People Like Us (book)
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| Author | Aly, Waleed |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Islam and the West |
| Genre | Religion |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan |
Publication date | 30 August 2007 |
| Media type | Paperback |
| ISBN | 978-0-330-42380-9 |
People Like Us, published in 2007, is a book authored by Muslim Australian academic, musician and former commercial lawyer Waleed Aly.
Synopsis[edit]
The text highlights the egocentricism and the "endless misunderstanding and mutual, cross civilisational ignorance"[citation needed] that - according to the author - pervade contemporary Islam-related attitudes and discourse. In the process it discusses issues including the hijab, jihad, fundamentalism, radicalism, and secularism.
Chapters[edit]
 | This section possibly contains original research. (December 2015) |
1. A Danish snapshot
- Discusses the issues and events surrounding the Jyllans-Posten cartoons depicting Muhammad in order to illustrate the current state of affairs between Islam and the West.
2. How did we get here?
- Traces the history of Western attitudes to Islam, attitudes that - according to Aly - have often stemmed from ignorance and or misunderstanding of Islam.
3. Don't call me a moderate!
- Analyses the terms 'fundamentalism,' (for which a more useful and widely applicable definition is provided) and 'moderate' (which the author judges to be an "explicitly political" designation).
4. Save our secular souls
- Describes the many flavours of secularism, arguing that Western attitudes toward it have been shaped by Europe's personal experience of Church/State interaction. Aly contends that those who prescribe secularism as a cure for the Muslim world's ills fail to take into account Islam's unique history, and the fact that Islam lacks a 'Church' in the true sense.
5. Women as a battlefield
- Discusses the veil and Western perceptions of it, suggesting that these have been and continue to be influenced by the West's self-image.
6. The war on jihad
- Discusses in detail the concept of jihad, drawing a clear distinction between it and holy war.
7. What's so medieval about al-Qa'ida?
- Explains that radicalism and terrorism are modern phenomena, having much more in common with Bolshevism than medieval Islamic thought.
8. Reformists, Reformation and Renaissance
- Makes the claim that the 'Islamic Reformation' advocated by some Western commentators has already taken place, and has produced mixed results.
9. Seeking the human
In the media[edit]
The book was discussed in detail in Ray Cassin's article Renaissance Man, published in the Age newspaper.[1]
Awards[edit]
People Like Us was shortlisted for several awards including the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and Best Newcomer at the 2008 Australian Book Industry Awards.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Renaissance Man" theage.com.au. Retrieved 2010-06-08
- ^ "Waleed Aly | Melbourne Writers Festival". Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-08.