The Rise of Islam

This is the second edition of this title. A heartwarming story is behind the revival of this book. The author, Arshad Gamiet was born in South Africa he studied Fine Art at the University of Cape Town before studying Islamic Studies and Economics at the University of Karachi in Pakistan, taught by Professor Khurshid Ahmad (one of the founders of The Islamic Foundation; our parent publishing company). A few years later after the local publication of this book, Professor Ahmad came across Arshad’s book whilst in Libya – his son Haris Ahmad (the now MD of Kube Publishing) had been reading. Recognising his student’s name, the rest as they say is history. The book originally derived from an inspiration of picture-story books called ‘foto- romans,’ Afrikaans for ‘photo-romance’ paperbacks being sold in corner shops. South Africa had no television then, so those books were like printed equivalents of soap operas of the day and were extremely popular. This made a lot of sense to Arshad. These people experience hardship and humiliation daily. Why bother to read about the grim life in Apartheid South Africa, when the fantasy of a just world of perfect love and romance in picture storybooks was so much more appealing? He thought if only these long-suffering people could find something more substantial, more life-affirming and enriching than mere escapism. And so The Rise of Islam came into fruition. Kube Publishing is celebrating their 15 year anniversary. Upon reflecting on the ground-breaking books that paved the way for many Muslim authors The Rise of Islam was at the forefront. As a result, it is priced at USD$8.95. This styling of book is timeless in its comic format as well as being in black and white illustrations, the content imperative to the knowledge of young Muslims. Arshad’s book as well as his story is one we want to share. Our social media campaign will include exclusive access to more content around this title. It will also be featured in blogs from both respective Universitys. As well as a special mention on Kube’s website this year with a preview.