Letters to a Young Muslim

Description

In a series of personal and insightful letters to his sons, Omar Saif Ghobash offers a vital manifesto that tackles the dilemmas facing not only young Muslims but everyone navigating the complexities of today's world. Full of wisdom and thoughtful reflections on faith, culture and society. This is a courageous and essential book that celebrates individuality whilst recognising it is our shared humanity that brings us together. Written with the experience of a diplomat and the personal responsibility of a father; Ghobash's letters offer understanding and balance in a world that rarely offers any. An intimate and hopeful glimpse into a sphere many are unfamiliar with; it provides an understanding of the everyday struggles Muslims face around the globe.

Omar Saif Ghobash is the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Russia. In addition to his post in Moscow, Ambassador Ghobash sponsors the Saif Ghobash-Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation and is a founding trustee of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in collaboration with the Booker Prize in London. Ambassador Ghobash studied law at Oxford and mathematics at the University of London.

A powerful celebration of common humanity and compassion . . . deserves to be read widely by people of all faiths and none. * Sunday Times * Full of brave questions and wisdom -- Ed Husain, author of The Islamist An act of bravery -- Niall Ferguson Creates hope * New York Times * A gentle, cautious work, which addresses thorny questions with a parent's compassion and a diplomat's delicate tread. * Harper's * Ghobash encourages a search for nuance in a world consumed with a polarizing, partisan us-versus-them mentality. * Slate * Thoughtful reflections by a Muslim diplomat about questions of faith, culture, and modernity. -- Fawaz A. Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science A timely and incisive book about the hopes and aspirations of Muslims beyond the headlines that have shaped Western attitudes towards Islam . . . A must read for Muslims and non-Muslims -- Vali Nasr, Dean and Professor of International Politics at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies Beautifully written letters . . . A must read for anyone who wants to take the pulse of a crucial region of our world. Refreshing and effortless reading, filled with hope. -- Ebrahim Moosa, is professor of Islamic Studies and co-director of the Contending Modernities program in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame A rare treat in that it is intensely human whilst, at the same time, being an important work of philosophy, religion and life. -- Henry Sweetbaum, Chairman of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence