Moving the Mountain
Beyond Ground Zero to a New Vision of Islam in America
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3.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Muslims in America who reject extremist or fundamentalist expressions of Islam at home and abroad feel the urgent need for a voice that can represent them in the escalating irrationality of the current debate about Islam, America, and the West. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf—the so-called Ground Zero Imam—has become that voice.
Drawing from his personal experiences, Imam Feisal now speaks up on behalf of disenfranchised Muslims around the United States who are spiritual, moderate, and patriotic. Born to Egyptian parents in Kuwait, Imam Rauf was educated in England and Malaysia, became a U.S. citizen in 1979, and received a degree in physics from Columbia University. Here, he explores the beliefs, aspirations, and ambitions, both spiritual and political, of American Muslims in a post-9/11 world. For example, the Imam sees the 2011 Arab uprising and the death of Osama bin Laden as turning points for Muslims, strengthening moderate voices that are closer to the true nature of Islam. He argues that orthodox Islam supports equal rights for women and embraces religious tolerance and dialogue, and insists on the relevance of Shariah law for democracy in America and for the revolutions in the Middle East.
Touching on all the major issues that have been subject to misperceptions and misrepresentations—such as the role of women, fundamentalism in America and abroad, the intersection of Islam and democracy, even the “Ground Zero Mosque”—Imam Feisal pre-sents a fresh perspective that American Muslims can identify with and a book that non-Muslims can use as a go-to guide, completely changing the discourse about Islam and America today.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rauf, longtime imam of a lower downtown Manhattan mosque and a Sufi American Muslim, became famous for his organization's plans for a mosque near ground zero in 2010. While Rauf could have devoted this book entirely to defending his plans, he rises above such pettiness and writes a book that is enjoyable and accessible. Describing the controversial community center as a Muslim version of New York's 92nd Street Y, which has Jewish roots and values, Rauf has impressive clarity in the face of the various hyperbolic reactions to his plan. Rauf calls himself an "orthodox Muslim," meaning that he follows the "authentic mainstream, moderate, nonviolent" faith followed by a majority of the world's Muslims. This book, while covering the same territory as his previous ones, is more personal than his others. He begins by describing how he developed his own understanding of Islam, apart from his imam father's, during the free love era of the 1960s America to which he immigrated, and how he came to be an imam, or Muslim minister. This is a great read for American Muslims and for those wanting to learn more about Islam or update themselves on the controversies American Muslims have faced.
