Cover Image: The House of Islam

The House of Islam

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Member Reviews

I’m not a religious person but religion has always intrigued me. I studied Islam for a level and have found fascination in it so I loved revisiting that in this book

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The more I learn about Islam the more interesting it becomes. There are so many facets and elements and issues that I had no idea about. The House of Islam also assists to remove some of the ideological myths surrounding the religion. This title would work really well alongside The Silk Road by Peter Frankopan.

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This book was certainly an enlightening experience. I’ve learnt and appreciate so much more than I did before reading this book, which is mission accomplished I suppose.

Ed Hussain’s delivery is fair and just, if only everyone’s opinions were backed by so much insight and passion.

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Fascinating book, it appealed to me because I wanted to know more about this religion, you hear so much but I have to say that as non religious person I am fairly ignorant. This book shows that Islam has many sides to it and the reductionist view that Islam is somehow destructive and negative is false. As I imagined there are many aspects of this religion that are actually positive. Written by an expert it is a very interesting and informative read.

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Really interesting history in easy-to-read chapters. Feel like I learnt a lot in a short space of time.

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I found this book very interesting to read as it teaches you more about Islam. I’ve always had an interest in religion so it was great getting to read more about Islam!

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The House of Islam is an insightful, well researched and very readable book. Ed Husain has done a marvellous job at distilling the essential information for a Western audience. It covers the history of Islam, it's core beliefs and practices, and delves into central events, such as the Sunni/Shia schism, as well as Sufism.
An important and essential book for our times.

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I found myself very curious about the intricacies of Islam - as an unreligious person I wanted to learn more about it and the differences between Muslim beliefs. This book was so in depth - laying out everything I needed to know, as well as diving into topics that are relevant in the world today.

Ed Husain doesn't shy away from talking about extremism, relationships between differing schools of Islam, and how other religions are viewed from the viewpoint of Islam. I learnt so much - The House of Islam contained a lot of information, explained clearly, bravely and authoritatively.

I particularly like that Husain gives us a first-person perspective coming from the experience of being an Islamic activist in Britain. For someone like me, with no experience of religion, it is fascinating to read such an in depth history of Islam - from it's inception to the major religion it is today. I'd really recommend taking the time to read this book - although I found it very detailed, the amount I learnt was well worth it.

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DNF @ 27%

I couldn’t get through this. I am a Muslim, and as much as I love learning about the history of my religion, this was just so tedious to get through. It started off as a beautiful exploration of the prophet and his family and the revelation of the Quran, and then suddenly just turned into a long winded dictionary for terms that needed maybe two sentences of explanation to understand.

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I was brought up Catholic but other religions have always intrigued me. Living in a cosmopolitan place like London, I feel lucky to have friends with different religious beliefs including Islam and I'm proud that in 2016 London has become the first major European city with a Muslim mayor. In the last two decades, Islam in the West has been judged, condemned and often portrayed as something to fear. Islam is largely misunderstood mainly due to the western stigma surrounding Islam associated with radical Islamists. However, there is a wide spectrum and differences in the Islamic practices between Muslim countries and while some adopt progressive thinking and equality, others sadly chose to go the other way.

"Muslims are shaping world events and constantly feature in the news, yet few among us genuinely understand them, so that our behaviour tends to be based on ignorance at best, or half-truths at worse."

House of Islam is a well-researched book that provides a comprehensive overview of the history and theology of Islam starting with Islam's origin and Prophet Mohammed through to the differences between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims or the popularity of Sufism. The second part of the book focuses on Islam in the 21st century, including the formation of the radical group ISIS in the recent years and their destructive worldview. The chapters I found the most interesting and horrifying at the same time, were chapters on sexuality, and women and their status and position in the Muslim society. There are significant differences between Muslim countries in the perception of women. While over 90% of population in Turkey thinks men and women should have the same legal rights, in Saudi Arabia or Egypt the statistics are shockingly low at 61 and 57 per cent respectively. Unbelievably, "in seventh century Arabia, Muslims were among the most advanced of communities in terms of recognising women's human status and granting them right." Unfortunately that did not last. Today's Islamists in their determination to oppose the West and its feminism and women's liberation, promote prudishness and require women to cover up, arguing that the West is home to decadence and immorality. Sadly, they fail to realise it is the men themselves and their attitude that is the threat here.

The House of Islam was a very insightful read that I would recommend this book to everyone regardless of their faith.

Many thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

The house of Islam is a fantastic read if you'd like to know more about the story of Islam, where it's at today and what this religion means for millions and millions around the globe.

👏🏻 I love how brilliant some parts were. Some of my opinions are similar to the author's but some bits really made me think and gave me more insight.

👍🏻 I love how nearly everything -from customs to laws and traditions- were explained in a simple, understanding manner.

