Islam was born in a cradle of tribal turmoil, and the arrival of one God who vanquished hundreds of ancient Arabian gods changed the world forever. God reached down into the life of Muhammad, a settled husband and father, and spoke through him. Muhammad's divine and dangerous task was to convince his people to renounce their ancestral idols and superstitious veneration of multiple gods. From the first encounter, God did not leave Muhammad alone, his life was no longer his own, and with each revelation the creation of a new way of life formed and a religion was born. Muhammad didn't see himself as the son of God or as one who achieved cosmic enlightenment. His relatives and neighbors didn't part the way when he walked down the parched dirt streets of Mecca. There was no mark of divinity. Orphaned by age six, Muhammad grew up surrounded by dozens of cousins and extended family to become a trusted merchant. Muhammad saw himself as an ordinary man and that is why what happened to him is so extraordinary. Rooted in historical detail, Muhammad brings the Prophet to life through the eyes of those around him. A Christian hermit mystic foretells a special destiny, a pugnacious Bedouin wet nurse raises him in the desert, and a religious rebel in Mecca secretly takes the young orphan under his spiritual wing. Each voice, each chapter brings Muhammad and the creation of Islam into a new light. The angel Gabriel demands Muhammad to recite, the first convert risks his life to protect his newfound faith, and Muhammad's life is not a myth but an incredible true and surprisingly unknown story of a man and a moment that sparked a worldwide transformation. LISTEN: DEEPAK CHOPRA When I set out to write a fictional biography of Muhammad, I knew I wasn't covering an ordinary life, even by the standards of great prophets and founders of world religions. In the age of jihad, Muslim extremists have surrounded the Prophet with toxicity. Yet in the midst of our anxiety and anger - leading up to the outrageous extremist act, this time from a Christian, of Burn-a-Quran Day - someone must take a stand. On all sides we hear that moderate Muslims should stand up for their faith's values of peace and toleration. From the liberal wing of American politics we hear the same call to Americans, with reminders to our conscience that we are a nation founded on religious freedom. Yet the real stand, as far as writing this book was concerned, is different. I wanted to take a stand against pure ignorance. Who really knows Muhammad? Muslims do, but the latest poll shows that over 60% of Americans know little or nothing. So I set out to give everyone a page turner about Muhammad that captures every facet of a life that has endless facets. In the book there are over twenty narrators, both men and women, old and young, devout and secular, devotees and enemies. I didn't want to smooth over any of the parts that bother modern Westerners, such as polygamy and the fact that one of the Prophet's wives was a child of six. Nor did I want to satisfy religious Muslims that only their most cherished portrait of Muhammad would be presented. The gulf between religions will always be there. But with Islam simmering suspicion or a feeling of superiority - the perennial attitudes that the West has taken to the Arab world - has boiled over into violence. Before you can speak well or ill of anyone, you need to know something about them. Hopefully, you will be willing to see life from their viewpoint. Yes, I gulped a few times, and still do, when I hear the word fatwa. But I wrote out of respect and an open mind. I think denial and a closed mind are worse than any imagined threat. I hope every reader of Muhammad will agree. We can all take a stand simply by learning the truth. ======================================================= A Hindu by faith,originally from Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Deepak Chopra's is a A Fictional Biography, written as "stand against pure ignorance" For a Scholarly Biography, read: Book Review: http://adp.yolasite.com/articles/muhammad-a-prophet-for-our-time-by-karen-armstrong-a-book-review For a Spiritual Biography, read: In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad Book Review: http://journals.ucfv.ca/jhb/Volume_2/Volume_2_Gleave.pdf Or, if you want to doggedly pursue the path of ignorance, you can continue with the ... "Many shamefully ignorant critics like Robertson, Graham, Hagee, Falwell who do not have the least basis for their declarations. Their ignorance is itself a measure of disrespect and narrowness that spreads widely among their followers. Equally it could begin to educate those who should know better and who make decisions based on fear and hate - including those who seem superficially have some knowledge when talking about "abrogation" of versus in the Qu'ran etc. Bashing Islam is a profitable cottage industry and so much easier than a small measure of understanding or empathy." L. F Sherman "dikw" - Reviewer
Taking a Stand: Muhammad in the Age of Jihad
Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time
Thursday, September 9, 2010
[ALOCHONA] Taking a Stand: Muhammad in the Age of Jihad - by Deepak Chopra
"I wanted to take a stand against pure ignorance. Who really knows Muhammad? Muslims do, but the latest poll shows that over 60% of Americans know little or nothing."
Author Interviews:
In this interview, Deepak Chopra discusses his reasons for writing "Muhammad: A Story Of The Last Prophet," which captures the life story of the Prophet of Islam.
Listen - an interview with Larry King:
Watch the Interview with Deborah Solomon of the New York Times Magazine
Posted: 01:27 PM ET
[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com
Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___