Islam Reza Aslan's Book "No

Islam Reza Aslan's book "No god gut God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam" presents readers with an unconventional view on Islam and on religion in general. The writer is apparently interested in analyzing Islam from its beginnings and until the present time. Aslan is aware that the contemporary non-Islamic public has an inaccurate understanding of this religion and thus embarks on a mission to change people's opinions regarding the matter.

He stresses the fact that people should abandon their prejudice when dealing with Islam and that most of the Western World associates it with negativistic theories because of false propaganda. One can observe that throughout the book Aslan engages in a mission to present Islam as it actually is, and not like the masses perceive it.

While Mohammed is seen by many as a cruel leader only interested in his people's well-being, "No god gut God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam" shows that there the public opinion has been distorted because of a series of motives. Aslan insists that Mohammed was actually interested in installing a system based on peace and equality.

The contemporary society is likely to relate to concepts such as terrorism when coming across the term "Jihad." However, it seems that the holy war is in reality one that is being fought from a defensive standpoint, as terrorists are merely fanatics that were influenced by traditional Islamic views and by extremism in general. Intending to have his readers acquainted with an objective view of Islam, Aslan addresses several topics.

The writer demonstrates how the religion was shaped by history, with the Abbasid and Ottoman Empires having been essential when considering the way Islam is understood in the present. The present-day Muslim world is apparently divided into two camps when concerning religious views. Part of it is dedicating to promoting Islam as it is described by history and as their predecessors taught them that they should.

In contrast, the other part is willing to accept new views regarding the religion, as they are only willing to interpret Mohammed's teachings and not interpretations that came after him. To a large degree the author is right in wanting the general public to be unbiased in dealing with Islam. It is only natural for people to have a wrong perception of this religion when considering the intense anti-Muslim propaganda that has dominated the media during the recent years.

It is difficult to determine whether Islam is or is not presently similar to Christianity during the sixteenth century Reformation, with people trying to break from conventional views of the religion in favor of dedicating themselves to it as they consider it to be fit. When going across this text people are likely to feel that there is a fight going on, between their own opinions on Islam, the opinions of the writer, and the fact that their knowledge regarding the religion is extremely limited. Surely, the book.