Kaia
Feminist Killjoy. Badly Behaving Bookliker. Writer and reader of all things speculative.
Currently reading
Make Yourself a Little Less Ignorant
So, by now, some of you have heard about the whole fiasco with Christy "Huh, Huh, Goats Sound Just Like Muslims" Parks.
Well, here are a few books to illuminate just how freaking ignorant Parks is--and to give you an even better understanding of Islam, especially if you want to speak out against her racist shit.
The Great Theft by Khaled Abou El Fadl goes into great detail on how extremist Islam gained the power it did (hint: white western people were involved) and why it's so difficult to penetrate the erroneous narrative that all Muslims are violent.
Progressive Muslims by Omid Safi et. al. is a wonderful collection of essays from various Muslims, male and female both, often from different sects and even from different countries. It covers a very wide range of topics and deals in things like LGBTQ+ and women's rights, and explains a bit about what the Qur'an really says on these matters (hint: just like the Bible, it doesn't say what some people think it says).
Approaching the Qur'an by Michael Sells is valuable for the non-Arabic speaking Westerner, as it gives some insights into the Qur'an and what it actually states. It's important to note that finding a trustworthy English translation of the Qur'an can be a tricky proposition, so always beware of Islamophobes who insist they've read it.
Bonus! Understanding Iran by William R. Polk is a very useful book for expanding your understanding of the ways in which white Westerners have seriously fucked with Islam and countries that practice it.
Caution: Do not read if you're simply unable to ever accept the idea that white people could ever do anything wrong. You're probably a lost cause anyway.
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