Tariq Ramadan's Book Recommendations (Updated for 2026)

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1

Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India

Shashi Tharoor

4.3

Inglorious Empire tells the real story of the British in India — from the arrival of the East India Company to the end of the Raj — and reveals how Britain’s rise was built upon its plunder of India.

In the eighteenth century, India’s share of the world economy was as large as Europe’s. By 1947, after two centuries of British rule, it had decreased six-fold. Beyond conquest and deception, the Empir

Recommended by Tariq Ramadan.

Tariq Ramadan

A great speech by the author of the excellent book : "The Inglorious Empire" @ShashiTharoor 1/2 #India https://t.co/K2ywc8JypW [source]

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2

Muslims in the West: From Sojourners to Citizens

Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad

4.2

Today, Muslims are the second largest religious group in much of Europe and North America. The essays in this collection look both at the impact of the growing Muslim population on Western societies, and how Muslims are adapting to life in the West. Part I looks at the Muslim diaspora in Europe, comprising essays on Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and the Net

Recommended by Tariq Ramadan.

Tariq Ramadan

I think it’s an interesting book because Yvonne Haddad is positive without forgetting to be critical. Her perspective is: “Let us see what is actually happening and not come with a vision that is completely negative about Muslims in the West, but at the same time let us ask the relevant questions.” This is a collection of different essays which try to show how much the relationship between Muslims and their environment and the societies in the West has evolved. They ask some very interesting questions about what is actually happening and there are contributions from within the Muslim communities in Europe, as well as from the outside, so I think it’s a good balance. [source]

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3

Islam in America, Second Edition (Columbia Contemporary American Religion Series)

Jane Smith

3.9

This richly textured, critically acclaimed portrait of American Muslims introduces the basic tenets of the Muslim faith, surveys the history of Islam in North America, and profiles the lifestyles, religious practices, and worldviews of Muslims in the United States. The volume focuses specifically on the difficulty of living faithfully and adhering to tradition while adapting to an American way of

Recommended by Tariq Ramadan.

Tariq Ramadan

Jane Smith’s is an important and knowledgeable book. She gives us a picture of what is happening in the Muslim communities in America – Islam’s evolution there and its deep historical context. She writes about the reality of Islam in America mainly through the experience of migrants. Once again it is not avoiding critical questions, but it is much more positive because it’s based on historical evolution – how things are moving forward, the way the discourse is changing, and the way the young generation is getting a better sense of what it means to be an American. At the same time, it is not dismissing the religious concerns that Muslims have living in the West. [source]

4

Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking Toward the Third Resurrection

Sherman A. Jackson

4.5

Sherman Jackson offers a trenchant examination of the career of Islam among the blacks of America. Jackson notes that no one has offered a convincing explanation of why Islam spread among Blackamericans (a coinage he explains and defends) but not among white Americans or Hispanics. The assumption has been that there is an African connection. In fact, Jackson shows, none of the distinctive features

Recommended by Tariq Ramadan.

Tariq Ramadan

I think that Sherman Jackson is one of the most important intellectuals in the United States right now. He’s an African American who converted to Islam. He is saying to Muslim immigrants in the United States: “We African American Muslims have a problem with you. You are coming with an Islamic understanding from the Arab world and you want to buy into the American dream and just show Islam is kind and nice and that we share your values.” But he is saying that there are cultural problems and socioeconomic injustice and that you can’t get a sense of what’s really happening in the United States if you don’t understand the very deep tension between blackness and whiteness. What he’s saying here is that it’s beyond a religious problem. It’s a racial problem, which is based on power and history, and a political and social system which is based on structural discrimination. He’s questioning the Muslim leadership in the United States and saying that the new Muslim immigrants are not getting it right. They are forgetting history. [source]

5

Young, British and Muslim

Philip Lewis

4.6

All four of the bombers involved in 7/7, the deadly attack on London's transport system in July 2005, were aged 30 or under. The spectre of extremist Islam looms large and Muslim youth in the UK are increasingly linked to radical Islamic movements. A clear, balanced examination of this complex issue is long overdue. Philip Lewis sets out to address this by looking at the lives and beliefs of young

Recommended by David Goodhart and Tariq Ramadan.

Tariq Ramadan

I chose this book because it talks just about what is happening in Britain. Once again, we may agree or not with what he is saying, but he’s showing how the younger generation of Muslims have a better understanding of their environment, are becoming much more integrated and are going beyond the social divides and the social tensions. Philip Lewis is saying much the same as Jane Smith – there are still problems, but there is movement, there is evolution and there are new responses to new challenges. I think this is positive in itself. Once again, we may disagree on some points, but the very deep historical evolution is there. [source]

David Goodhart

Philip Lewis is an extremely knowledgeable and interesting writer. He lives in Bradford, which is one of the epicentres of Pakistani Muslim Britain, and is seen as a hotspot for segregation and failed or bad immigration. He is not unsympathetic to the Pakistani position but he is very good at explaining how this came about. [source]

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6

British Muslims: Loyalty and Belonging: Proceedings of a Seminar Held on 8 May 2002

Mohammed Siddique Seddon, Dilwar Hussain, and Nadeem Malik

2.0

Recommended by Tariq Ramadan.

Tariq Ramadan

I chose this book as it is by a new generation of European Muslims who are trying to set the scene for a new discourse and new understanding. It’s interesting to read this book because they are saying that they are British Muslims, and confident about their loyalty to Britain. They are talking about a sense of belonging and loyalty, which is part of what I have been saying for years – citizenship is not enough. A sense of belonging is important. Loyalty to your country is critical. In all the discussions and papers that are presented in this book, there are Muslim voices analysing what is happening on the ground and showing how things are improving. [source]