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This one might be a little tough. How did Islam influence Christianity during this time period? #islam #christianity #discussion #ashorthistoryofbyzantium #catholicchurch #byzantium #byzantineempire #johnjuliusnorwich #popeleo #iconoclasm

Very interesting perspective on the history of the animosity between the West and Islam. Ibrahim lays out the most important battles between the two and how they shaped the world

An incredible story of a woman‘s resilience in the face of oppressive Islamic faith. This story truly opened my eyes to the reality of what it means to be an Islamic woman and how some western cultures are not helping them move forward. Having studied religion and female oppression extensively, I found this book gave a pure-voiced clarity about what I already feared for Islamic women

Book 2 for 2024:)

Mamdani is a lucid thinker, and writes with great clarity about the world that shaped what is now casually referred to as Islamic terrorism. As an anthropologist and political scientist he lays out the historical contexts of European colonialism and the Cold War to remind us that no situation arises out of thin air, but through careful cultivation by geopolitical superpowers. Informative. This was published in 2004; would love a current follow-up.

Written by Geraldine Brooks in 1995 about the women she met and their experiences, when she was working as a foreign correspondent in the Middle East.
A difficult but informative read. I‘m glad to have read this.

The writing is really good, but the author made some questionable statements and assumptions without providing any foundational evidence for the sweeping statements. I did check the notes and bibliography, but for some of the big sweeping assumptions, particularly about Christian biblical history, there are no citations or endnotes provided which was a problem for me. If you can ignore those statements, it could be a good book for you.

Par excellence. A delightful read.