MECA Roundtable meets the third Saturday of every month InshAllah to discuss a book, movie, exhibition, etc with the goal to ultimately foster, enhance, and develop a deeper understanding of Islam and the Muslim experience both here in the United States and abroad. Join the Roundtable mailing list and receive information about monthly book selections, meeting times and locations.

Project Coordinator: Regina Richter
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Rountable Calendar:

MECA Roundtable meets the third Saturday of each month. Here you can find out about past Roundtable meetings.

November 15, 2008: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

January 17, 2009: Even Angels Ask by Jeffrey Lang

February 21, 2009: No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam by Reza Aslan

March 21, 2009: Persepolis (Vols I & II) by Marjane Satrapi with a viewing of the exhibition Exploring the Other: Contemporary Iran through the lens of Iason Athanasiadis at the Craft and Folk Art Museum

April 18, 2009: The Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad

May 16, 2009: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

June 20, 2009: Fantasia: An Algerian Calvacade by Assia Djebar with a viewing of the exhibition Walls of Algiers: Narratives of the Colonial City at the Getty Museum

July 18, 2009: From Forgiveness to Fulfillment by Azim Khamisa

August 29, 2009: Sura Al-Kahf (the Cave) for our Special Roundtable Ramadan Potluck Iftar

September 19, 2009: Cancelled due to Eid al-Fitr inshAllah
October 18, 2009: The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan
November 21, 2009: The Faith Club: A Muslim, a Christian, a Jew - Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner

December 19, 2009: Cancelled due to winter holidays

January 16, 2009: The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong
February 29, 2010: Sura Al-Noor (the Light)

March 27, 2010: Her-2: The Making of Herceptin, a Revolutionary Treatment for Breast Cancer by Robert Bazell
April 24, 2010: A Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs

May 22, 2010: Sura Al 'Ankabût (the Spider)

June 12, 2010: Western Muslims and the Future of Islam by Tariq Ramadan

July 17, 2010: Agenda to Change our Condition by Hamza Yusuf & Zaid Shakir

August 21, 2010: Qur'anic reflection (sura TBA) for our Special Roundtable Ramadan Potluck Iftar

September 18, 2010: Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orpham Pamuk
 
Rountable Booklist

Here is a (growing) list of books suggested by past and current members. Feel free to make suggestions!
 
The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists by Khaled Abou El-Fadl
 
The Language of Baklava Diana Abu-Jaber
 
Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate by Leila Ahmed (selections)
 
Daughters of Another Path: Experiences of American Women Choosing Islam by Carol L. Anway
 
Muhammad by Karen Armstrong
 
Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Times by Karen Armstrong
 
Women in Islam: An Anthology from the Qur'an and Hadiths by Nicholas Awde
 
So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba
 
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
 
Rethinking Muslim Women and the Veil: Challenging Historical and Modern Sterotypes by Katherine Bullock
 
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
 
The New Testament (from the New American Bible for Catholics) by The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
 
Al America: Travels Through America's Arab and Islamic Roots by Jonathan Curiel
 
The Divine Comedy by Dante
 
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
 
Miriam's Kitchen by Elizabeth Ehrlich
 
Who Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think by Esposito & Moqahed
 
Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths by Bruce Feiler
 
Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land through the five books of Moses by Bruce Feiler
 
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
 
Black Crescent: The Experience and Legacy of African Muslims in the Americas  by Michael A. Gomez (selections)
 
Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking toward the Third Resurrection by Sherman A Jackson
 
Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering by Sherman A Jackson
 
Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed
 
Believing as Ourselves by J. Lynn Jones
 
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf: A Novel by Mohja Kahf
 
Emails from Scheherazad by Mohja Kahf
 
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
 
The Black Muslims in America by C. Eric Lincoln
 
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization by Jonathan Lyons
 
The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf
 
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X
 
Science and Islam: A History by Ehsan Masood
 
The Story of the Qur'an: Its History and Place in Muslim Life by Ingrid Mattson
 
African American Islam by Aminah McCloud
 
Lost History: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists by Michael Morgan
 
Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim, the Struggle for the Soul of a Generation by Eboo Patel
 
In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad by Tariq Ramadan
 
The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel by Salman Rushdie
 
Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations by Michael Sells
 
The Bastard of Istanbul by Elif Shafak
 
The Places In Between by Rory Stewart
 
Taking Back God: American Women Rising Up for Religious Equality by Leora Tanenbaum
 
Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction by Howard Turner

 
Feel free to suggest others! Please, keep in mind, we like paperback books under 300 pages!