Books like No god but God by Reza Aslan

Reza Aslan examines how humans attribute traits and emotions to the divine, urging a broader, more inclusive grasp of God that fosters universal spirituality.

Writing in the tradition of the great Arab historian, Ibn Khaldun, Akbar S. Ahmed provides an explanation of Muslim history and society which will be of interest to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Islam is popularly seen, especially in the West, as aggressive and fanatic. This readable and accessible account, by an internationally known social scientist, balances that image, combining an astute understanding of Islamic history with sociological analysis of contemporary Muslim societies. An objective picture emerges of the main features of Muslim history and the compulsions of Muslim society.

In his first book since What Went Wrong? Bernard Lewis examines the historical roots of the resentments that dominate the Islamic world today and that are increasingly being expressed in acts of terrorism. He looks at the theological origins of political Islam and takes us through the rise of militant Islam in Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, examining the impact of radical Wahhabi proselytizing, and Saudi oil money, on the rest of the Islamic world. The Crisis of Islam ranges widely through thirteen centuries of history, but in particular it charts the key events of the twentieth century leading up to the violent confrontations of today: the creation of the state of Israel, the Cold War, the Iranian Revolution, the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan, the Gulf War, and the September 11th attacks on the United States.While hostility toward the West has a long and varied history in the lands of Islam, its current concentration on America is new. So too is the cult of the suicide bomber. Brilliantly disentangling the crosscurrents of Middle Eastern history from the rhetoric of its manipulators, Bernard Lewis helps us understand the reasons for the increasingly dogmatic rejection of modernity by many in the Muslim world in favor of a return to a sacred past. Based on his George Polk Award--winning article for The New Yorker, The Crisis of Islam is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what Usama bin Ladin represents and why his murderous message resonates so widely in the Islamic world. From the Hardcover edition.

The death of Jesus is one of the most hotly debated questions in Christianity today. In his massive and highly publicized The Death of the Messiah, Raymond Brown -- while clearly rejecting anti-Semitism -- never questions the essential historicity of the passion stories. Yet it is these stories, in which the Jews decide Jesus' execution, that have fueled centuries of Christian anti-Semitism.Now, in his most controversial book, John Dominic Crossan shows that this traditional understanding of the Gospels as historical fact is not only wrong but dangerous. Drawing on the best of biblical, anthropological, sociological and historical research, he demonstrates definitively that it was the Roman government that tried and executed Jesus as a social agitator. Crossan also candidly addresses such key theological questions as "Did Jesus die for our sins?" and "Is our faith in vain if there was no bodily resurrection?"Ultimately, however, Crossan's radical reexamination shows that the belief that the Jews killed Jesus is an early Christian myth (directed against rival Jewish groups) that must be eradicated from authentic Christian faith.

The world's leading Islamicist offers a concise introduction to this rich and diverse tradition of 1.2 billion adherents.In this informative and clear introduction to the world of Islam, Seyyed Hossein Nasr explores the following topics in depth: •What Is Islam? •The Doctrines and Beliefs of Islam•Islamic Practices and Institutions •The History of Islam•Schools of Islamic Thought •Islam in the Contemporary World•Islam and Other Religions •The Spiritual and Religious Significance of Islam

The Oxford History of Islam presents a broad scholarly survey of Islam’s origins, institutions, and cultural achievements, written in a reader‑friendly style.