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INSIDE ISLAM (DVD MOVIE)
Watching this enthralling documentary, one inevitably wonders how Islam, a beautiful religion, could have become synonymous with fear and hatred, even after 9/11. Inside Islam explores the historic and poetic wellspring of the Muslim people and illuminates startling commonalities among Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Shades of difference between Islam's foundation and that of its counterparts prove more fascinating than divisive, e.g., Islam claims a direct line with Abraham via the latter's cast-off son, Ismael, while Judaism is linked to Abraham's more favored child, Isaac. Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and the angel Gabriel each play major roles in the Quran; it was Gabriel, in fact, who transmitted the Word of God to the 40-year-old, seemingly ordinary Muhammad in the 7th century, making him extraordinary to millions today. Sure, anti-Western sentiment creeps into the story, but in every important way Inside Islam is an antidote to gross anti-Muslim bigotry. --Tom Keogh
Awesomely informativeReviewed by "Ky Soldier" McGuire, 2009-11-07
I would recommend this video for anyone who would like to understand Islam. I actually watched this video while I was deployed to Iraq and vetted it through quite a few Iraqis. I let a few watch it and they had nothing but good things to say about it. I also shared waht I learned with other Iraqis and there were very impressed with what I learned from this video. This video is also very unbiased, a huge plus. This video also shows a great respect for the religion becaus it never shows or depicts the Prophet Mohammed in any way (it is forbidden in Islam to show any images of Muhammed). This video will take you on a journey from the very beginnings of Islam to today. This video is a worthwhile investment.
One of the great religions of civilizationReviewed by Abe green, 2009-07-23
I really enjoyed this movie very much.
Inside Islam shows you that all muslims are equal no matter if they
come from an arab nation like Syria, Egypt, and Kuwait, an asian
nation like Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia or even an European
nation like Albania, all of us were created the same and that all
of us will be judged by god for actions and deeds on the day of
judgement that is part of what Islam teaches all of us.
A good introduction to IslamReviewed by HG, 2008-12-24
This documentary provides a good introduction to Islam. Topics include Islam's connections with Judaism and Christianity, the life of Prophet Muhammad, the Five Pillars of Islam (the profession of faith, prayer, charity, fasting during Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca), the history of Islam, women in Islam, European colonialism, Islamism, the Nation of Islam, and jihad.
Decent "scoop" on Islam, but...Reviewed by J. S. Kaminski, 2008-10-26
"Inside Islam" was produced within a year of the 9/11 attacks, with
the goal of educating Americans about this often misunderstood
faith. In some ways, I'd say it was successful, but in others, it
fell short.
It does explain the origins of Islam and the story of the prophet
Muhammad, who founded the religion and guided it in its early days.
The viewer also learns about the "Five Pillars of Islam," the split
between Shia and Sunni, some of the golden ages enjoyed by Islamic
empires, and some of the contributions those societies gave to the
world. (And for those viewers who might have been wondering, there
is even a brief explanation of the American group The Nation of
Islam and its most famous disciple, Malcom X.) With roughly 1400
years of Islamic history, there is a lot to cover in 100 minutes,
so I would say the producers did a decent job in the time
alotted.
On the other hand, I felt some areas would have benefitted from
more analysis. Altough some time was spent on the Shia/Sunni split,
it could have been explored in more detail, both in the 7th century
and the realities of that split today. Even more importantly, the
topic of Islam's link to terrorism was woefully under-reported.
Although it was stressed that Islamic doctrine does not advocate
violence and forbids suicide (defied by today's suicide bombers),
there was not enough of a discussion about why these terrorist
factions exist. Why is Al Qaeda targeting the west? What policies
have western governments pursued that have angered them? Etc. etc.
This was a serious missed opportunity that would have helped
Americans to understand what is happening in the larger world
beyond our shores.
Three stars. Helps the viewer understand Islam but falls short of
explaining how it is used by terrorists to justify their actions.
Very informative presentation on IslamReviewed by Larry Ellis, 2008-02-08
This is a very informative presentation on Islam. It presents the
formative history of the religion. There is an attempt to draw out
similarities between Islam, Christianity and the Jewish faiths. It
does not put forth a clear distinction of how they are different
and the implications of those distinctions. The photography and
editing of this work are excellent. The History Channel did a great
job of editing and interviewing a number of people, but I felt it
could have been more effective and scholarly, should they have
included prominate orthodox Christian scholars in the discussion.
Some of those who they did interview seemed to miss the
overwhelming significance of when someone does not believe that
Jesus is both fully God and fully human. Another perspective is
that the DVD does not emphasize the centuries of Islam's hostility
toward Jews that is the hallmark of its impact in the middle east.
They do not well treat the absolute prohibition of conversion to
either the Jewish or Christian faith by Islam's adherents and the
inevitable consequence of castigation and even death when someone
chooses to do so. One could easily watch the program and come away
with the idea that it is one of the three great peacable religions
of the world, of equal merrit, just different, from the other to
major religions. It postures that Islam is simply a new revelation
of the same faith of the same God which originated with the Jews,
was further revealed in Christanity, and reached its even more
fuller revelation in Islam. This might be a Muslim perspective but
would never be that of either orthodox Jews or orthodox Christians.
I would recommend it, but leave the caution that it is not as
exhaustive in its research as I would like to have seen.
