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Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard
Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from
South Dakota who travelled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for
a two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. He
arrived in the midst of a democratic revolution—the first of its
kind in the Middle East—led by a group of brilliant young
firebrands committed to transforming their country into a fully
self-determining, constitutional monarchy, one with free elections
and an independent parliament. The Persian students Baskerville
educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for
democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and
join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British
and Russian backers. “The only difference between me and these
people is the place of my birth," Baskerville declared, “and that
is not a big difference.” In 1909, Baskerville was killed in
battle alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the
revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power,
signing a new constitution and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To
this day, Baskerville’s tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a
place of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his
grave to honour the American who gave his life for Iran. In this
rip-roaring tale of his life and death, Aslan gives us a powerful
parable about the universal ideals of democracy—and to what
degree Americans are willing to support those ideals in a foreign
land. Woven throughout is an essential history of the nation we now
know as Iran—frequently demonised and misunderstood in the West.
Indeed, Baskerville’s life and death represent a “road not
taken” in Iran. Baskerville’s story, like his life, is at the
centre of a whirlwind in which Americans must ask themselves: How
seriously do we take our ideals of constitutional democracy and
whose freedom do we support?
Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light
on one of history's most influential and enigmatic figures by
examining Jesus within the context of the times in which he lived:
the age of zealotry, an era awash in apocalyptic fervour. Balancing
the Jesus of the Gospels against historical sources, Aslan
describes a complex figure: a man of peace who exhorted his
followers to arm themselves; an exorcist and faith healer who urged
his disciples to keep his identity secret; and the seditious 'King
of the Jews', whose promise of liberation from Rome went
unfulfilled in his lifetime. Aslan explores why the early Church
preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual
teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary, and
grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself. Zealot
provides a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever
told. The result is a thought-provoking, elegantly written
biography with the pulse of a fast-paced novel, and a singularly
brilliant portrait of a man, a time and the birth of a religion.
Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard
Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from
South Dakota who traveled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for a
two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. He
arrived in the midst of a democratic revolution-the first of its
kind in the Middle East-led by a group of brilliant young
firebrands committed to transforming their country into a fully
self-determining, constitutional monarchy, one with free elections
and an independent parliament. The Persian students Baskerville
educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for
democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and
join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British
and Russian backers. "The only difference between me and these
people is the place of my birth," Baskerville declared, "and that
is not a big difference." In 1909, Baskerville was killed in battle
alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the
revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power,
signing a new constitution, and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To
this day, Baskerville's tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a place
of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his grave to
honor the American who gave his life for Iran. In this rip-roaring
tale of his life and death, Aslan gives us a powerful parable about
the universal ideals of democracy-and to what degree Americans are
willing to support those ideals in a foreign land. Woven throughout
is an essential history of the nation we now know as
Iran-frequently demonized and misunderstood in the West. Indeed,
Baskerville's life and death represent a "road not taken" in Iran.
Baskerville's story, like his life, is at the center of a whirlwind
in which Americans must ask themselves: How seriously do we take
our ideals of constitutional democracy and whose freedom do we
support?
An Immigrant Love-Hate Story of What it Means to Be American. "A
rare voice that is both relatable and unafraid to examine the
complexities of her American identity." -Reza Aslan, #1 New York
Times bestselling author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of
Nazareth You know that feeling of being at the wrong end of the
table? Like you're at a party but all the good stuff is happening
out of earshot (#FOMO)? That's life-especially for an immigrant.
What happens when a shy, awkward Arab girl with a weird name and an
unfortunate propensity toward facial hair is uprooted from her
comfortable (albeit fascist-regimed) homeland of Iraq and thrust
into the cold, alien town of Columbus, Ohio-with its Egg McMuffins,
Barbie dolls, and kids playing doctor everywhere you turned? This
is Ayser Salman's story. First comes Emigration, then
Naturalization, and finally Assimilation-trying to fit in among her
blonde-haired, blue-eyed counterparts, and always feeling left out.
On her journey to Americanhood, Ayser sees more naked butts at
pre-kindergarten daycare that she would like, breaks one of her
parents' rules ("Thou shalt not participate as an actor in the
school musical where a male cast member rests his head in thy
lap"), and other things good Muslim Arab girls are not supposed to
do. And, after the 9/11 attacks, she experiences the isolation of
being a Muslim in her own country. It takes hours of therapy,
fifty-five rounds of electrolysis, and some ill-advised romantic
dalliances for Ayser to grow into a modern Arab American woman who
embraces her cultural differences. Part memoir and part how-not-to
guide, The Wrong End of the Table is everything you wanted to know
about Arabs but were afraid to ask, with chapters such as "Tattoos
and Other National Security Risks," "You Can't Blame Everything on
Your Period; Sometimes You're Going to Be a Crazy Bitch: and Other
Advice from Mom," and even an open letter to Trump. This is the
story of every American outsider on a path to find themselves in a
country of beautiful diversity.
