Searching for a King: Muslim Nonviolence and the Future of Islam

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Overview

At a time when violent images of the Muslim world dominate our headlines, Western audiences are growing increasingly interested in a different picture of Islam, specifically the idea of Muslim nonviolence, and what it could mean for the world. But is nonviolence compatible with the teachings of Islam? Is it practical to suggest that Muslim societies must adopt nonviolence to thrive in today’s world? Where is the Muslim equivalent of a Mohandas K. Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr.? Searching for a King offers a ...
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Searching for a King: Muslim Nonviolence and the Future of Islam

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Overview

At a time when violent images of the Muslim world dominate our headlines, Western audiences are growing increasingly interested in a different picture of Islam, specifically the idea of Muslim nonviolence, and what it could mean for the world. But is nonviolence compatible with the teachings of Islam? Is it practical to suggest that Muslim societies must adopt nonviolence to thrive in today’s world? Where is the Muslim equivalent of a Mohandas K. Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr.? Searching for a King offers a comprehensive look into Islamic conceptions of nonviolence, their modern champions, and their readings of Islam’s sacred texts, including the Qur’an and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Jeffry R. Halverson asserts that the foundation for nonviolence in Islam already exists. He points to the exemplary lives and teachings of modern Muslim champions of nonviolence, including Abdul Ghaffar Khan, an ethnic Pashtun from the tribal regions of Pakistan whose 100,000 Muslim followers peacefully resisted British colonial rule in India. Using rich historical narratives and data from leading NGOs and international governmental organizations, Halverson also makes the case that by eliminating the high costs of warfare, nonviolence opens the door to such important complementary initiatives as microfinancing and women’s education programs. Ultimately, he endorses Muslim conceptions of nonviolence and argues for the formulation of a nonviolent version of jihad as an active mode of social transformation.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
“Jeffry Halverson has written a book of extreme importance for our times. Searching for a King is a well-researched, meaningful, and much-needed volume that convincingly rebuts a narrative of violence that has for too long dominated discussions of Islam and Muslims. Offering a glimpse into the lives and works of five champions of peace, he reveals hidden beautiful teachings and unsung courageous acts that tell a different, inspiring story. Anyone who values peace and desires more equality in the world owes it to himself or herself to read this book.”—Nathan Lean, author of The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims

“The inspiring, informative, and well-documented narratives of Muslim champions of nonviolence presented in Searching for a King make a coherent and powerful case for Islamic nonviolence today.”—Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, professor at Emory Law School and author of Islam and the Secular State

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781612344690
  • Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
  • Publication date: 8/28/2012
  • Pages: 188
  • Sales rank: 999,559
  • Product dimensions: 6.10 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 0.90 (d)

Meet the Author

JEFFRY R. HALVERSON is an Islamic studies scholar and historian of religions, specializing in the Middle East and North Africa. He currently serves as an assistant research professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. He is the author of Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam (2010) and lead author of Master Narratives of Islamist Extremism (2011). He lives in Phoenix.
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

1 Jihad and the Book 1

2 False Promise 9

3 Nonviolence 25

4 The Chieftain 47

5 The Philosopher 67

6 The Martyr 79

7 The Cleric 91

8 The Ascetic 101

9 Microfinance 111

10 Women's Education 121

11 Jihad without Swords 135

Notes 147

Selected Bibliography 165

Index 169

About the Author 173

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