A burning topic

It's so difficult to read valuable information about Islam, which I've been longing to do since I arrived here. I mean, the moment you land in Saudi Arabia you realize that reality is - fortunately! - much different (and probably much more complex) than what you'd been reading in the media or seeing on TV. Short parenthesis: when I first heard a call to prayer here, it scared me, like I was suddenly perceiving danger (as when hearing fireworks in Mexico!). Anyway it came to my mind that somehow, I had always associated this sound with scenes of war or terrorism, and that's why I perceived it as something negative. 

But then, as time passed by, I realized that most Saudis are very nice people, and I felt the need to find out more about their education, beliefs and customs. I learnt some things at my Arabic course, but I never really dared to ask too many questions, since anything could have been misinterpreted as criticism against their religion.

I also tried to read the booklets that they give away in airports or in some mosques, but they only turned out to be very strong, bad written, proselytic tools to try to convince Christians to turn to Islam. 

And my salvation came at the local Jarir Bookstore a couple of months ago, where I found this:

No God but God - Reza Aslan (2006)

And it answered all my questions! It was written by a brilliant Iran-born, American religious scholar, who explains everything in a logical, fairly objective, very well-written presentation of what Islam is. Starting from Mecca in the times preceding the birth of Mohammed, to Mohammed's life, the emergence of Shiism, local wars, diverse interpretations of the Qu'ran, Sufism, until the decolonization, 9/11, and the present, which Aslan describes as a Reformation of Islam. 

I can only recommend the book to anyone who would like to learn more about this topic. This is the kind of books that, if read by whole generations, would lead to greater tolerance, and peace. 

"God may be One, but Islam most definitely is not"

"The tragic events of September 11, 2001, may have fueled the clash-of-monotheisms mentality among those Muslims, Christians, and Jews who seem so often to mistake religion for faith and scripture for God."

Edit: this seems to really be a burning topic, I had to rewrite some parts of this post so it wouldn't be censored... What a shame...