Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – A far right wing senator in Australia, Fraser Anning, issued a despicable and widely condemned statement after fascist white supremacists from Australia murdered 49 persons at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. He referred to the mass murder merely as “vigilantism,” as though it were an understandable policing of a neighborhood […]
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Qur'an
New Historicism: A Manifesto for Writing the History of the Qur’an
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In borrowing the term “the New Historicism” from literary studies, I do not mean to take over all its theses. Rather, I am making an analogy. Just as Stephen Greenblatt came to require a historical context for studies of Shakespeare, rebelling against the contextless New Criticism at Yale in the […]
New Archeological Evidence for the Kaaba, Sanctuary of Peace, in Early Islam
During the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, believers circumambulate the square ‘House of God’ called the Kaaba. It is said to have predated Islam, and to have been cleansed of idols by the Prophet Muhammad in January of 630, when the town of Mecca swung to his leadership by acclamation. There is some new archeological evidence […]
The West Has Islam Dangerously Wrong
Legendary journalist Robert Scheer interviews Juan Cole on his new book, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires. Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires Available at Barnes and Noble And Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor And Hachette And Amazon Audio Podcast: Here are couple paragraphs of the transcript to give […]
My “Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires” now a Bold Type Book
Congratulations to my publisher @BoldTypeBooks on their new name! I’m proud to be a Bold Author and part of the #BoldTypeBooks community. www.BoldTypeBooks.org. https://vimeo.com/307572732 "I am Bold" – Bold Type Books from Bold Type Books on Vimeo. Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires, published October 9, 2018 Now available at Barnes and […]
Cole’s ‘Muhammad: Prophet of Peace’ an NYT Editor’s Choice Book
Many thanks to the New York Times for recommending my new book, ‘Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires:’ Editors’ Choice: “11 New Books We Recommend This Week” Gregory Cowles writes, “How better to enter the new year than with a look back? History runs through many of this week’s recommended titles, from […]
Glowing NY Times Review of Cole’s ‘Muhammad: Prophet of Peace’
The New York Times Book Review has a glowing review of my new book, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires, calling it ‘erudite,’ ‘informative’ and ‘ambitiously revisionist.’ Mustafa Akyol writes in his review, “Illuminating Islam’s Peaceful Origins” “Cole’s book, “Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires,” is not just eruditely […]
Islamophobia and the Misuse of History: Iran, Alexander the Great and the Qur’an
As I mentioned earlier, an anonymous troll going by “Kirby” has attacked my new book Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires I have begun by addressing some of his substantive critiques ( here and here) – even though they may appear to be minor, because it is an opportunity to talk about […]
Review of Juan Cole, “Muhammad: Prophet of Peace” at The New Arab
The New Arab is carrying a review of my new book, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires by Usman Butt, “multimedia television researcher, filmmaker and writer based in London. Usman read International Relations and Arabic Language at the University of Westminster and completed a Master of Arts in Palestine Studies at the […]
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