Bios of Speakers and Blurbs of Books

Title :MaqasidAlShariahasPhilosophyofIslamicLaw:ASystemsApproach
Author :JasserAuda
Hardback :ISBN:9781565644250$28.95/Paperback:ISBN:9781565644243$18.95
Size/pages :(6x9)/376p./2008

Blurb: In this path breaking study, Jasser Auda presents a systems approach to the philosophy and
juridicaltheoryofIslamiclawbasedonitspurposes,intents,andhigherobjectives(maqasid).ForIslamic
rulings to fulfill their original purposes of justice, freedom, rights, common good, and tolerance in
todays context, Auda presents maqasid as the heart and the very philosophy of Islamic law. He also
introduces a novel method for analysis and critique, one that utilizes relevant features from systems
theory,suchas,wholeness,multidimensionality,openness,andespecially,purposefulnessofsystems.

This book will benefit all those interested in the relationship between Islam and a wide variety of
subjects, such as philosophy of law, morality, human rights, interfaith commonality, civil society,
integration,development,feminism,modernism,postmodernism,systemstheory,andculture.

Bio: Jasser Auda is the Founding Director of AlMaqasid Research Centre in the Philosophy of Islamic
Law,aprojectofAlFurqanFoundation,London,U.K.Hehasamultidisciplinaryacademicbackground
andhaswrittentwoPh.D.thesesonIslamicPhilosophyofLawandandSystemsAnalysisandDesign,in
theUniversityofWales,UK,andtheUniversityofWaterloo,Canada,respectively.Dr.AudaisaVisiting
LecturertoanumberofacademicinstitutesinCanada,UK,Egypt,andIndia.(2008).

Bios of Speakers and Blurbs of Books

Title :AnthropomorphicDepictionsofGod:TheConceptofGodinJudaic,Christian,
andIslamicTraditions:RepresentingtheUnrepresentable
Author :ZulfiqarAliShah
Paperback :ISBN9781565645752$29.95/Hardback :ISBN9781565645769$39.95
Size/pages :(6x9)/764p./2012

Blurb:ThismonumentalstudyexaminesissuesofanthropomorphisminthethreeAbrahamicFaiths,as
viewedthroughthetextsoftheHebrewBible,theNewTestamentandtheQuran.Throughouthistory
ChristianityandJudaismhavetriedtomakesenseofGod.WhilejuxtaposingtheIslamicpositionagainst
this, the author addresses the JudeoChristian worldview and how each has chosen to framework its
encounterwithGod,towhatextentthishasbeentheresultofactualscriptureandtowhatextentthe
product of theological debate, or church decrees of later centuries and absorption of Hellenistic
philosophy. Shah also examines Islams heavily antianthropomorphic stance and Islamic theological
discourseonTawhidaswellastheNinetyNineNamesofGodandwhatthesehavemeantinrelationto
Muslim understanding of God and His attributes. Describing how these became the touchstone of
Muslim discourse with Judaism and Christianity he critiques theological statements and perspectives
thatcametodiluteifnotcounterstrictmonotheism.AssecularismdebateswhetherGodisdead,the
issueofanthropomorphismhasbecomeofimmenseimportance.ThequestforGod,especiallyinthis
day and age, is partly one of intellectual longing. To Shah, anthropomorphic concepts and corporeal
depictions of the Divine are perhaps among the leading factors of modern atheism. As such he
ultimately draws the conclusion that the postmodern longing for God will not be quenched by pre
modernanthropomorphicandcorporealconceptsoftheDivinewhichhavesimplybroughtGoddownto
this cosmos, with a precise historical function and a specified location, reducing the intellectual and
spiritualforceofwhatGodisandrepresents,causingthesoultodetractfromasenseofthesacredand
therebybeliefinHim.

Bio:ZulfiqarAliShahholdsaPh.D.inTheologyandReligiousStudiesfromtheUniversityofWales,UK
andanM.A.(Hons)inIslamicStudieswithspecializationinComparativeReligionsfromtheInternational
Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He has taught at both the latter university as well as the
University of Wales and the University of North Florida and is proficient in five languages including
English,Arabic,andUrdu.Dr.Shahhasbeenactivelyinvolvedininterfaithandintrafaithdialoguefor
over25yearsandhasservedmultipleMuslimcommunitiesinNorthAmericaastheirreligiousdirector
and a number of Muslim organizations such as ICNA as their national president. Currently Secretary
GeneraloftheFiqhCouncilofNorthAmericaandReligiousDirectoroftheIslamicSocietyofMilwaukee,
Wisconsin, Dr. Shah is a renowned speaker invited internationally to speak on comparative religion,
theology, Islam, the Quran, Hadith, comparative Fiqh (Law), mysticism, Islamic civilization, the
Abrahamic religions and contemporary issues. He is the author of a number of scholarly articles and
booksincludingAstronomicalCalculationsandRamadan:AFiqhiDiscourse.
Bios of Speakers and Blurbs of Books

