Understanding Islam

At the recent FAIR conference I made two purchases: 1. Parley P. Pratt's book The Key to the Science of Theology and 2. Daniel Peterson's CDs Understanding Islam: A LDS Perspective (see also here, and here).  I'm still reading Pratt's book, and it's great, but I just finished listening to Peterson's CDs, and would like to recommend them to anyone, whether they are interested in Islam or not.

Peterson's lectures are divided into to two sections, the first treats Islam's past, the second, Islam in modern times.  In addition to reading the Qu'ran, this is a much better way to learn about Islam than through the distorted lens of the news media.  Peterson suggests answers to questions such as: "Why should we be interested in Islam?", "In what context did Islam arise?", "Why is there turmoil in the Middle East?", "Was Mohammed really a prophet?", etc. (For more on Mohammed, pbuh, see here and here.)

Professor Peterson's perspectives on Islam are inspiring, informative and entertaining.  You may not be converted to Islam because of these lectures, but you will definitely gain a more complete understanding of the faith and the people of the Middle East.