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In God, Reza Aslan sheds new light on
mankind's relationship with the divine and challenges our
perspective on the history of faith and the birth of religion. From
the origins of spiritual thought to the concept of an active,
engaged, divine presence that underlies all creation, Aslan
examines how the idea of god arose in human evolution, was
gradually personalized, endowed with human traits and emotions, and
eventually transformed into a single Divine Personality: the God
known today by such names as Yahweh, Father, and Allah. Bold,
wide-ranging and provocative, God challenges everything we thought
we knew about the origins of religious belief, and with it our
relationship with life and death, with the natural and spiritual
worlds, and our understanding of the very essence of human
existence.
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Saah (Hardcover)
Syd Fini; Foreword by Reza Aslan
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R631
R528
Discovery Miles 5 280
Save R103 (16%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Two thousand years ago a Jewish preacher walked the Galilee,
gathering followers to establish the "Kingdom of God." His movement
was so threatening that he was captured and executed. After his
shameful death, his followers would call him God. Zealot is a
biography with the pulse of a fast-paced novel: a brilliant
portrait of a man, a time, and the birth of a religion.
#1 "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
"Good Housekeeping - Booklist - Publishers Weekly - Bookish"
From the internationally bestselling author of "No god but God"
comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched
biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we
know as Jesus of Nazareth.
Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle
worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish
what he called the "Kingdom of God." The revolutionary movement he
launched was so threatening to the established order that he was
captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal.
Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call
him God.
Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new
light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic characters
by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which
he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic
fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs
wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was
the age of zealotry--a fervent nationalism that made resistance to
the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few
figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic
Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies
in the Jewish religious hierarchy.
Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources,
Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with
contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm
themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his
disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the
seditious "King of the Jews" whose promise of liberation from Rome
went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons
why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of
Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically
conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how
Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all
subsequent claims about his divinity.
" Zealot" yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories
ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature
of Jesus of Nazareth's life and mission. The result is a
thought-provoking, elegantly written biography with the pulse of a
fast-paced novel: a singularly brilliant portrait of a man, a time,
and the birth of a religion.
Praise for "Zealot"
" "
"Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to
create an original account."--"The New Yorker"
"A lucid, intelligent page-turner.""--Los Angeles Times"
" "
"Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn . . . Aslan may come as close
as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the
peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in
modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image."--"The
Seattle Times"
" Aslan's] literary talent is as essential to the effect of
"Zealot" as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A
vivid, persuasive portrait."--"Salon"
" "
"This tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the
real Jesus, and honors him in the process."--"San Francisco
Chronicle"
#1 "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
"Good Housekeeping - Booklist - Publishers Weekly - Bookish"
From the internationally bestselling author of "No god but God"
comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched
biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we
know as Jesus of Nazareth.
Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle
worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish
what he called the "Kingdom of God." The revolutionary movement he
launched was so threatening to the established order that he was
captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal.
Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call
him God.
Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new
light on one of history's most influential and enigmatic characters
by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which
he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic
fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs
wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was
the age of zealotry--a fervent nationalism that made resistance to
the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few
figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic
Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies
in the Jewish religious hierarchy.
Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources,
Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with
contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm
themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his
disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the
seditious "King of the Jews" whose promise of liberation from Rome
went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons
why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of
Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically
conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how
Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all
subsequent claims about his divinity.
" Zealot" yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories
ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature
of Jesus of Nazareth's life and mission. The result is a
thought-provoking, elegantly written biography with the pulse of a
fast-paced novel: a singularly brilliant portrait of a man, a time,
and the birth of a religion.
Praise for "Zealot"
" "
"Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to
create an original account."--"The New Yorker"
"A lucid, intelligent page-turner.""--Los Angeles Times"
" "
"Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn . . . Aslan may come as close
as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the
peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in
modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image."--"The
Seattle Times"
" Aslan's] literary talent is as essential to the effect of
"Zealot" as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A
vivid, persuasive portrait."--"Salon"
" "
"This tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the
real Jesus, and honors him in the process."--"San Francisco
Chronicle"
"From the Hardcover edition."