Title :ParentChildRelations:AGuidetoRaisingChildren
Author :HishamAltalib,AbdulhamidAbusulayman,OmarAltalib
Hardback :Forthcoming
Pages :570/2012

Blurb:Thisbookofferspracticaladviceforachievingahappyfamily.Itiswrittenwithcommonsense,
good humor, and a genuine concern for success in this life and the hereafter. It is a book on cross
cultural parenting, addressing issues that concern parents from the East and the West. It provides
examples on how to encourage, empower, enhance and enrich any child. Are our children abnormal?
Whyaretheydrivinguscrazy?Dowegetinsanityfromthem?Theseandotherquestionsareaskedby
parents.Ontheotherhand,childrenask:Howdowemanageourparentsandmakethemhappy?Why
dotheyinterferewhentheyaretryingtohelpus,bossusaroundwhentheyaretryingtoadviseus,and
babyuswhentheyaretryingtoloveus?Answerstotheseandahostofotherquestionsareanswered
in this guide, using examples, illustrations, graphs and simple to understand language. This work is a
practical manual, a textbook on parenting, a faithbased advice book, and a compilation of the latest
researchonparentingtechniques.

Bios:
Dr. Hisham Yahya Altalib was born in Iraq in 1940. He holds a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from
Liverpool University (1962) and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Purdue University in Lafayette,
Indiana,USA(1974).Whileworkingasanelectricalengineer,Dr.AltalibsoonbecameactiveinIslamic
work in North America which continues to this day. He has held several positions in various Islamic
Organizations including first fulltime director of the Leadership Training Department of the Muslim
StudentsAssociationoftheUnitedStatesandCanada(MSA)(19751977)andsecretarygeneralofthe
International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations (IIFSO) in 1976. He has conducted many
training camps and seminars in America and abroad. A founding member and Director of the SAAR
Foundation(19831995),aswellasfoundingmemberoftheInternationalInstituteofIslamicThought
(IIIT)in1981,heisalsotheauthorofthewellknownbookATrainingGuideforIslamicWorkers,which
todatehasbeentranslatedinto20languages.HeiscurrentlythedirectoroffinanceoftheIIIT.

Dr.OmarHishamAltalibwasborninKirkuk,Iraqin1967andlefttotheUSAwithhisparentsin1968.He
graduatedfromGeorge MasonUniversityin1989withaBAin EconomicsandaB.A.in Sociologyand
holdsanM.A.(1993)andaPh.D.(2004)inSociologyfromtheUniversityofChicago.Hewasgranteda
GraduateStudentFellowshipfromtheNationalScienceFoundation(19892003)andbecameanAdjunct
Professor of Sociology at Daley College, Chicago (1998) and at Indiana University Northwest, Gary,
Indiana (1999). He was an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Ashland University in
Ashland, Ohio (20002003) and served as Senior Knowledge Engineer at Science Applications
InternationalCorporationatAlexandria,Virginia(20052006).HewasAssistantProfessorofSociologyat
the International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (20092011). Dr. Altalib has authored
several articles on the family, education, endowments, charitable organizations and social change. He
hastraveledthroughoutEuropeandAsia.
Bios of Speakers and Blurbs of Books

Title :TheArabAwakening:IslamandthenewMiddleEast
Author :TariqRamadan

Blurb: Across the Arab world millions of women and men have taken to the streets, showing that
dictators can be overthrown without weapons. But what happens now? Tariq Ramadan is one of the
mostacclaimedfiguresintheanalysisofIslamanditspoliticaldimensionstoday.InTheArabAwakening
heexplorestheopportunitiesandchallengesacrossNorthAfricaandtheMiddleEast,astheylookto
create new, more open societies. He asks: can Muslim countries bring together Islam, pluralism and
democracy without betraying their identity? Will the Arab world be able to reclaim its memory to
reinvent education, womens rights, social justice, economic growth and the fight against corruption?
CanthisemancipationbeenvisionedwithIslam,experiencednotasastraitjacket,butasanethicaland
culturalwealth?

Arguingthatthedebatecannotbereducedtoaconfrontationbetweentwoapproachesthemodern
andsecularversusthetraditionalandIslamicRamadandemonstratesthatnotonlyarebothofthese
routesincrisis,butthattheArabworldhasanhistoricopportunity:tostopblamingtheWest,tojettison
itsvictimstatusandtocreateatrulynewdynamic.TariqRamadanoffersupachallengetotheMiddle
East:whatenduringlegacywillyouproduce,fromthehistoricmomentoftheArabSpring?

