This book works well for both Muslim and non-Muslim readers. It is both an exploration of contemporary Islam (Has it been hijacked by extremists? Is it violent? Can Islamic states be democratic?) and a call for Muslims to reclaim their faith by mobilizing the moderate, seemingly silent, majority. There are also short personal essays about various aspects of Muslim life (art, humor, conversion, pilgrimage and more) that stand as small windows into daily practice.

"September 11 forced a reckoning of sorts, and it has led us to be more self-reliant. When any religion is new to a place, as Islam is new to America, the tendency to take one's cues from the Motherland is strong, wherever that Motherland is perceived to be. And then there comes a moment to grow up. For many American Muslims, that moment arrived in the weeks following September 11.

"This is a book by forward-looking Muslims-- in love with Islam, proud of Islam, and confident enough in its strength to believe that it can stand up to honest introspection. 'Speak the truth,' Muhammad said, 'even if it hurts you.' A sometimes painful struggle, nothing less than a faith in search of its soul, informs this book."--Michael Wolfe

Is it possible that the seeds of Islamic renewal are being sown in the West? Are there ways that American Muslims, combining a commitment to democratic pluralism with their faith, have the opportunity to energize Islam globally? What does this Islam look like?

In Taking Back Islam, notable figures such as Karen Armstrong, Hakeem Olajuwon, Ingrid Mattson, Kabir Helminski, and Arsalan Tariq Iftikhar take on the big questions, such as Islam's views on violence, women, democracy, and other faiths. It gathers the voices of Muslims who are faithfully practicing a brand of Islam in defiance of extremists within the faith and critics outside of it. Here are the voices of the future of Islam.

People of all faiths, and those of none, must hear these voices and understand them in order to truly comprehend the state of the world today.

These American Muslims and Islamic scholars are devoted to the faith, but passionate about finding ways for Islam to divest itself of its associations with violent terrorism and sexism. It is an eye-opening survey of the minds and passions of progressive Muslims in the United States and offers hope for greater interfaith understanding. Publishers Weekly, Reed Business Information, Inc.