Soul Food:

Because the Qur’an is the word of God, the words cannot be changed. Like contemporary speakers of English trying to read Old English, “modern Arabic speakers cannot read the Qur’an and understand it,” wrote Ali-Karamali, “because it’s so old.

“Meanings of words have changed,” she explained, leaving much argument as to what should be read literally and what should not.

“Islam rejects the ‘orthodox vs. non-orthodox’ theory of religion,” writes Ali-Karamali in her book.

There is no central authority. Ali-Karamali names five major schools of thought — all considered valid — that have produced guidelines of Islam based on their interpretations of the Qur’an and Sunnah, the way the Prophet Muhammad lived his life.

“Islam accommodates differences of Islamic vision!” she writes. Each Muslim, she says, must examine the different viewpoints, choosing the one that his or her conscience finds right.

The visions you get in these books are foremost those of Hasan and Ali-Karamali. They consider themselves “mainstream.”

These are not textbooks. They are peppered with personal anecdotes. And when it comes to a grasp of other faiths, each at times seems to veer off track.

I winced when Ali-Karamali compared calling Islam Mohammedanism (which is objectionable) to calling Christianity St. Paulism. Important as Paul is to Christianity he scarcely holds the central place Mohammed does in Islam.

And I can’t say I know what Hasan had in mind when she wrote that historical accounts of Jesus were recorded and passed down by women.

Though, no doubt, women play prominent rolls in the New Testament records.

That aside, each book is worth reading. Each is, as Ali-Karamali’s website describes her own, “a warm, candid conversation.”

The Pew study last year concluded that, when it comes to having a favorable opinion of Muslims, knowing a Muslim matters. These books are so engaging they are probably next best.

MICHÈLE MARR is a freelance writer from Huntington Beach. She can be reached at michele@soulfoodfiles.com.