The Other Muslims: Moderate and Secular [Paperback]

Zeyno Baran (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0230621880 | ISBN-13: 978-0230621886 | Publication Date: March 16, 2010

This book is a unique collection of alternative Muslim voices, predominantly from Europe, who come from a variety backgrounds—academia, theology, acting, activism—and who make a transformational contribution to the debate of the future of Islam and Muslims in the West. They are a selection, representing the silent majority voices many in the West so desperately want to hear.

Contributors are based in a variety of European and American cities, mainly in areas where there are large number of Muslim immigrant populations. Some discuss theological issues, while others talk about their personal struggles of being a Muslim in a non-Muslim setting and hearing conflicting messages about how one is supposed to behave as a “true Muslim.” They come from different ethnicities and different social and academic backgrounds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With another French Muslim, Ghaleb Bencheikh, and a host of Europeans, Samia Labidi tells her story in an edited volume that has just been published in the U.S. These ‘Other Muslims, Moderate and Secular’ speak out under the auspices of Zeyno Baran, a scholar of Turkish origin who lives in the U.S. and directs [a program] at the [Hudson] Institute. They are ‘the’ solution in the face of the growing role of Islamism, the authors proclaim. The French propose the creation of a federation that would regroup all the Muslim associations and could, in this way, represent the Islam of France, not the Islamism of France as the UOIF only does today." —Marianne

“Political freedom, religious tolerance, and economic prosperity are universal values open to all races and creeds. To fight extremism, as this timely book reveals, we must promote Muslims who call for openness. Reform is possible if we heed and help them. This invaluable work of Zeyno Baran is worth reading.” —Jose Maria Aznar, Former Prime Minister of Spain

“The Other Muslims by Zeyno Baran is an important contribution to a better understanding of the complexities, contradictions, as well as more hopeful prospects for the world of Islam. It is especially timely because of the tendency to view Islam in a Manichean perspective.” —Zbigniew Brzezinski, Former U.S. National Security Advisor

“For too long, radical Islamists have claimed to speak for all Muslims. Since 9-11, we have needed moderate Muslims to speak up on behalf of America and against Islamist extremists. They have done so in this book.” —U.S.  Representative Sue Myrick, Co-Chair of the Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus

“A fascinating and important contribution to the debates about Islam, integration, and democracy compiled and edited by one of the most interesting scholars of Islam in Washington.” —Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize recipient and Washington Post columnist

“How political Islam evolves will be a crucial factor affecting global security. Zeyno Baran’s book deepens our understanding of what it means to be a ‘moderate Muslim’ and offers warnings we dare not ignore.” —Fred Kempe, President and CEO of Atlantic Council and former editor, Wall Street Journal Europe

“Zeyno Baran is a talented and courageous scholar. In this unique collection of essays, she and a rare group of self-described moderate Muslims take on the battle over Islam and the West, and the threat the political ideology of Islamism poses to political and religious freedom. We owe Zeyno Baran a debt of gratitude for tackling an urgent question with candor and discernment. This is a very valuable book.” —Fouad Ajami, Majid Khadduri Professor of Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies; and Senior Fellow, the Hoover Institution  

“There is nothing like this volume with its gripping personal accounts by moderate Muslims. The authors, from diverse backgrounds, argue compellingly against radical Islamization. They advocate a tolerant form of Islam, and express deep alarm over the hijacking of their faith. As insiders, they warn that well meaning Western authorities are deceived by radical leaders who claim to speak for an entire religion. In Zeyno Baran’s words, ‘The most important ideological struggle in the world today is within Islam.’ This is must reading for anyone trying to understand this critical ideological struggle and its meaning for the Muslim world and for liberal democracies.” —Robert J. Lieber, Professor of Government and International Affairs, Georgetown University

"Some of the best essays in The Other Muslims are testimonies of Muslims who have passed through Islamist phases themselves. Cosh Omar, a British playwright and actor of Turkish Cypriot origins, nicely details his passage from the broad-minded Sufi orientation of his father through involvement with Hizb ut-Tahrir (an international group dedicated to reinstituting the caliphate) through his restoration to something close to his father's faith." — Ezine @ Publish

About the Author

Zeyno Baran was born and raised in Turkey and partly Greece, and educated at Stanford University. She is currently Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute’s Center for Islam, Democracy and the Future of the Muslim World and Director of the Center for Eurasian Policy. She is also a specialist with World Organization for Resource Development and Education (WORDE), which aims to combat the misunderstanding, miscommunication and disinformation between both Muslim and Western societies, by providing effective, long-term solutions for resource development, educational reform, international security and public policy.

From January 2003 until 2006, Baran directed the International Security and Energy Programs at The Nixon Center.  From 1999 until December 2002, Baran worked as Director of the Caucasus Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).  She is the recipient of the Georgian Order of Honor (May 2003) for her contribution to the east-west energy corridor, and Lithuanian Millennium Star I(2008) for promoting solidarity among the European States in the field of energy security. