With more than one billion adherents, Islam is the second largest religion in the world. To place this into perspective, Christianity has two billion followers and is seven hundred years older than Islam. One in every five people on Earth is a Muslim, and the majority of those live in places other than the Middle East. Succinctly stated, Islam is pervasive and reaches into every corner of the world. Islam is also difficult to characterize, especially when contrasted with Christianity, as it is more than a religion in the conventional sense. Noted Middle East scholar Bernard Lewis sums up the uniqueness of Islam: “In one sense Islam denotes a religion, a system of belief and worship; in the other, the civilization that grew up and flourished under the aegis of that religion. The word Islam thus denotes more than fourteen centuries of history, a billion and a third people, and a religious and cultural tradition of enormous diversity” (3).

Islam’s initial impact within Arabia focused on a quest for monotheism and social and economic equity. Mired for centuries in a divisive tribal mentality, Arabia was violently fragmented and highly polytheistic. It was into this culture that Muhammad brought his initial message of peace, equality, and the worship of the one High God. Universally rejected in Mecca, he took a small band of followers to Medina and altered his teaching to include sanctioned fighting for Allah’s will to be accomplished. This shift in theology and practice propelled Muhammad and Islam into power in Arabia and created a mindset of holy conquest. Soon after subduing Arabia, Islam came to see the world in two spheres—the House of Islam (the part of the world adhering to Islam) and the House of War (the part of the world not yet under Muslim control and influence). The overriding purpose of Islam would become bringing the world under the dominion of Islam. To this end, jihad or holy war became a companion of the Muslim and remains at the crux of Islam. To how high a degree has each of these tenets been misinterpreted, corrupted, or abused over the centuries? Is jihad the single most alienating component of Islam in the eyes of the West? Is today’s violent minority representative of Islam as a whole? What is the future for the world’s fastest growing religion in the East?

This book has been created to deal with each of these questions in ways both frank and fair. While I wrote this book from a distinctly Western view, I have genuinely attempted to be nonpartisan and open. To this end, I spent time with Muslim scholars in Europe and the United States, as well as with Western Muslims who are living assimilated lives while continuing to practice their faith. I also invested time among former Muslims who now embrace Christianity as their faith expression. The result of this “balanced” endeavor to understand Islam and to relate to Muslims and former Muslims is an honest look at the state of Islam in the twenty-first century. My primary goal has always been to be both nonpartisan and “middle-of-the-road.”

The world seems to be nearing a tipping point in relation to Islam. There is much fault to be shared, and truth be told, the majority of the fault seems to be genuine to Islam. Radical Muslims have captured the world’s attention, and their acts virtually define modern Islam for much of the West. This is an incorrect definition of Islam as a whole, but often perception defines reality. As long as those in the West perceive that Islam is a religion of radicalism, dialogue and relational progress will be impossible. This book is an attempt to provide a brief but accurate guide to Muslim formation, history, structure, beliefs, practices, and goals. My hope is that knowledge will lead to relationships and dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

It is painfully obvious that portions of Islam are at war with both the West and with other Muslims. Killing is a daily occurrence and the motive for each death, regardless of who pulls the trigger, seems to end up being related to God. Is this proper theology for any religion? This has been and will continue to be a divisive question. Dialogue, however, will open doors and make it possible to find common ground. Is it possible to dialogue with a radical Islamist, especially over the character of God? Likely not, but six million Muslims live in the United States and most are not radical in any sense of the word. The first step is to understand Islam; the second step is to build relationships with Muslims; and the third step is to stand together for a world where peace triumphs over war carried out in the name of God. This book is dedicated to the purposes of knowledge, dialogue, and the pursuit of peace in God’s name.

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