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Incredulous Awe

Navid Kermani

What happens when a celebrated German author, himself a Muslim, immerses himself in the world of Christian images? To his surprise, Navid Kermani finds an amazingly complex religious culture that is replete with sacrifice and sorrow, love and miracles, a creed irrational and cryptic, deeply human and divine – a kind of Christianity that even Christians themselves no longer seem to be aware of. The sincerity, audaciousness, and awe with which Kermani approaches a religion that is not his own is reason for optimism. The Islamification of the Occident: it is happening right here, and it is wonderful.

In his spirited attempt to understand a religious tradition he was not born into, Navid Kermani confronts great and neglected works of Christian art with an open heart and almost childlike curiosity. Kermani quarrels with the cross, falls in love with Mary’s gaze, attends an Orthodox mass and muses on the greatness of St Francis. His immensely instructive excursions on the paintings of old masters, Botticelli, Caravaggio and Rembrandt, elucidate questions concerning our lives today. With a sharp eye for detail, he traces hidden references to seemingly unrelated worlds – German literature, Islamic mysticism and even modern medical gymnastics. His poetic school of viewing is most seductive: we cannot get enough of his unique way of looking at Christianity and are longing to see with his eyes.

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