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BOOK REVIEWS 179

Andrew Rippin. Muslims: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. New York:
Routledge. 2006. 371 pp. $34.95.

In the post 9/11 world, any current treatment of Islam must not only
grapple with the West's engagement with Islam but also with the struggles
within its ranks. Rippin's Muslims expertly meets this challenge. Already in
its third edition, this expanded version covers issues not discussed in earlier
editions such as the effect of 9/11 on Islam as well as its engagement with
modernity /postmodernity.
As Professor of History at the University of Victoria in Canada, Rippin
examines Islam through historical, religious, and political lenses. At the
same time, he analyzes how Muslims perceive and shape Islam within their
ummah (community). The book is divided into six parts. The first deals with
the formative elements of classical Islam—its prehistory, life and influence
of Muhammad, role and nature of the Qur'an. The second touches on the
emergence of Islamic identity—its political, theological, legal, and ritualistic
elements. The third examines variations within Islam, such as the Shi'a and
Sufi.
Rippin excels in examining the key Islamic literature and thinkers
pivotal to its founding, conceptualization, and consolidation of its identity.
For example, rather than mere surface treatment of Muslims as comprised of
Sunnis and Shiites, Rippin delves into the major hermeneutical schools,
traditions, and thinkers. The chapter on Islamic legal developments should
interest evangelicals. Rippin points out that the key to understanding Islam
is not theology but its law and ethics (p. 88). This is so because sharia (Islamic
law) impinges upon the ability of Muslims to practice Islam rightly. Islam
thus cannot be merely considered an orthodox religion but its heart is
orthopraxy.
The final three sections of the book touch on the consolidation of Islamic
identity, modern visions of Islam, and a current assessment of itself. How
the core essentials of Islam came together is fascinatingly explained by
Rippin in a discussion of the formulation of rival hermeneutical standards as
well as production of rival commentaries that are linked to the political
interests of the day. A reading of this section should banish one's notion that
there is "one" Islam—rather, there are many "Islams."
Modernity and its impact on Islam are expertly treated by Rippin. His
description and definition of modernity (in ch. 12) should not be missed.
Here, Rippin notes the unwillingness within most of Islam to engage in self-
examination and to utilize the tools of modernity to critically understand
itself in a new light. The threats that historical, literary, and textual criticism
pose to Islam are challenges that few Islamic scholars bother to confront. In
reading this section, I find Rippin almost straining to find Muslim scholars
that are so actively engaged. Yet, Rippin is no apologist for Islam. His
research not only uncovers the intellectual and scientific innovations that
Islam has gifted to the world but also discusses its tensions and troubles
within. He treats Islam respectfully yet not uncritically.
The structure of Rippin's Muslims climaxes in the last two sections,
where he treats modern visions of Islam and its revisioning by Muslim
intellectuals and activists. How modernity/postmodernity collide against
Islam is examined as a full chapter which discusses Muslim women's rights.
Here, readers may be surprised to discover that the role of women in Islam
is not necessarily masochistic as one may presume. Rippin closes with
Islam's potential to successfully engage modernity/postmodernity.
180 TRINITY JOURNAL

concluding with a hopeful note (p. 312). I suspect that evangelicals who read
his assessment at the end may be less sanguine. One wonders where the
next "reformation" in Islam may appear in light of their current troubles.
Aside from reaching conflicting conclusions, I heartedly recommend
Muslims as an indispensable mtroductory text for any treatment on world
religions, history, philosophy, or mission studies.
John Cheong
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
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