Ahlan wa sahlan!

Welcome, wayward internet folks!  I’m so happy that you have stumbled upon my little corner of the internets.

So what’s this all about then?

I am, by training, a scholar of Islamic history, focusing on the history of Islam’s interactions with other religions, particularly Christianity.  As such, though, I have found myself being called upon by friends, family, acquaintances and people in pubs to answer questions about Islam, its beliefs, its history and its role in the modern world.

As I have found myself with a lot of free time at the moment, I have decided to extend this service to the whole of the internet.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  The first, and probably most important, is that I’m bored.  The second, and more legitimate, reason is that there is a serious problem with miscommunication when it comes to Islam.  The internet is full of information about Islam, but almost all of it is written by extremists of some stripe – generally either Muslim or Christian.  For anyone interested in a straight-forward answer to a basic query about Islam, the internet is a very poor source.

But that doesn’t stop people from using the internet as a resource.  And after all, that’s what the internet is for.   Well, that, and porn.

So that’s where I come in.  Please ask any questions you might have, on anything to do with Islam, its history, or the history and modern life of religion in general – just leave a comment with your query.  I won’t always have an answer, but I will always endeavour to find some good resources, even if it is not a subject I can speak on with expertise myseelf.

I think that’s all for now.  On an unrelated note, Happy Arizona Statehood Day!