If the Oceans Were Ink should be mandatory reading for the 52 percent of Americans who admit to not knowing enough about Muslims.'- The Washington Post If the Oceans Were Ink is a welcome and nuanced look at Islam goes a long way toward combating the dehumanizing stereotypes of Muslims that are all too common. Armed with a new understanding of each other's worldviews, 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. Their story takes them to madrasas in India and pilgrimage sites in Mecca, as they encounter politicians and jihadis, feminist activists and conservative scholars. And so they embarked on a yearlong journey through the controversial text.Ī 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 cafes, family gatherings, and packed lecture halls, conversations filled with both good humor and powerful insights. 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. 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. 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.

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

If the oceans were ink by carla power