Shattered Images: The Rise of Militant Iconoclasm in Syria

Tom Marshall is academic professor at Maritime Christian College, Prince
Edward Island.

In order to write Shattered Images, the author travelled to Syria where
he attempted to come to grips with the various Islamic faiths that are
so often confused and misunderstood by people in the West. His intent
was “to open myself to, to accept another, perhaps—even
hopefully—antithetical view.”

In very readable prose, he identifies and discusses the history of the
various splinter groups, and does an excellent job of clarifying Islamic
presuppositions; for example, the separation of church and state often
prevents Westerners from recognizing that Islamic belief and politics
are viewed as one. Reed’s search for a satisfactory definition of
iconoclasm concludes with his discovery that icons are buried deep
within every human being.

Shattered Images is a fine introduction to Islam and its intricacies.