Islam: Beliefs and Teachings

Islam: Beliefs and Teachings is an internationally recognised book by Ghulam Sarwar of the Muslim Educational Trust. It was published by Sarwar as the first English textbook for madrasa students in Britain.

Overseas editions: French, Norwegian, Romanian, Chinese and Bengali

Sarwar notes in his preface to the 8th Edition, January 2006, that "I feel humbled to note that 275,000 copies of my book 'Islam: Beliefs and Teachings' have been printed in England since 1980".

The Independent newspaper call it a "popular school textbook" The Times newspaper say that it is a "standard text for Muslim religious education"

Ed Husain states that "The first book I read about Islam in English was Islam: Beliefs and Teachings by Ghulam Sarwar" and goes on to state that after only being taught about Islam orally by his family, Sarwars book "filled a gap".

As he was taught that Islam and politics do not mix he says that "one part of the book has stayed with me." This being the chapter "Political System in Islam". He says that Sarwar said that Politics within Islam is fundamental.

Husain goes on to say that "What I did not know at school was that Sarwar was a business management lecturer, not a scholar of religion. And he was an activist in the organisations that he mentioned Muslim Brotherhood and Jamat-e-Islami. Sarwar's book was not the dispassionate educational treatise it purported to be." and that "He was also the brains behind the separation of Muslim children from school assemblies into what we called 'Muslim assembly', managed by the Muslim Educational Trust (MET) [of which Sarwar is the Director]. What seemed like an innocuous body was, in fact, an organisation with an agenda. In my school, a Jamat-e-Islami activist named Abdul Rabb represented the MET and awarded us trophies and medals for our performance in MET exams. Ostensibly it all seemed harmless, but the personnel all belonged to Jamat-e-Islami front organisations in Britain. Their key message was that Islam was not merely a religion but also an ideology that sought political power and was beginning to make headway."

However, when Husain quotes Sarwar on page 21 of The Islamist regarding politics and Islam (page 169 of Sarwar's book), he does so but, although not wrong, he words the quoting very differently from what is actually written in Sarwar's book.

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