A fascinating account of humanity's struggle to make sense of the divine, and how the idea of god, from its prehistoric origins to its emergence as a single divine personality, continues to offer new ways of connecting people of different faiths today.

Aslan explores humanity's attempts to comprehend the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. He calls for a more expansive understanding of God to develop a more universal spirituality.

Explores humanity's attempts to comprehend the divine by giving it human traits and emotions, and calls for a more expansive understanding of God to develop a more universal spirituality.

Examines the rituals and traditions of Islam, and discusses the revelation of Muhammad as Prophet and the subsequent uprising against him and the emergence of his successors.

Examines the rituals and traditions of Islam, and discusses the revelation of Muhammad as Prophet and the subsequent uprising against him and the emergence of his successors.

Scholar and author Reza Aslan explains the origins and evolution of Islam in all its beauty and complexity. This updated edition addresses the events of the past decade, analyzing how they have influenced Islam's position in modern culture. Aslan explores what the popular demonstrations pushing for democracy in the Middle East mean for the future of Islam in the region, how the Internet and social media have affected Islam's evolution, and how the war on terror has altered the geopolitical balance of power in the Middle East. He also provides an update on the contemporary Muslim women's movement, a discussion of the controversy over veiling in Europe, an in-depth history of Jihadism, and a look at how Muslims living in North America and Europe are changing the face of Islam.

Presents the origins and history of Islam, with emphasis on its relation to other religions and the impact that terrorism is having on the current perception of Islam throughout the non-Islamic world.

A cosmic war is a religious war, not between armies or nations, but between the forces of good and evil, a war in which God is believed to be directly engaged on behalf of one side against the other. The hijackers who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, thought they were fighting a cosmic war. Scholar Reza Aslan maintains that by infusing the War on Terror with the same kind of religiously polarizing rhetoric, the United States is also fighting a cosmic war--a war that can't be won. This book is both an in-depth study of the ideology fueling militants throughout the Muslim world, and an exploration of religious violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Aslan argues that we must strip conflicts of their religious connotations and address the earthly grievances that always lie behind the cosmic impulse. How do you win a cosmic war? By refusing to fight in one.--From publisher description.