👎🏻 I found some bits to be a bit too deep into their references. While I admired the precise work and the research behind it, I felt like 5 to 10% of the book was a bit too much information for the average reader.

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Absolutely necessary reading. Husain lays out what Islam is and its fundamentals, but also explains the gap between Islam and the west, how it grows, what it's led by and why it's a false gap built on lies. Reading this book would improve global relations by some margin. There is both expertise and empathy in this book, and everyone should sit down to have a read.

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More than a summary of history of Islam and recognition of any creative voice existing in the modern Muslim world, this is Husain's opinion on it and on Muslims, lamentations and fears, with overemphasis on Shia faith, the battle at Karbala and Sufism and dangers of 'Arabisation' of cultures (without pondering over the e.g. black abaya worn by women in Iran), the Salafi/Wahabi influence on thought and creativity and the oft-repeated 'humiliation' Muslims are thought to suffer from after fall of various Empires.

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This book seems to be well written and well researched. It gives a very good insight into mthe worl of Islam. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in gaining some knowledge of Islam and its traditions etc.

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Over the last 50 years, the world has become a much smaller place. Add to this the availability of the Internet and we become "familiar" with all parts of the globe and the people and religions that exist there. Specific events can unduly influence our thoughts and misconceptions of the real world.
What I like about this book is that it takes a very straightforward position on Islam and the Muslim world offering up facts and insights that are rarely available in our world of soundbites and fake news. The reader is introduced to the true Islamic ideology and allows he or she to form their own opinions.
I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to take the time and effort to discover the facts for themselves.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Certainly an interesting and insightful read
You will learn so much from reading this book, it’s educates the reader about the Islamic religion.
Thank you to both NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for my eARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review

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To begin, House of Islam is searingly insightful, brilliant and remarkable. I wish I'd read this book many, many years ago. A few things I didn't agree with, but I realise this is not a factual book. It's not a dry biography, a university textbook. It is Ed Husain's knowledge of Islam, his experience gifted to us, a multifaceted interpretation of Islam that traces its roots from the beginning. Islam is endlessly complex, so much more than many people give it credit.

I had the benefit of experience, being Muslim from birth with Muslim parents and connected to the Muslim community, having studied Islam and democracy in uni and doing a bit of my own independent research into Islam. I would have loved to read this as an outsider but unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I could not put my own experiences aside to view this book in an entirely unbiased light. My knowledge will always inform my interpretation of events, knowledge and my reading of texts.

I attended an Islamic weekend school at ages 7 through to 10, three years at GIYC. I spent a further two years full-time at Islamic school in year 7 and 8. It was, in retrospect, very Salafi. We studied the Qur'an, Fiqh, Sunnah and Arabic, alongside other classes. My favourite lessons were always those regarding the history of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Sahaba, the Quranic stories of Maryam, Musa, Yusuf, Ibrahim. I loved learning about Khadija and Aisha. Until I was 20, in fact, I had never known that Aisha transmitted over 2000 hadith. We were never taught about the various schools of Islamic thought, the four caliphs and the califate of Islam. I learned all this in a class about medieval Iberia in uni (!!)

This book gives a thorough overview of the history of Islam and its relevance in modern day, to us modern Muslims who seem so foreign to the West. I'd already ordered a copy of the house of Islam even before I'd received my requested copy from Netgalley, and it is a book I'll gladly claim and recommend to all my friends wanted to know more about my religion. Fans of Fatima Mernissi, Leila Ahmed and Amina Wadud will appreciate this book.

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This book is completely absorbing. Many Westerners have a tainted view of Islam, thanks to the actions of extremists who are in fact being unfaithful to the Quran. This book, written by a Muslim man who has suffered death threats.due to his work in establishing a think tank to disassociate Islam with immigration and radicalisation, presents an insightful history of the faith and looks at its current state across the world. Like many others, I have always associated the faith mainly with the Middle East - Arabised Islam, as the author calls it. The faith is far more widespread than that. The author also explains how Muslims look to the past for validation, and vision. The West can be too dismissive of this, but it is part of Islam's approach, and has much to recommend it. Look back before you look forward.

This compulsive book is a deep and detailed discussion of Islam, its past and its future. It's fascinating and certainly clears up many myths that all too many non-Islams tend to harbour.. It's a real eye-opener in that respect. .

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Having very limited knowledge about Islam and many Western misconceptions, I found particularly enlightening the information presented in this book. Husain wrote an easy-to-read account of some of the main facts about Islam pointing out some basic misconceptions which are widespread in the Western world. But the author is not afraid of speaking his truth either. He mentions what he thinks is wrong within the House of Islam and even suggests ways to address the problems and work for a better future.

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