uses these immediate and tangible structures to introduce teachings, practices, values and issues central to this rich and fascinating world faith.

ABDULKADER TAYOB is Associate Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town, where he has been working for the last ten years. He has also been Visiting Professor at universities in Cairo, Germany and the US, and has presented many conferences in the field of religious studies in the US, Scotland, Germany, Sudan, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

'Its simplicity of style and succinct presentation makes it readable by a wide range of individuals . . .'
VERNON MARSHALL, FAITH AND FREEDOM ON MUHAMMAD: A SHORT BIOGRAPHY

'Few available guides to understanding Islam rival the concise cohesiveness and reliability of this addition to Watt's prolific output.'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ON ISLAM: A SHORT HISTORY

'It is terse, concise, well written and gives the reader the basic facts he or she might want to know.'
JULIA NEUBERGER, THEOLOGY ON JUDAISM: A SHORT HISTORY

'Good, straightforward and authoritative . . . extremely readable.'
JAMES THROWER, EXPOSITORY TIMES ON THE BAHء'ح FAITH: A SHORT HISTORY
ISBN 1-85168-192-2 | 224 pages

CONTENTS:

1.The minaret: the call of Islam        

  Islam and the Other      

  Height as symbol

  Music and the human voice       

  The call to prayer amplified: technology and religion        

2. Ablution: purification, self-mastery and the body

  Purification rituals in Islam        

  The significance of purity: Islamic jurisprudence  

  Purity as cosmology      

  Life cycle and rites of passage   

  The nafs and self-control

  Fasting

3. The interior of the mosque: space, gender dynamics and aesthetics     

  The world is a mosque 

  Celebrating and commemorating

  Gendered space: from mosque to society

  Aesthetics        

 4. The prayer niche: the inexpressible goal of Islamic devotion     

  How do we know?        

  Pilgrimage       

  The Muslim community 

5. TheMinbar: power and authority in Islam

 Minbar andmihrab       

  Models of leadership     

  Leadership of power     

  Leadership of personality

  Leadership of knowledge

  Leadership beyond models        

6.Challenges and opportunities in the twenty-first century

  Globalization    

  Human rights: seeking equity in a global village   

  Symbol and reality

4-Defenders of Reason in Islam
Mu'tazilism and Rational Theology from Medieval School to Modern Symbol
Richard C. Martin, Mark R. Woodward and Dwi S. Atmaja

'The authors have achieved their task effectively, and as a result this book represents an important contribution to our understanding of the contemporary faces of Islam.'
J. S. NIELSON, ISLAM AND CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS

RICHARD C. MARTIN is Professor of History of Religion at Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

MARK WOOD WARD is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Arizona State University.

DWI S. ATMAJA is Professor of Arabic at the Islamic University at Pontianak, Indonesia.
ISBN1-85168-147-7|288pages