Taking Back Islam - by Michael Wolfe (Paperback)

About the Book

Now Available in Paperback!
Leading authorities discuss the past, present and future of Islam.
Islam, the least understood of the world's great religions, is balanced on a precipice between the past and the future, between fanatical fundamentalists and progressives advocating peace. Noted Islamic authority Michael Wolfe moderates 35 expert speakers, writers and leaders, including Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) and Karen Armstrong, the best-selling author of A History of God and Islam. They discuss the future of Islam, tear down false stereotypes, review the historical realities that have shaped the religion, and examine paradoxes and schisms within the faith.
At a time when every Muslim is forced to defend his faith and Americans are curious about Islam's basic tenets, this book answers many questions at the same time that it ponders both the danger and promise of the future.

Book Synopsis

"The thinking person's guide to Islam in a post-9/11 America" --Publisher's Weekly

Islam, the least understood of the world's great religions, is balanced on a precipice between the past and the future, between fanatical fundamentalists and progressives advocating peace. Noted Islamic authority Michael Wolfe moderates 35 expert speakers, writers, and leaders, including Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) and Karen Armstrong, the bestselling author of A History of God and Islam. Leading authorities discuss the future of Islam, tear down false stereotypes, review the historical realities that have shaped the religion, and examine paradoxes and schisms within the faith.

At a time when every Muslim is forced to defend his faith and Americans are curious about Islam's basic tenets, this book answers many questions at the same time that it ponders both the danger and promise of the future.

Review Quotes

"The thinking person's guide to Islam in a post-9/11 America ... 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.... 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."

About the Author

Michael Wolfe is the author of books of poetry, fiction, travel, and history. His most recent works are a pair of books from Grove Press on the pilgrimage to Mecca: The Hadj, a first-person travel account and One Thousand Roads to Mecca, an anthology of 10 centuries of travelers writing about the Muslim pilgrimage. In 1997, Wolfe hosted a televised account of the Hadj from Mecca for Nightline on ABC. He is currently at work on a four-hour television documentary on the life and times of the Prophet Muhammad. He lives in California.