Book Reviews – Cont.
► ALLAH, We, Our and Us lays bare the possible agenda of religious leaders who mislead believers to advance the expansion of their power and wealth. The Quran, in an example by the author, is interpreted by radical religious leaders in a way that 'humanizes' God and gives him human attributes. Ginex creates a thesis of how this poses a threat to the recipients of this teaching. By humanizing God, He is reduced to a mere projection of our needs, weaknesses and limitations as humans. This makes it easy for religious leaders to endorse their intolerance against people whose beliefs differ from theirs.
Ginex discusses how children are being taught that non-Muslims are infidels. Even those who practice Islam but choose to practice it in a different way are being chastised, undermining the unity of the society of believers. Ginex underscores how radical Islamic groups have very little respect for freedom and independence in the beliefs of other religions.
ALLAH, We, Our and Us is objectively written with minimal personal opinions or diatribes. In laying the groundwork for his thesis, Ginex is obliged to engage in plenty of history minutiae — and this part of the book is somewhat heavy going — but it certainly leads gravitas: without it, Ginex would be open to criticism for a lack of meticulousness. I recommend reading this book, especially in America where information is filtered, spun, and oversimplified. Ginex’s extensive research and unique assertions present an unnerving snapshot of our society at a point that even the dullest among us must begin to recognize the tangible dangers. With the publication of this intense and thought-provoking book, we can no longer say that we haven’t been warned.
Adrienne Jo Szmodics
Book translator and contributor for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung