Taking Back Islam

In the Months After September 11... American Muslims heard the familiar tenets of Islam being defined by others. From the Capitol to the pulpit, on television and in the classroom, commentators, politicians, and scholars were busy telling Muslims the "real meaning" of Islam. Western Muslims knew something had to be done or Islam might be tarnished, even corrupted. They gathered informally to discuss the past, the present, and how things ought to be. Over time, they began to conceive, voice, and finally put to paper ideas about how they might define Islam in this century. In the years since September 11, American Muslims began to do something extraordinary. They began to reclaim the core values of Islam. Taking Back Islam is a bold collection of voices - from Karen Armstrong, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Ingrid Mattson to Kabir Helminski, Michael Wolfe, and Arsalan Tariq Iftikhar - in the vanguard of the faith. These men and women remain devout and utterly convinced of Islam's power to help create a just, ordered, and beautiful world but are also unafraid to be critical of those who would distort Islam for violent or political ends. Many of these writers are American Muslims who benefit from a commitment to democratic pluralism as well as to Islam. The unique nature and strength of these voices, fueled by a strong desire to tap the best traditions within Islam, offer hope for rescuing a faith that has been injured from within by extremists and demonized from without by Western culture.