Bio: Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the Oxford University (Oriental
Institute,StAntonysCollege)andalsoteachesattheOxfordFacultyofTheology.HeisVisitingProfessor
attheFacultyofIslamicStudies,(Qatar),SeniorResearchFellowatDoshishaUniversity(Kyoto,Japan)
andDirectoroftheResearchCentreofIslamicLegislationandEthics(CILE)(Doha,Qatar).Heholdsan
MA in Philosophy and French literature and PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of
Geneva.InCairo,EgypthereceivedoneononeintensivetraininginclassicIslamicscholarshipfromAl
Azhar University scholars (ijazat in seven disciplines). Through his writings and lectures Tariq has
contributedtothedebateontheissuesofMuslimsintheWestandIslamicrevivalintheMuslimworld.
Heisactiveatacademicandgrassrootslevelslecturingextensivelythroughouttheworldontheology,
ethics, social justice, ecology and interfaith as well intercultural dialogue. He is President of the
Europeanthinktank:EuropeanMuslimNetwork(EMN)inBrussels.

Latestbooks:TheArabAwakening:IslamandtheNewMiddleEastPenguin(Spring2012);TheQuest
forMeaning,DevelopingaPhilosophyofPluralismPenguin(2010);WhatIbelieveOUPUSA(2009);
RadicalReform,IslamicEthicsandLiberationOUPUSA(2008).
Bios of Speakers and Blurbs of Books

Title :ObservingtheObserver:TheStateofIslamicStudiesinAmericanUniversities
Author :Ed.MumtazAhmad,ZahidBukhari&SulaymanNyang
Paperback :ISBN9781565645806$18.95/Hardback :ISBN9781565645813$28.95
Size/pages/year:(6x9)/292p./2012

Blurb: The collection of papers in this volume documents the study of Islam in American Universities.
OverthelastfewdecadestheUnitedStateshasseensignificantgrowthinthestudyofIslamandIslamic
societiesininstitutionsofhigherlearningfueledprimarilybyeventsincludingeconomicrelationsofthe
U.S. with Muslim countries, migration of Muslims into the country, conversion of Americans to Islam,
U.S. interests in Arab oil resources, involvement of Muslims in the American public square, and the
tragiceventsof9/11.

AlthoughthereisincreasingrecognitionthatthestudyofIslamandtheroleofMuslimsisstrategically
essentialinaclimateofglobalintegration,multiculturalism,andpoliticalturmoil,nevertheless,thestate
ofIslamicStudiesinAmericaisfarfromsatisfactory.Theissueneedstobeaddressed,particularlyasthe
need for intelligent debate and understanding is continuously stifled by what some have termed an
Islamindustryrunprimarilybyflybyjournalists,thinktankpundits,andcutandpasteexperts.
Bios of Speakers and Blurbs of Books

Title(translation) :TheDevelopmentoftheMaqasdiMethodologybyContemporary
Scholars
ArabicTitle : :
Author :ZainabAlAlwani
Paperback :ISBN9781565644748$6.95
Size/pages/year:(6x9)/292p./2012

Bio: Zainab Alwani is an Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies at the Howard University School of
Divinity. She was the Program Director and an Adjunct Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at
Northern Virginia Community College as well as Adjunct Professor of Arabic Studies at the School of
Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. She developed courses in Arabic Studies
thatfocusonthelinkbetweenIslamicphilosophy,languageandculture.ShealsotaughtIslamichistory,
lawandcomparativereligionatWesleyTheologicalSeminaryandtheWashingtonNationalCathedral.
ShereceivedherPh.D.inIslamicSciencesfromtheInternationalIslamicUniversityinMalaysia.Sheisa
researcher,socialandcommunityactivist,andthefirstfemalejuristtoserveontheboardoftheFiqh
council of North America. She also serves on the board of KARAMA. Dr. Alwani has authored and co
authored a number of scholarly articles and chapter books such as Change from Within: Diverse
PerspectivesonDomesticViolenceinMuslimCommunities;WhatIslamSaysaboutDomesticViolence;
and Perspectives: Arabic Language and Culture in Films. She has also published a variety of scholarly
articles on the topics of Fiqh legislation, Maqasid Al shariah, Peace Jihad and Conflict Resolution in
America, Al ghazali and his Methodology, Aishas Istidrakat Commentaries and the Methodological
Premises: Reclaiming a Lost Legacy. She has several upcoming publications focused on Quran and
gender relations, marriage and divorce in American Muslim Community, Shariah and family law in
America,Muslimwomenscholarship,andFiqhforMinorities:Ananalyticperspective.

In addition to her academic and social activities Dr. Alwani is also an active member of the American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development (ASCD), The American Academy of Religion (AAR), The Abrahamic Roundtable at the
WashingtonNationalCathedral,theWomansFaithandDevelopmentAlliance(WFDA),andTheAfrican
Studies Association (ASA). She has been awarded Whos Who among Americas Teachers for three
consecutiveyearsfrom2003to2006.ShewasalsoawardedtheWhosWhoinAmericafor2011.