A bridge builder between America and Islam

America's future is bound up with the Muslim world. Is that as grim a prospect as it appears today? The imam of a New York City mosque (located 12 blocks from the World Trade Center) insists that it doesn't have to be so. With a foot - and an extensive history - in both worlds, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf offers an encouraging vision and an ambitious blueprint for getting past the stereotypes and paralyzing myths. This is an invigorating glimpse into the heart and mind of a wise Muslim seeking the higher ground, and a moving example of the impact of the American experience.

"What's Right With Islam" could easily be subtitled "And What's Right With America." An American Muslim who was born in Kuwait and has a degree from Columbia University, Rauf has a grasp of US history, values, and civil religion that would put many native-born citizens to shame.

With this illuminating analysis, he aims to demonstrate to East and West alike the congruence between American values and Islamic ideals. In fact, he describes the US as "substantively an 'Islamic' country, by which I mean a country whose systems remarkably embody the principles that Islamic law requires of a government."

A clear sign, he says, is the way practicing Muslims from across the globe line up for visas to come to the US. Rauf himself came here as a teenager, after living in Egypt, Malaysia, and England.

An eloquent answer to the frequent call for moderate Muslims to speak out, his book reflects a deep love for his faith and American values, but it also issues a forceful call for America to live up to its values in the most serious test it has faced in a generation.

Through an elucidation of core Islamic teachings and a cogent review of US and Islamic histories, he argues that the current conflict is not really about religion, but, as in most conflicts, about power and economic assets. "Muslims around the world believe in the principles that undergird American governance and want it for themselves," Rauf says. But the problem is that "America has historically acted in a way that gives the strong impression that [it] seeks to deprive Muslims of their inalienable rights."

One example he gives is the CIA-backed overthrow of the democratically elected government of Iran in 1953 and installment of the autocratic shah in its place, which set the stage for subsequent US-Iranian distrust.

His lucid book comes at an opportune time, as surveys show that the estrangement between Muslims and the West is greater than ever. American Muslims, he says, are in a position to help change that by articulating the congruence of values and helping educate both sides. But the imam warns that, when comparing faiths, it's important not to compare the ideals of one with the practice of another, but to compare ideals with ideals and practice with practice.

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