If the Oceans Were Ink is Carla Power's eye-opening story of how she & her long-time friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi found a way to confront ugly stereotypes & persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities Their friendship-between a secular American & a madrasa
- trained sheikh
- had always seemed unlikely but now they were frustrated & bewildered by the battles being fought in their names Both knew that a close look at the Quran would reveal a faith that preached peace & not mass murder; respect for women & not oppression & so they embarked on a yearlong journey through the controversial text A journalist who grew up in the Midwest & the Middle East Power offers her unique vantage point on the Quran's most provocative verses as she debates with Akram at cafes family gatherings & packed lecture halls conversations filled with both good humour & powerful insights Their story takes them to madrasas in India & pilgrimage sites in Mecca as they encounter politicians & jihadis feminist activists & conservative scholars Armed with a new understanding of each other's worldviews Power & Akram offer eye-opening perspectives destroy long-held myths & reveal startling connections between worlds that have seemed hopelessly divided for far too long