Islam Today - Ideals and Realities

Muslims are branded by the media under many labels: extremist, moderate, liberal, fundamentalist, Islamist, etc. Islamophobia permeates throughout the world, creating a barrier between Muslims and non-Muslims. The reasons for this face-to-face conflict between Islam and its detractors are complex. Some Muslims, who misrepresent Islam through their misconduct, are also a factor in all this.

The author writes as a devout Muslim and condemns in no uncertain terms the violence and other crimes committed by some misguided groups in the name of Islam. The author demonstrates that all that has nothing to do with Islam and that the reality of Islam is preserved in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s life examples. At the same time, the author also speaks of the disconnect between theory and practice and the tension between ideals and realities in the Islamic context.

In nine short chapters, the author synthesises the ideals and the present-day realities of Islam. This small book may serve as the first step for the reader to take the wider journey to understand the many splendored phenomenon that Islam indeed is.

About the Author:
Mohamed Ariff
Emeritus Professor Datuk Dr. Mohamed Ariff bin Abdul Kareem is a well-known academic with a long track record. He is an economist by training, with a bachelor’s and a master’s from the University of Malaya, Malaysia, and a doctorate from the University of Lancaster, England. He has served as Professor and Dean at the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of Malaya, Executive Director of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), and Professor of Economics and Governance at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF). He has authored, co-authored, and edited many books, including some on Islamic economics and finance, and has published numerous journal articles.