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
A finalist for the "Guardian" First Book Award
In "No god but God, "internationally acclaimed scholar Reza Aslan
explains Islam--the origins and evolution of the faith--in all its
beauty and complexity." "This updated edition addresses the events
of the past decade, analyzing how they have influenced Islam's
position in modern culture. Aslan explores what the popular
demonstrations pushing for democracy in the Middle East mean for
the future of Islam in the region, how the Internet and social
media have affected Islam's evolution, and how the war on terror
has altered the geopolitical balance of power in the Middle East.
He also provides an update on the contemporary Muslim women's
movement, a discussion of the controversy over veiling in Europe,
an in-depth history of Jihadism, and a look at how Muslims living
in North America and Europe are changing the face of Islam. Timely
and persuasive, "No god but God" is an elegantly written account
that explains this magnificent yet misunderstood faith.
A fascinating, accessible introduction to Islam from the author
of the #1 "New York Times "bestseller "Zealot"
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER - A finalist for the "Guardian" First Book
Award
In "No god but God, "internationally acclaimed scholar Reza Aslan
explains Islam--the origins and evolution of the faith--in all its
beauty and complexity." "This updated edition addresses the events
of the past decade, analyzing how they have influenced Islam's
position in modern culture. Aslan explores what the popular
demonstrations pushing for democracy in the Middle East mean for
the future of Islam in the region, how the Internet and social
media have affected Islam's evolution, and how the war on terror
has altered the geopolitical balance of power in the Middle East.
He also provides an update on the contemporary Muslim women's
movement, a discussion of the controversy over veiling in Europe,
an in-depth history of Jihadism, and a look at how Muslims living
in North America and Europe are changing the face of Islam. Timely
and persuasive, "No god but God" is an elegantly written account
that explains this magnificent yet misunderstood faith.
The countries that stretch along the broad horizons of the Middle
East from Morocco to Iran, from Turkey to Pakistan boast different
cultures, different languages, and different religions. Yet the
literary landscape of this dynamic part of the world has been bound
together not by borders and nationalities, but by a common
experience of Western imperialism. Keenly aware of the collected
scars left by a legacy of colonial rule, the acclaimed writer Reza
Aslan, with a team of four regional editors and seventy-seven
translators, cogently demonstrates with Tablet and Pen how
literature can, in fact, be used to form identity and serve as an
extraordinary chronicle of the disrupted histories of the region.
Acting with Words Without Borders, which fosters international
exchange through translation and publication of the world s finest
literature, Aslan has purposefully situated this volume in the
twentieth century, beyond the familiar confines of the Ottoman
past, believing that the writers who have emerged in the last
hundred years have not received their full due. This monumental
collection, therefore, of nearly two hundred pieces, including
short stories, novels, memoirs, essays and works of drama many of
them presented in English for the first time features translated
works from Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Turkish. Organized
chronologically, the volume spans a century of literature from the
famed Arab poet Khalil Gibran to the Nobel laureates Naguib Mahfouz
and Orhan Pamuk, from the great Syrian-Lebanese poet Adonis to the
grand dame of Urdu fiction, Ismat Chughtai connected by the
extraordinarily rich tradition of resplendent cultures that have
been all too often ignored by the Western canon. By shifting
America s perception of the Middle Eastern world away from religion
and politics, Tablet and Pen evokes the splendors of a region
through the voices of its writers and poets, whose literature tells
an urgent and liberating story. With a wealth of contextual
information that places the writing within the historical,
political, and cultural breadth of the region, Tablet & Pen is
transcendent, a book to be devoured as a single sustained
narrative, from the first page to the last. Creating a vital bridge
between two estranged cultures, "this is that rare anthology:
cohesive, affecting, and informing" (Publishers Weekly). Includes
the writings of Kahlil Gibran, Tawfiq al-Hakim, Nazim Hikmet, Ismat
Chughtai, Muhammad Iqbal, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Forugh Farrokhzad, Ahmet
Hamdi Tanpinar, Ya ar Kemal, Ghassan Kanafani, Mahmoud Darwish,
Adonis, Ahmad Shamloo, Naguib Mahfouz, Orhan Pamuk, and more."
