2004 - Reading The Koran was something that I promised myself I would do in the aftermath of our country's demonization of Islam. Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), with whom I have much in common, was a consideration as well. Another motivating factor was my continued exposure to Muslims in the Bengali community, and through my work at Geisinger. I just felt it was my responsibility to understand what the book said.

It's not an easy read. Less so for a non-Christian who is on the periphery of the Bible to begin with and doesn't have a lot of the back-story committed to memory. The Koran is written in a completely different manner than most holy books, and I found the repetition of some of the images (particularly the great flood) to be confusing. So as a literary work, I believe that the full meaning has been lost on me.

On thing that was confusing was that the translation I read (Penguin), the word "Allah" was never used. Instead, the word "God" was used, which seemed like a critical error. When I spoke to a Muslim about this, she offered me another translation of Koranic excerpts, and said that I would have a better experience with it. I have not finished that book yet, so the jury is still out on whether or not the text speaks any differently to me.

My suspicion is that the real beauty of Islam is between the lines, much like it is in other religions. Perhaps that is why I am drawn to Sufi poetry so much.

PS: The video series Foundations of Islam, which I viewed in the Summer of 2005, was very helpful in helping me appreciate the message of the Koran. See also my review of Essential Koran.