Islam: What Non-Muslims Should Know

by John Kaltner Recent events have focused attention on Islam, the often-misunderstood faith of one billion people. Westerners are showing a new openness to learning about Islam and other religions, in part perhaps because religion is arguably the single most important and volatile factor in geopolitics today. Islam needs to be understood on its own terms, John Kaltner argues. This little Facet offers the most basic information about Islam in an accessible and sympathetic presentation. Kaltner portrays Islam as first and foremost a religion of prescribed practices-the five pillars of Islam. Showing the deep humanism of Islam and its most cherished commitments, Kaltner presents Islam through assertions that counter frequent misconceptions of the faith.