Some Recent Publications on Islam/Muslims

Islamic Minorities of South Asia : An Ethnographic Account by Nadeem Hasnain, 2025, Routledge

Islam and Islamicate South Asia have generated interest since 9/11 as never before. However, Islamic Minorities, specifically, is still a relatively neglected area of study in South Asian Islam. It may be due to the reason that there has been a tendency to look at Islam as a monolithic faith and Muslims as a monolithic population to the western world.

This book focuses on such Islamic Minorities as the Shias (dominant Isna Ashari/Twelver Shias), Ismaili Khoja, Dawoodi Bohra, and Ahmedia/Qadiyani communities and looks at them from the perspective of their interaction with Hindu cultures and traditions. Written in lucid language from a sociological perspective, it should be an important contribution to the field of “Lived Islam” or “Islam in Practice.”

This book will be invaluable to all those interested in the religion, society, and culture of Muslim South Asia.

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Islam and Muslims: Transcending Context and Culture by Arif Hassan, 2025, Bluerose Publishers

"This book delves into the core principles of Islam, its diverse expressions, and the interplay between historical achievements and present-day challenges. It addresses key issues faced by Muslims worldwide, emphasizing the dialogue between faith and culture, tradition and modernity, and religion and science, while fostering interfaith harmony.

In our interconnected world, understanding Islam is both essential and relevant. The book encourages readers to look beyond stereotypes and see Islam as both a faith and a lived experience. It highlights universal Islamic values—compassion, justice, and unity—and promotes open, respectful dialogue.

With a tone of empathy and insight, the book recognizes the contributions and struggles of Muslim communities globally. It offers a powerful reminder of our shared humanity and the ongoing potential for unity, understanding, and peaceful coexistence in today’s world."
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A History of the Muslim World: From its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity  by Michael A Cook,2024, Princeton University Press

A panoramic history of the Muslim world from the age of the Prophet Muḥammad to the birth of the modern era.

This book describes and explains the major events, personalities, conflicts, and convergences that have shaped the history of the Muslim world. The body of the book takes readers from the origins of Islam to the eve of the nineteenth century, and an epilogue continues the story to the present day. Michael Cook thus provides a broad history of a civilization remarkable for both its unity and diversity.

After setting the scene in the Middle East of late antiquity, the book depicts the rise of Islam as one of the great black swan events of history. It continues with the spectacular rise of the Caliphate, an empire that by the time it broke up had nurtured the formation of a new civilization. It then goes on to cover the diverse histories of all the major regions of the Muslim world, providing a wide-ranging account of the key military, political, and cultural developments that accompanied the eastward and westward spread of Islam from the Middle East to the shores of the Atlantic and the Pacific.

At the same time, A History of the Muslim World contains numerous primary-source quotations that expose the reader to a variety of acutely insightful voices from the Muslim past.
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The Social life of Islam: Sufi shrines in Urban Pakistan(Muslim South Asia) by Amen Jaffer,2024,Cambridge University Press.

How do Islamic discourses, practices and symbols become a concrete and meaningful facet of the lives of individuals and communities in the cities of contemporary Pakistan? How do they constitute relationships between neighbors, friends, relatives, strangers, and various urban groups? In other words, how is Islam woven into and how does it shape the social fabric of urban Pakistan? The Social Life of Islam addresses these questions through an ethnography of Sufi shrines in Pakistan”s second largest metropolitan center, Lahore. It argues that Sufi shrines” position as a vital hub of metropolitan public life is critical to their capacity to serve as a conduit for Islam. Connecting urban studies with the study of religion, this book explores the minutiae of social interactions in everyday life that constitute Sufi shrines as a key social, political and religious space for the mediation, contestation and reproduction of social relations in the city and for producing a distinct embodiment of Islam.
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Secular Muslim Feminism: An Alternative Voice in the war of Ideas by Hind Ethinnawy,2025,IB Tauris & Co Ltd.

For over a century, Muslim women have championed their own brand of feminism, rooted in human rights principles and a deep understanding of their diverse cultural contexts. Yet, secular Muslim feminism remains shrouded in misunderstanding and contention.
This book boldly confronts the complexities and controversies surrounding this contested concept, offering a nuanced exploration of its potential to bridge divides and empower women. The book challenges the simplistic portrayals of Muslim women, dismantling the harmful narratives of oppression and victimhood propagated by both Western and Islamist agendas. It critiques the selective glorification of religious agency by some feminists, recognizing how this can inadvertently reinforce patriarchal ideologies. Additionally, it exposes the hijacking of the secular Muslim feminist movement by the far-right, disguised as advocates for women’s rights but fueled by anti-Muslim sentiments. Drawing on over two decades of personal observations and interactions with diverse organizations in the Middle East and Europe, the book delves into the heart of secular Muslim feminism, dissecting its nuances and potential to reconcile divergent perspectives. It amplifies these voices, challenging the misrepresentation and limitations imposed by external agendas.

Secular Muslim Feminism emerges as a bold and transformative force, redefining the boundaries of equality and empowering women to shape their destinies. It offers a nuanced and critical framework for understanding the complex realities of Muslim women’s lives, paving the way for a more just and equitable future.
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A Brief History of the Present : Muslims in New India by Hilal ahmed, 2024, Penguin Viking.

Present-day political discourse swings between two contrary positions on the issue of Muslims.Hindutva politics categorizes Muslims as a monolithic religious group to substantiate Hindu homogeneity. The liberals, on the other hand, claim to protect Muslims as a religious minority to defend Indian democracy (if not secularism!). In both cases, Muslim identity is envisioned as a one-dimensional phenomenon.

A Brief History of the Present attempts to go beyond the obvious to rethink the role of minorities, specifically Muslims, in the ‘New India’ that has revealed itself since 2014. By diving deep into the complexities of Muslim identity and its role in everyday life while at the same time viewing the Muslim communities through a historical lens, the author attempts to provide a far more accurate picture of Indian Muslims than what is perceived currently.

Through the author’s interpretation of a wide range of quantitative and qualitative sources and his long experience as an observer of the Indian political scenario for more than three decades, the book presents a deeply considered view of a burning question: the current status of Muslims in India.                            

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