Tracing the rise of the scholarly study of religion from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, this textbook on the history of the scholarly study of religion is suitable for courses on the problems of method and theory as treated by the founders of the discipline.
The book traces the relevance of the academic study of religion for Islamic Studies, contributions of prominent scholars, and studies on issues of contemporary Islam.
Jacques Waardenburg writes about relations between Muslims and adherents of other religions. He shows how Muslims perceived non-Muslims - particularly Christianity and "the West", but also Judaism and Asian religions - in many centuries of religious dialogue and tensions.
This book presents some twenty essays on different aspects of Islam in history and the present. Sections four and five deal with ethics in Islam, including Muslim identity and human rights, and certain social functions of Islam.