£9.99
About the Book
Noor is the tale of three brothers attempting to rescue their sister Noor, who has been kidnapped during Ramadan. Each brother represents a different ideological position in the contemporary Islamic world that could be set in Baghdad but also Cairo, Karachi or Kabul.
While exploring the crisis of modern Islam, Noor is a heartfelt treatise for religious tolerance.
The Trial of Dara Shikoh tells the story of the eldest son of 17th century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Heir apparent, Dara Shikoh is a learned scholar with a strong belief in the unity of different faiths: Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity and Judaism.
Dara Shikoh highlights the complex issues of religious interpretation within a human context. Although the time frame is four centuries ago, its text resonates just as strongly for the contemporary reader.
About the Author
Akbar Ahmed is the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at the American University, Washington D.C. In 2008 he was appointed Distinguished Chair for Middle East/Islamic Studies at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. He is a former Ambassador of Pakistan to Great Britain and has written numerous books as well as presenting and narrating a television series on the BBC.
Reviews
'For anyone interested in the state of Islam today ... these plays are nothing less than compulsory.' Ari Roth
'A fascinating drama but a most important, highly instructive study of the major forces within Islam that continue to reflect the fatal struggle between Dara Shikoh and Aurangzeb that grip our modern world and may help to decide our global future.' Stanley Wolpert, University of California at Los Angeles
'Ahmed writes with compassion and deep understanding ... listen in rapture to the voices of modern Islam. I am in awe of this tremendous, important work.' Daniel Futterman, actor (Daniel Pearl in A Mighty Heart) and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter (Capote)
