Description
Book SynopsisThis book examines the impact of Islam on early modern Britain. Christian-Muslim interaction was not, as is often assumed, primarily adversarial; rather, there was extensive cultural, intellectual and missionary engagement with Islam, which can be seen in London coffee houses, among converts to and from Islam, in sermons and in plays.
Trade Review'The origins of both British attitudes to Islam are charted in Nabil Matar's brilliant and gripping study, an astonishing compendium of groundbreaking research whose very title is a measure of quite how original and surprising this book is … but it is also warmly and wittily written and, unusually for a heavyweight academic book, enormously readable and accessible. It is certainly the most surprising book I have read for many months. William Dalrymple, The Sunday Times
' … a treasure trove of a book … this will appeal not only to scholars, but also to those who like their history to consist primarily of facts and evidence, and only secondarily of theories.' Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph
'I recommend you beg, borrow or steal a copy of this book, not just for yourself to read, but to send to anyone whose anti-Turkish prejudices overcome their intelligence.' David Carter, Cyprus Today
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements; Transcription; Introduction: Islam in early modern Britain; 1. 'Turning Turke': conversion to Islam in English writings; 2. The renegade on stage and in church; 3. 'Arabia Britannica': 'Alcoran' and the legacy of Arabic Islam; 4. 'Baptising the Turk': conversion to Christianity in English writings; 5. Eschatology and the Saracens; Conclusion: Islam and Britain: centripetal to centrifugal; Bibliography; Index.
