Too often we see Islam and Muslims portrayed as fanatical jihadists or helpless victims of western oppression. This book provides a rare insight into what, as the book's title states, the average Muslim makes of it all.Taking us on a personal journey from his time growing up in Liverpool in the 70s, to the present, Zia Chaudhry offers a Muslim's reflections on growing up in the West, finding his own way in his faith and reconciling it with the demands of modern-day work and family life.Chaudhry is a successful criminal barrister and, nestling among the serious messages in this book, there is much humour as he tackles subjects as diverse as Ford Cortinas, the juxtaposition of science and religion, Beverley Hills Cop, South Park, conspiracy theorism, world politics, and how Islam has its own duty to once again produce the sorts of minds that helped shape the history of the world.This fascinating and original book provides a better insight into the life of "just your average Muslim" than you will find anywhere else. A powerful antidote to common but exhausted stereotypes, it challenges non-Muslims to reexamine their perceived ideas of what they "think they know" and Muslims to examine how they portray themselves to the world. It encourages us all to reflect on our similarities, not our differences.
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