ABSTRACT
In the Introduction I suggested that Islam poses something of a challenge in respect to religion, ideology and culture. The challenge of Islam is that it is there to be known, understood, and dialogically responded to. So, in this book, I have made an attempt, in the first Part, at addressing the challenge of presenting and exploring this religion through a series of introductory chapters: responding to the challenge of educational engagement has been my first task. The objective has been to offer my own contribution to the understanding of Islam. I trust the reader has adequately encountered the origins of Islam; its grounding scripture and the traditions it holds dear; its sense of community and the diverse and complex divisions that demarcate it; the beliefs, practices and the adherence to lawShari‘a-which mark out Muslim identity. I have done this, of course, as a nonMuslim scholar seeking to address other non-Muslims. A critical, yet sympathetic, understanding of Islam is needed today, perhaps as never before, within the wider Western world, whether the context of that world is secular, Christian, Jewish, or otherwise. Although the religion that stands as a primary protagonist to Islam is Christianity, it is not just Christians who are perplexed, challenged, and even fearful of Islam.
