New Faiths, Old Fears Muslims and Other Asian Immigrants in American Religious Life by Bruce B. Lawrence (New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. 197 pages.)

Abstract

Bruce Lawrence’s book, New Faiths, Old Fears: Muslims and Other Asian
Immigrants in American Religious Life, seeks to remedy theoretical gaps by
correcting the emphasis on East Asians within Asian-American studies and
by describing Asian Americans in relation to other minorities and dominant
Anglos within the prevailing ethno-racial system (p. xiv). As a religious
studies scholar with “a lifelong engagement with Islam, and an exuberant
attachment to South Asia” (p. 38), he discusses post-1965 immigration and
underscores its religious and cultural dimensions. The range of controversial
topics broached in this book promise to appeal to a broad readership.
Topics covered include historical and politico-economic aspects of immigration, racial prejudice, cultural and religious fundamentalism, arguments
over multiculturalism, transnational identities, and media representations of
religion. Consequently, New Faiths, Old Fears is highly significant for
those interested in religious studies, sociology, anthropology, history, and
cultural studies – and especially for those interested in immigration and
Asian Americans ...