The Reading Islam project

The Reading Islam project aims at creating a holistic and authentic center of information about Islam. It provides space for balanced and interactive discourse. The project promotes dialogue and understanding through a variety of media. Reading Islam attempts to define an understanding of Islam and to clarify its standpoint regarding issues that may be of concern to the contemporary world. World peace, human rights, minority rights, conservation of the environment, and religious freedom are among these issues. The Islam presented is a collective conceptual paradigm that covers a wide array of peoples. Reading Islam aims at empowering new Muslims in their faith by raising awareness of spiritual issues and practice. The project aspires to support them through services based on their needs. Our contributors include professors of Islamic studies, as well as activists in the field of interfaith dialogue from all over the world.

Why "Reading"?

"Read" was the first word revealed in the Quran. It reflects many shades of meaning in Arabic. It can refer to reading a text, reading someone's face, reading emotions, or reading between the lines. You can read the open book of nature, or you can read your heart. All the nuances point to one main meaning: acquiring a deep understanding. These same shades of meaning are present in the English language with the word "read". East and West meet in these subtleties of connotation and context. This website is an invitation for everyone to "read" Islam, to come to a deep understanding of the essence of Islam.

http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Zone-English-Discover_Islam/DIEZone