Beyond Mere Christianity (H/B)

1996 expanded and revised edition. This book examines Jesus as a prophet teaching the Unity of God, and the historical collapse of Christianity as it abandoned his teaching. The author sketches the dramatic picture of the original followers of Jesus who affirmed Unity. What emerges is that “Christianity” is the fiction that replaced their truth. A work that covers the Gospel of Barnabas, the Gospel of Hermes, the Shephard, early and later Unitarian Christians, Jesus in the Gospels and in the Qur’an and Hadith. The author clearly shows the idea of Jesus as part of a Trinity was a Greek Pagan idea adopted by early Christian mission-aries to gain converts among the Greek, and did not become a widely accepted Christian doctrine until after the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.

Many conflicting narratives exist regarding women in Islam and this subject is the cause of much criticism from the West leveled against Islam as a religion. The discrepancies between Islamic religious discourse and the practice of Muslim communities are often disregarded. Women In Islam – Challenging Narratives intends to address certain misconceptions about women in Islam and dispel some common myths. At the same time, this book also challenges the accepted narrative that women in modern Western cultures are emancipated. The chapter titled ‘Women in Islam’ provides a more accurate representation of the lofty position conferred to women within the Islamic tradition, which is often illusive in Muslim communities around the globe. A final analysis of feminist discourse scrutinizes the impact of the feminist movement on setting new ideals for women that negate their roles within the family and home, and assesses whether this has created greater challenges for women in the modern era. Ismail Adam Patel is a writer and campaigner. He is chairman of Friends of Al-Aqsa, a UK based NGO dedicated to campaigning for a free Palestine. He has lectured widely on a number of political and social issues affecting Muslim, and has authored books and articles on an array of subjects. He also acts as an advisor for several other organizations including the Conflicts Forum and Clear Conscience. A graduate of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and technology, he is an Optometrist by profession.

Jesus and Muhammad lived in different times and in different contexts. An absolute comparison of the careers of these two men is not a satisfactory method in understanding the similarities and differences between their teachings. This book approaches this topic from a different perspective. The time that Muhammad preached in Mecca is compared to the time Jesus spent preaching throughout Palestine. This improves the similarities in contexts between them and makes a comparison more valid. The number of similarities outweighs the number of differences when looking at the four books of the Gospel and the chapters of the Qur’an revealed in Mecca. On issues related to prayer, the Oneness of God, charity, the Hereafter and forgiveness the teachings in these two books are practically the same. A number of core theological issues surfaced in the Book of John do clash with Qur anic teachings about the person of Jesus. These differences and the possible reasons for them are explored in this book. The conclusion of this book is that Muslims and Christians have more shared values and even theological similarities than differences. It is recommended that Muslims and Christians should spend more time understanding these commonalities.”

PhD in Applied Linguistics (Michigan State University, USA)
Dr. Arfaj spent more than 20 years researching comparative religion. This book came about as a result of his extensive research and experience.