This book outlines a new strategy that applies the organizing
principles of progressive internationalism-national strength, free
enterprise, liberal democracy, U.S. leadership for collective
security-to the new challenge of defeating Islamist extremism. That
plan, as set forth in detail in this book, revolves around five
progressive imperatives for national security: * First, we must
marshal all of America's manifold strengths, starting with our
military power but going well beyond it, for the struggle ahead. *
Second, we must rebuild America's alliances, because democratic
solidarity is one of our greatest strategic assets. * Third, we
must champion liberal democracy in deed, not just in rhetoric,
because a freer world is a safer world. * Fourth, we must renew
U.S. leadership in the international economy and rise to the
challenge of global competition. * Fifth, we must summon from the
American people a new spirit of national unity and service. In sum,
the progressive strategy detailed in this book takes advantage of
all of our country's strengths, not just the big stick of military
power. It seeks to unite, not polarize and divide, our people. It
links the defense of liberty abroad with a new determination to
press progressive reforms at home. It calls on all Americans-not
just our men and women in uniform-to share the burden of prevailing
in what is likely to be a long, arduous and costly struggle.
Published in cooperation with the Progressive Policy Institute
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American Qur'an (Hardcover)
Sandow Birk; Preface by Reza Aslan; Contributions by Iftikhar Dadi, Zareena Grewal
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R1,880
R1,526
Discovery Miles 15 260
Save R354 (19%)
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Out of stock
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At a time when the United States was involved in two wars against
Islamic nations, American-born artist Sandow Birk wanted to
understand the Qur'an as it is, and always has been intended: a
universal message to humankind. But to do so, he first needed to
comprehend what Islam's holiest book meant to an American living in
the twenty-first century. Indeed, how has the Qur'an related to us,
as Americans, in this life, in this time? In an attempt to answer
his own question, Birk embarked on the most ambitious work of his
career. Following in the grand traditions of ancient Arabic and
Islamic artists, he began hand-transcribing the entire Qur'an as
was done in centuries past-abiding by the traditional prescriptions
as to the colors of ink, the formatting of the pages, the size of
margins and illuminations of page headings and medallions marking
verses and passages. He then took each sura and set it against a
backdrop from everyday American life, one that reflected his
renowned "skate-surf" ascetic. Even before the first images of what
became known as the American Qur'an began appearing in public, in
2009, veteran art critics were concerned about its reception. While
Birk wasn't illustrating the Qur'an itself, the pairing of Islam's
holiest text with scenes from contemporary American life seemed
adventuresome, given the climate of the times. The project,
however, was not only welcomed by the Muslim community but also
celebrated as an "ambitious and valuable undertaking" (New York
Times). At the same time, many saw it as taking part in an ancient
tradition, one that, according to Yale University professor Zareena
Grewal, "eschewed the irony and satire that have become the
knee-jerk impulse of so many Western artists." Now appearing in
full for the first time ever, this lavishly designed
volume-containing all 114 suras-melds the past with the present,
East with the West like nothing before it. The result, hailed by
Reza Aslan as "a great favor, not only to Muslims, but also to
Americans," is one of the most original art books to appear in
decades.
The countries that stretch along the broad horizons of the Middle
East from Morocco to Iran, from Turkey to Pakistan boast different
cultures, different languages, and different religions. Yet the
literary landscape of this dynamic part of the world has been bound
together not by borders and nationalities, but by a common
experience of Western imperialism. Keenly aware of the collected
scars left by a legacy of colonial rule, the acclaimed writer Reza
Aslan, with a team of four regional editors and seventy-seven
translators, cogently demonstrates with Tablet and Pen how
literature can, in fact, be used to form identity and serve as an
extraordinary chronicle of the disrupted histories of the region.
Acting with Words Without Borders, which fosters international
exchange through translation and publication of the world s finest
literature, Aslan has purposefully situated this volume in the
twentieth century, beyond the familiar confines of the Ottoman
past, believing that the writers who have emerged in the last
hundred years have not received their full due. This monumental
collection, therefore, of nearly two hundred pieces, including
short stories, novels, memoirs, essays and works of drama many of
them presented in English for the first time features translated
works from Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Turkish. Organized
chronologically, the volume spans a century of literature from the
famed Arab poet Khalil Gibran to the Nobel laureates Naguib Mahfouz
and Orhan Pamuk, from the great Syrian-Lebanese poet Adonis to the
grand dame of Urdu fiction, Ismat Chughtai connected by the
extraordinarily rich tradition of resplendent cultures that have
been all too often ignored by the Western canon. By shifting
America s perception of the Middle Eastern world away from religion
and politics, Tablet and Pen evokes the splendors of a region
through the voices of its writers and poets, whose literature tells
an urgent and liberating story. With a wealth of contextual
information that places the writing within the historical,
political, and cultural breadth of the region, Tablet & Pen is
transcendent, a book to be devoured as a single sustained
narrative, from the first page to the last. Creating a vital bridge
between two estranged cultures, "this is that rare anthology:
cohesive, affecting, and informing" (Publishers Weekly)."
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