"Muslim Identities by Aaron Hughes is one of the most balanced introductory textbooks for the academic study of Islam that I have read and taught. It is both thorough and scholarly, yet also easily legible. It addresses insider/outsider debates and examines controversial issues, such as "Islam and 9/11," with both boldness and sensitivity." Edith Szanto, Assistant Professor, Religious Studies, University of Alabama "This book is more than just an introduction to Islam. Aaron Hughes provides analytical tools for the reader to understand Islam as a historical and social phenomenon, and not as a static and homogeneous entity. Despite its admirably clear language, accessible to the non-specialist, Muslim Identities is written with utmost scholarly rigor. It keeps complexity and historical change at the forefront of its exposition and steers away from simplistic cliches." Mushegh Asatryan, Associate Professor of Arabic and Muslim Cultures, University of Calgary.