American Muslims

Abstract

With a picture of a minaret superimposed on the Statue of Liberty, this book's cover is a striking introduction to what is inside. Like the Statue of Liberty that has acted as a beacon of freedom for wave after wave of refugees and immigrants, Khan argues that Muslims in America are beacons for the Muslim world, calling the ummah to an Islam of moderation, tolerance, and excellence; helping to bring the ummah out of its current malaise by engaging in itjthad; and, the same time, bringing Islam to an ailing United States. And as the minaret and the Statue of Liberty also can represent poles of tension for Muslims (the love/hate relationship and the spilt personality syndrome that Muslims have toward the United States), Khan's book investigates the Muslim experience of living in the United States. He criticizes the United States for failing to live up to its promises of liberty for its Muslim citizens and inhabitants, as well as for Muslims around the globe. American Muslims has eight chapters, each presenting a different angle of the relationship between being Muslim and being American. Khan sets the scene by discussing "Islam in America" ( chapter l ), moves to "American Muslims and American Politics" (chapter 2), "American Foreign Policy" (chapter 3), and "American Muslims and American Society" (chapter 4). He then introduces the notion of an American Muslim perspective (chapter 5) and has a chapter on the compatibility between Islam and democracy ( chai:r ter 6). The 9/11 attack and its impact upon Muslims is discussed next (chai:r ter 7), and the book ends with his perspective as an American Muslim on politics in the Muslim world (chapter 8). Khan presents forceful and consistent arguments that are both thoughtprovoking and often refreshing in their honesty. He is not afraid to say out ...