To be a Muslim – Islam, Peace, and Democracy

This book is an incisive, personal statement about the essence of Islam by one of the world's leading advocates of inter-faith dialogue and understanding - Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. There is much ignorance about Islam in the West, and negative opinions of Islam feed on that ignorance. The views and attitudes about Islam in public dialogue since the Osama bin Laden-inspired terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, require a response that sets Islam in a light that shows its fundamental belief structures and humanity. The core of the book is a statement of belief in a question-and-answer format that allows Islam's basic tenets to be quickly grasped by a wide audience. In form and content, To Be a Muslim reaches both a Western audience and also Muslims (who themselves can be westerners) who are seeking to articulate their faith and to explain it to themselves and to others. The questions put by His Royal Highness's collaborator, Alain Elkann, are those frequently posed by people not knowledgeable about Islam. Prince El Hassan's answers are precise and informative. He presents a persuasive argument that the beliefs and culture of the majority of the Islamic world not only are compatible with but are contributive to a world at peace - a world of diversity in which Muslim and non-Muslim nations can and should collaborate to create a more humane and just global society. He cites the Qur'an, the Hadith (sayings), and the Sunna (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad, and describes how most of Islam during most of its history has applied the teachings of the Prophet so as to treat other ethnic groups, cultures and faiths - especially the Jewish and Christian monotheists - with respect, tolerance and fairness. This unique book is complemented by chapters from David L. Boren, President of the University of Oklahoma and Ambassador Edward J. Perkins, who set the exposition of the Prince (who was awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Oklahoma) in a wide historical and political context.