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If the Oceans Were Ink

An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran

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If the Oceans Were Ink

By: Carla Power
Narrated by: Kate Reading
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About this listen

Hailed by The Washington Post as "mandatory reading" and praised by Fareed Zakaria as "intelligent, compassionate, and revealing", this powerful journey will help bridge one of the greatest divides shaping our world today.

If the Oceans Were Ink is Carla Power's eye-opening story of how she and her longtime friend, Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi, found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities. Their friendship - between a secular American and a madrasa-trained sheikh - had always seemed unlikely, but now they were frustrated and bewildered by the battles being fought in their names. Both knew that a close look at the Quran would reveal a faith that preached peace and not mass murder, respect for women and not oppression. And so they embarked on a yearlong journey through the controversial text.

A journalist who grew up in the Midwest and the Middle East, Power offers her unique vantage point on the Quran's most provocative verses as she debates with Akram at cafés, family gatherings, and packed lecture halls, conversations filled with both good humor and powerful insights. Their story takes them to madrasas in India and pilgrimage sites in Mecca as they encounter politicians and jihadis, feminist activists and conservative scholars. Armed with a new understanding of each other's worldview, Power and Akram offer eye-opening perspectives, destroy long-held myths, and reveal startling connections between worlds that have seemed hopelessly divided for far too long.

©2015 Carla Power (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Biographies & Memoirs Islam Religious Studies Witty Royalty King
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What listeners say about If the Oceans Were Ink

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Outstanding piece of contemporary Islamic analysis

Ms Powers seamlessly flows through an Islamic and geopolitical narrative which provided me, a Muslim by birth with a deeper understanding of the meaning of the faith and the cultural and traditional nuances inflicting a shift from the true meaning of Islam: submission
Beautifully written, enjoyed the prose and the Reference to personal experiences
Look forward to reading more from Ms Powers
PS: have strongly recommended this book to friends and family

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Thoughtful and insightful

I really enjoyed listening to this audio book. I feel I am better able to understand Carla Power's view on looking at Islam from a non believing perspective. I have also developed a deep appreciation for the scholarship of Sheikh Akram Nadawi.

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truly the best book I've listen to this year.

Loved every chapter. We need more people like Carla Power and Sheikh Akram in this world. I've never left a review but I was so moved by this book I just had to leave one.

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Fascinating and Beautiful

Loved the honesty in this book. The story of Carla's friendship with the Sheikh and the Quran were fascinating and beautiful.

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Good overview

I learned some new things and some added perspective on various topics the book goes through such as Aisha, Jesus, Mary, Jihad and essentially everything else the book deals with. I learned something in all those topics.
I have to say that I was utterly uninterested in both the lives of Carla and the Sheikh Akram as they were for the most part irrelevant.
This book is good for anyone who had no idea how muslims view the quran and how we take our teachings from it.

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2 people found this helpful