The essential introduction to Islam by a leading expert

Hardly a day goes by without mention of Islam. And yet, for most people, and in much of the world, Islam remains a little-known religion. Whether the issue is violence, terrorism, women's rights or slavery, Muslims are today expected to provide answers and to justify what Islam is - or is not. But little opportunity exists, either in the media or in society as a whole, to describe Islam: precisely the question this short and extremely accessible book sets out to answer. In simple, direct language it will introduce readers to Islam, to its spirituality, its principles, its rituals, its diversity and its evolution.

"Tariq Ramadan is a Muslim Martin Luther" - Washington Post

"One of the most important innovators for the twenty-first century" - Time

"The work of Tariq Ramadan will take its place in the annals of Islamic thought" - Le Monde Diplomatique

Tariq Ramadan is Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at St Antony's College, Oxford University, and also teaches at the Oxford Faculty of Theology. He is Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies and Director of the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics (both in Qatar), and Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University in Japan.