I would like to second Burke as a writer who Muslims should be reading, mainly because of his defence of conservativism and scepticism towards elaborate grand theories.

I would also recommend Alister McGrath for an intelligent perspective on science and religion. He is better than Keith Ward.

wasalam

However, there are some books (non-Islamic) that I can recommend as offering something of value to Muslim readers. In no particular order othen than the order they appear as I look at a nearby bookshelf:

1. Anything by Peter Hitchens. Hitchens is the brother of Christopher Hitchens and, unlike Christopher, is more than a ghoulish attention seeker. His book The Abolition of Liberty makes both a compelling case against ID cards and demonstrates how law and order has diminished in the UK and elsewhere in the West. He has a blog at http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/ which is also worth reading.

2. Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke. This is an amazing book which I think every Muslim should read. Burke demolishes the idea of revolution as a means of social change. It applies as much to American follies at democracy building in the Middle East, as it does to the Muslims who think they can bring about the return of the Khalifah by murdering tourists in Luxor.

3. The Law by Frederic Bastiat. This is a short but useful pamphlet that summarises many powerful arguments against socialism and the erosion of our rights. One interesting point that Bastiat makes is that forced fraternity destroys liberty. This is particularly poignant when one considers the use of the law in many Western societies to force people to be fraternal with one another, such as forcing people to hire those they do not want or forcing service providers to provide services to those they do not agree with.

4. Therapy Culture by Frank Furedi. This is a very detailed and powerful critique of the therapy culture that has taken over much of our thinking: by viewing every problem that we face in life ‘emotionally’ we have become powerless and overly fragile in the face of normal human obstacles. This is a difficult read and should be summarised into something more accessible to the common reader, but it certainly makes some points that Muslims in the West should take note of.

5. Anything by Theodore Dalrymple. Dalrymple is one of the smartest, most incisive and eloquent people I’ve ever met. His writings on Islam are not particularly favourable, but pretty much everything else he writes is spot on. I would even go so far as to say that Dalrymple is one of the greatest essayists of our time. Always worth reading.

6. On Liberty by John Stuart Mill. Required reading for any Muslim who wishes to understand how some equillibrium can be found between all the competing intellectual forces in our societies. At a time when governments are increasingly looking to silence dissenting ideas and extremist literature, Mill makes timeless arguments in favour of the free market of ideas.

7. The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek. Hayek presents the argument, based on a posteriori assessment of man’s limitation to ever know everything at any one moment, that central planning of economies and societies does not work. In other words, no individual or group can ever possibly know all the variables required to manage an economy or society optimally. As such, governments should allow economies and societies to organise themselves. He went on to argue that whenever government interferes with the plans of individuals, a loss of liberty and economic harm results.

8. Human Action by Ludwig von Mises. Again, another brilliant and timeless classic that critiques central planning and collectivism. The book is available online at the Mises Institute (www.mises.org) for those that are interested in glancing over it. It is much, much more than a book on economics but looks at human nature itself.

9. Animal Farm by George Orwell. This is so well known that it’s importance should be obvious. Very easy to read and very rich in lessons.

I’ll probably most more recommendations as they spring to mind. Needless to say, not everything in the above mentioned books will be agreeable to Muslims but all of them offer something that we might benefit from.

…unlike Tariq Ali, whose historical novel featuring Maimonedes and, I think, Fatimids is called something… I’ve blocked it out because it was so bad. The sex scenes were a delight in Schadenfreude, ie: however bad I am at what I do, I will never be as bad as Ali writing sex.

And I say this without any intention to be controversial, but it’s pretty hard to go past Salman Rushdie’s Shame. I think that should be compulsory reading for every teenager and adult in the world. It is a spare, often horrfic book of undiluted genius. It not only lays Pakistan and the spiritual poverty of Islamist dictatorship bare, it illuminates the very essence of the imagined nation state and the ease with which it can descend into bestiality… and not the good kind.

I wonder if anyone will read this post. I hope so, even if it’s a bit late. There I was, thinking my fellow-ish Muslims in Oz were either refusing to think about politics or were actively supporting Hezbollah, when I stumbled onto this site. This place is so refreshing. Mashallah!

Off the top of my head, a few suggestions would be:

Islamic: Companions of the Prophet Volumes 1 & 2 by AbdulWahid Hamid (no clunky translations here!)

Satire/humour: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller (not for everyone). Also, Jon Stewart’s America is great and Steve Martin’s collection of short stories Pure Drivel is hilarious.

Spike Milligan is funny, and I should also mention the Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser, even though the character of Flashman is a complete cad and serves as little more than a reminder of why being a supine, cowardly fool is a bad thing.

Fantasy (sort of): Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series. This is fiction gold.

Classic: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, and OF COURSE Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Actually, read all Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell books for some witty and clever observations on humanity. In particular, Austen’s Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey are actually quite dark in some ways, while Gaskell deals with social conditions in an interesting way — her books have a conscience as she dissects the worker’s life. Eg. North and South is set in the South at the time of industrial revolution, when the working class were killing themselves in factories.

Historical: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Do not be fooled into thinking this is a soppy romance. Her attention to historical detail is breathtaking.

General fiction: I really like Isabel Allende’s books, in particular Portrait in Sepia, Daughter of Fortune and The Infinite Plan. But, she’s heavy on narration, and not so much on dialogue. Also, Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club is beautiful and tragic.

Language: Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. It’s very funny, even for the language rejectionist. And Wordwatching by Melbourne barrister Julian Burnside is a good read.

Fable: The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo. Yes, it drags on a bit, but this is a story all about naseeb (fate), and it’s a sweet story.

Non fiction: Reel Bad Arabs by Jack G Shaheen. An amazing, painstakingly researched record of Arabs in cinema.

Autobiography/diary: I won’t embarrass myself with my true list (*sheepish*), but Sharon and my mother-in-law by Suad Amiry is a simply written, but engrossing read on life in Ramallah.

I have lots of other favourite books, but they’re more suitable for gals, and I don’t think they will be appreciated here. Besides, there’s so much more that can be recommended.