Some Recent Publications on Islam/Muslims

The Great Disconnect Between Islam and Muslims: An Extraordinary Perspective of An Ordinary Muslim on The Decline of The Ummah, by

Akbar Hussaini, Tashih Organization, 2026

What are the causes for Muslim decline from the zenith of knowledge, wisdom, progress and power? This plain-spoken introspection comes not from the perspective of a scholar, Alim or Sheikh, but from that of an ordinary Muslim whose honest evaluation could be instantly relatable to the other Muslims. This forthright examination supported by well researched sources could be the first step in understanding and then correcting mistakes we made as an Ummah to get us out of this current pitiful state.
In this book the author examines more than 1,400 years of Muslim history to illuminate both the ideals of Islam and the historical journey of Muslims. He shows how the early Muslim community, guided by the Prophet Muhammad, rose to great heights before declining to its present condition. Through careful investigation into Muslim political, theological, and philosophical history, the author identifies several major factors that contributed to this decline. Coming from a perspective of a common Muslim it is instantly relatable to many other Muslims who share the sentiments but may not have had the opportunity to put together a book. The purpose is not to assign blame, but to help begin the process of correction (Tashih).

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Seeking Answers: Islam – A Woman’s Perspective by Asma Sohel, Blue Rose Publishers, 2026

Seeking Answers: Islam – A Woman’s Perspective is an honest and thought-provoking exploration of questions about Islam that the author has encountered throughout her life, from childhood conversations to experiences in the professional world. Drawing from personal reflection, authentic Islamic sources, and lived experiences, the book addresses common misconceptions while encouraging readers to look beyond stereotypes and media narratives. Rather than presenting arguments, it offers thoughtful conversations that invite curiosity, understanding, and respectful dialogue. Written for readers of all backgrounds, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, the book encourages open-minded exploration of faith, identity, and shared human values. Through sincerity, reflection, and compassion, it seeks to build bridges of understanding and promote meaningful conversations across cultures and communities.

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The Enduring Legacy of the Habsburg Islam Policy by SevgiAdak(Editor), Thomas Schmidinger(Editor), Edinburg University Press, 2025

When Otto Habsburg, son of the last emperor of the Austria-Hungarian Empire Karl I, died in 2011, among those who prayed at the funeral in Vienna’s Stephansdom was Mustafa Efendi Ceric, the Reis ul-ulema of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was to honour the long-lasting relationship between the bygone empire of the Catholic Habsburgs with European Muslims. The cornerstone of this association was the 1912 Islam Act (Islamgesetz) of the Habsburgs, which made Austria-Hungary the first Catholic European state to confer official status to Islam.
This book explores the legacy of this act and the ways in which it continues to impact the legal frameworks and political structures governing Islam and Muslim communities in the successor states of Austria-Hungary. It discusses the unique coexistence in Central Europe of centuries-old, ‘indigenous’ European Muslims with recently settled Muslim immigrants, and the trajectory of their interactions with the state. This volume is therefore not only crucial to the debate about European Islam but also to the question of the legal and political framework of Islamic religious communities in a secular Europe.

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MUSLIM WOMEN : THROUGH THE PRISM OF MUSLIM SCHOLARS (Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan, Yasmine Mohammed, Ibn Warraq and Others) by Shruti Anerao(Author), Foreword by Manoshi Sinha(Author), AkshayPrakashan,2026

This insightful book delves into the multifaceted subject of the plight of Muslim women, examining the intersection of Islamic teachings, social structures, and the lived experiences of women across communities. Rooted in the disciplines of Women Studies and social problems, this work offers a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of the challenges, rights, and roles of Muslim women in contemporary society. It addresses pressing social issues, cultural norms, and religious interpretations that shape the lives of women within Muslim communities. Whether you are a student, researcher, academic, or a general reader with an interest in gender studies, social justice, or Islamic scholarship, this book serves as a valuable resource. It encourages critical thinking and informed dialogue on topics that are both globally relevant and deeply personal. A must-have addition to any library focused on social sciences, gender studies, or religious studies.

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Western Civilization – Islam and Muslims by Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, Nadwi Press,2026

Western Civilization: Islam and Muslims examines a central modern question for Muslim societies: how to respond to the expanding influence of Western thought, education, and social forms without losing Islamic identity. Written as a historical assessment, the book surveys attitudes ranging from isolation and neutrality to selective adoption and full westernization, and evaluates their consequences across the Muslim world.
Across its chapters, the work traces major currents of modernism and westernization-highlighting the role of education, cultural planning, and intellectual leadership-while recording how ideas and institutions were received, resisted, or imitated in different regions.
It argues that the challenge is not hypothetical, but a real and urgent civilizational problem requiring clear principles, moral restraint, and mature judgment.
The author also frames a "permanent role" for the Muslim world grounded in faith, learning, and reform-affirming that Muslims must neither reject all that is useful nor surrender to uncritical imitation, but distinguish beneficial knowledge from harmful values.
Ideal for: scholars and students of Islamic thought, modern Muslim intellectual history, comparative civilization studies, and library collections seeking a disciplined, historically grounded critique of westernization from within the Islamic scholarly tradition.

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Rise & Fall of Muslims in Science by Mohammed Shihabuddin Nadvi (Islam and Science) by Mohammed Shihabuddin Nadvi, Furqania Academy,2025

Rise & Fall of Muslims in Science by Mohammed Shihabuddin Nadvi is a thought-provoking work published by Furqania Academy Waqf that explores the remarkable scientific legacy of the Muslim world and the factors that led to its decline. The book delves into how the Qur’an inspired early Muslim scholars to study nature and make groundbreaking contributions to science and civilisation, establishing Muslim intellectual leadership across the world. It then examines how political decline eroded this leadership and opened the door to materialistic philosophies and Western cultural dominance. Most importantly, the book issues a compelling call to action — urging Muslims to revive their scientific and intellectual tradition by harmonising spiritual values with modern knowledge. It encourages scholars and Ulama to develop scientific expertise in order to engage with contemporary philosophies and guide the Muslim Ummah towards holistic progress. A must-read for anyone interested in the history of Islamic science and the path forward for Muslim intellectual revival.

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Muslim Capitalism: A Political and Legal History of Colonial Bombay by Danish Khan, Cambridge University Press, 2026

This book offers a history of Muslim capitalism in colonial India by examining Gujarati Muslim trading communities within the political economy of Bombay. Challenging a historiography dominated by global and transnational approaches, it shows how Muslim merchants were embedded in local institutions, legal regimes, and commercial networks of business. Through court records, legislative debates, commercial disputes, and family archives, it introduces the concept of the Muslim Divided Family as an alternative framework for understanding Muslim mercantile organization alongside the Hindu Undivided Family, and how colonial law transformed family property, waqf administration, inheritance, and religious authority, while revealing the uneven ways in which colonial governance accommodated different commercial communities. By placing Muslim merchants at the centre of debates on capitalism, law, and community, it offers a fresh interpretation of economic life in colonial South Asia and contributes to wider discussions on legal pluralism, corporate personality, and the relationship between religion and commerce.

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Indigenous Roots of Bengal-Origin Assamese Muslims

by Khabir Ahmed, Blue Rose Publishers,2026
The question of who qualifies as ‘indigenous’ in Assam has long shaped socio-political and intellectual discourse. This book examines the historical roots and identity of Bengali Hindus and Bengali Muslims, challenging their exclusion from the category of indigenous communities.
Tracing their origins to the ancient Bengal delta, once associated with Pragjyotishpura and Kamrupa, the author explores the region’s earliest populations, including Proto-Australoids, Tibeto-Burmese, Dravidians, and later Aryan migrants.
Drawing on extensive historical research alongside modern genetic and DNA studies, the book questions conventional racial and chronological theories of indigeneity. It examines the evolution of communities, cultures, religions, and geographical landscapes, offering a compelling perspective on the origins and identity of Bengali communities in Assam.
Formerly a college teacher in the Department of English, Khabir Ahmed is a retired Director of the Department of Education, Assam. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Dainik Ganaadhikar, a popular Assamese daily published from Guwahati, Assam.
A prominent poet and author, he writes fluently in both English and Assamese. Over the course of his long and distinguished career, he has authored more than twenty books in both languages.

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Refashioning Muslims: Women between the New Conservatism and Neoliberalism in Istanbul by MerveKütük-Kuris, Edinburg University Press, 2026

A rare account of neoliberal Muslim female subjectivity in Turkey’s elite Islamic bourgeois circles

• Focuses on the formation of neoliberal Muslim female subjectivity under AKP rule in Turkey
• Uses longitudinal ethnographic research to analyse how successful careers of Muslim female fashion professionals have established them as trustworthy public figures in various other fields, namely leisure, charity and the family
• Examines the emergence of Muslim fashionistas against the backdrop of the AKP’s hegemonic power in Turkey since 2002
• Challenges modernist, liberal and non liberal conceptualization of Muslim women’s agency to move beyond the stereotypical and homogenizing portrayals of Muslim women as ‘oppressed’, ‘empowered’, or ‘strictly pious’
• Makes significant contribution to sociological and anthropological accounts of lived Islam by deriving a theoretical framework from Ricoeur’s notion of ‘narrative identity’
• Contributes to sociological and anthropological accounts of lived Islam by deriving a theoretical framework from Bourdieu’s notion of ‘regulated liberties’

Refashioning Muslims explores the self-presentations and daily performances of young, bourgeois, fashion-conscious Muslim female entrepreneurs who emerged as new social actors in fields of fashion, leisure, charity and the family during the 2010s. It examines how these ‘Muslim fashionistas’ significantly bolster governmental capacity to build public consent by projecting images of successful entrepreneurs, benevolent philanthropists and ideal mothers. However, their performances entail moments of imperfection and moral dilemma as they navigate market demands and everyday aspirations often conflicting with Islamic orthodoxy and traditional gender order.
The book analyses how Muslim fashionistas cooperate with and challenge religious, classed, and gendered ideals, shaping a neoliberal Muslim subjectivity in the new Turkey. Drawing on Ricoeur’s notion of ‘narrative identity’ and Bourdieu’s notion of ‘regulated liberties’, the book argues that women’s subjectivities are guided by the dynamic unity of the narrative configuration of the self, and formed through a complex interplay between autonomy and (self-)regulation.

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