Islam: Or the Religion of the Turk #261785

Reverend Elwood Morris Wherry, the author of this text, was a Presbyterian missionary who spent much of his life living in India. In addition to being an author, he was also an accomplished professor and lecturer at various seminary schools throughout the world. <i>Islam: Or the Religion of the Turk</i> is Wherry's book on Islam and the Muslim people.<br><br>The purpose of this short text is to introduce Islam to the Christian world, specifically missionaries that would be working amongst Muslim peoples. Historically, Wherry is considered an Islamic apologist, or one who defends the positions of a religion to the outside world. The book thus presents the core values of Islam to readers with the hope that through information will come compassion and understanding for the beliefs of others. The book also details a brief history of the religion, its origins, and how it came to gain popularity throughout the world.<br><br>Wherry achieves his goal of presenting a brief but detailed summary of Islam. Written from the perspective of an outsider, the author expertly introduces the core concepts of Islam in an easy to understand manner. Despite the quality of the content, the book can be critiqued for its lack of structure. The entire text is essentially one essay. There are no chapters, sub-headings, introductions, or summaries. While not absolutely necessary for a work of only 64 pages, enhanced structure would have made this text more readable.<br><br><i>Islam: Or the Religion of the Turk</i> is an excellent introduction to Islam for those with little to no knowledge of the religion. Perhaps more today than at the time it was written, it is important for people to understand the belief system that drives a large swath of the world's population. Wherry's book is thus recommended for anybody interested in expanding their knowledge of one of the world's great religions.