What's Right With Islam: Is What's Right With America

(Paperback)

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Feisal Abdul Rauf has long worked for religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue in the American Muslim community and is regarded as a leading spokesman on integrating Islam with modern society. In contrast to Bernard Lewiss What Ent Wrong, Imam Feisal argues that Islamic principles support the fundamental values of a pluralistic, democratic society. Unfortunately, in the Muslim world, the fundamentalists often drown out the democratic voices. The U.S. and U.K. have partially contributed to this state of affairs, historically supporting oppressive regimes in the Arab world. But ultimately, Imam Feisals book is hopeful, laying out the reasons for the current dissonance between Islam and the West, and offering a foundation and plan for improving relations between these worlds led by American Muslims.

Reviews

"This book shows that the only possible way forward is by the assiduous cultivation of mutual respect." -- Karen Armstrong, author of The Battle for God, from the foreword

"An excellent work of bridge building!" -- Professor Dr. Hans Kung, President, Global Ethic Foundation, author of On Being a Christian Professor Dr. Hans Kung, President, Global Ethic Foundation, author of On Being a Christian

"Wise and well-written, this important book is a 'MUST' for any thinking person who cares about our world." -- Lord Carey of Clifton, Chair of World Economic Forum's Council of 100 Leaders on West-Islamic World Dialogue

"At long last, a book that helps "us Westerners" to see Muslims as they wish to see themselves." -- Gunnar Stlsett - Bishop of Oslo, Lutheran Church of Norway, member of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee

"A searching, thoughtful and reasoned alternative to the shrill doomsayers who proclaim a 'clash of civilizations.'" -- Shashi Tharoor, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information

"The publication of this book is a timely event, providing objective, serious responses to challenges that Islam faces today." -- Prof. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, author of The Heart of Islam

Rauf argues that what keeps the Islamic world and America apart is economics, politics, Muslim defensiveness--everything but religion. -- Publishers Weekly

"An important counterweight to anti-Islamic polemics." -- Library Journal

"An invigorating glimpse into the heart and mind of a wise Muslim seeking the higher ground." -- Christian Science Monitor

"What's Right with Islam... reveals a man dedicated to fitting the Muslim square peg into an American round hole - an at times awkward task that Rauf often carries out quite effectively." -- Religion Dispatches Magazine

Author Bio

Feisal Abdul Rauf is the imam of Masjid al-Farah in New York City. Shortly after the attacks of September 11, he appeared on numerous radio and television shows, including BBC World, ABC News, CBS Evening News, CNN, and 60 Minutes. Born in Kuwait to a long line of imams, Abdul Rauf was educated in England, Egypt, and Malaysia. He is also a graduate of Columbia University in the United States. In 1997, Imam Abdul Rauf founded the ASMA Society, a not-for-profit educational and cultural organization dedicated to building bridges between the American public and American Muslims, and cofounded the Cordoba Initiative, a multi-faith effort to help heal the relationship between the Muslim world and America. A trustee of the Islamic Center of New York, he is on the board of One Voice, a group whose initiative is to bring about peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and was recently appointed as a member of the Council of 100 Leaders to the World Economic Forum on West-Islamic World Dialogue. Abdul Rauf is the author of two previous books, Islam: A Search for Meaning and Islam: A Sacred Law, What Every Muslim Should Know About the Shari'ah.