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Can a Good Muslim Be a Good American?
Among the unsettling social shifts in the wake of 9/11 was a division here in the United States, often sadly along party lines, between those who believed every Muslim was a potential threat and those who believed no Muslim could do wrong. In a compelling and balanced must-read, “one of the most controversial Muslims in the United States” (Jerusalem Post)—a recognized expert on terrorism and a patriotic American—lays bare the crucial differences between Islam and the spiritual cancer known as Islamism and persuasively calls for radical reformation within the Muslim community in order to preserve liberty for all.
In this impassioned tome, U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser answers the query, "Can a good Muslim be a good American as well?" For the founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, the answer is strongly affirmative. This vigorous critic that virulent political Islamist movements betray both religious values and principles of modernity and universal equality.
"Dr. Jasser is one of the most courageous and relentless pursuers of truth and freedom in the Muslim world. Battle for the Soul of Islam takes you beyond the sound bites to show you what it really means to be a moderate Muslim fighting against those who have perverted your religion.” —Glenn Beck, New York Times bestselling author of Being George Washington
"A candid, patriotic pushback against Muslim stereotyping...a strident call to energize Muslim Americans to promote notions of pluralism, toleration and equal rights for women." —Kirkus
"Dr. Jasser is an American hero in the war radical Islam has declared on us. Whether we prevail in this long war may very well depend on how closely we listen to him." —William J. Bennett, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Man and former US Secretary of Education
Introduction 1
Part I Muslim in America 23
1 American Patriots from Syria 25
2 Two Islams 51
3 A Muslim in the U.S. Navy 77
4 Islam in My Life 93
Part II America and Islam After 9/11 109
5 Changing the Paradigm 111
6 Arab Responses to 9/11 133
7 American Responses to Fort Hood 147
8 The Threat of Homegrown Islamic Radicalism 171
9 Engaging Congressman Ellison and the Islamists 201
Part III Islam and Islamism Today 217
10 Defeating Political Islam 219
11 How the Qur'an Is Misinterpreted 241
12 An Islam Compatible with American Principles 267
Epilogue: A Letter to My Children 283
Acknowledgments 291
Overview
Can a Good Muslim Be a Good American?
Among the unsettling social shifts in the wake of 9/11 was a division here in the United States, often sadly along party lines, between those who believed every Muslim was a potential threat and those who believed no Muslim could do wrong. In a compelling and balanced must-read, “one of the most controversial Muslims in the United States” (Jerusalem Post)—a recognized expert on terrorism and a patriotic American—lays bare the crucial ...