SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

What are the respective backgrounds of the book's two main protagonists, Carla Power and Sheikh Akram Nadwi?  How has each been seemingly shaped by a wide diversity of experiences?  How would you describe their relationship and to what extent did their interactions teach you new things about Islam?

How would you begin to describe Akram's relationship with Islam?

Are there particular conversations that captured your attentions?  What were these and why were they interesting?

What did you learn about the Qur'an from If the Oceans Were Ink?  Do you think you experience of reading the Qur'an will now be different?  Why or why not?

What most surprised you about If the Oceans Were Ink?  What were the book's strengths and weaknesses?

How does Power explore the theme of women and Islam?

What other themes would you highlight and what did you learn here?

"By focusing exclusively on violence or the worn and predictable narratives of Scary Violent Muslim Men and Muffled Oppressed Muslim Women, we choke off any hope of hearing about other currents in Islamic societies," notes Power.  "We've got to find compelling ways of telling other stories."  What are some of the most compelling other stories told by Power in If the Oceans Were Ink, and what insights do these offer into Islam?

SOME EXTRA SOURCES