Islam & the spirit of non-violence

Abad Ahmad's book is a timely reminder of the true essence of Islam as contained in its Quranic verses, but does little to address the criticisms directed at the faith and its followers

Understanding Islam: Its Spirit and Values

Author: Abad Ahmad

Publisher:  HarperCollins India

Pages:318

Price: Rs 499

Over the last four decades, the word “Islam” has conflated the 1,500-year-old faith with its billion-strong adherents across the world. This combination of faith and follower has encouraged some facile notions — of Islam making its believers intolerant, fanatical and violent. Muslims are viewed as the principal sources of terror globally —  being associated with the death and depredations wreaked mercilessly by Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, the Taliban, and the extremists sent across the Indian border by the Pakistanis.

Some scholars have attempted to challenge this narrow and negative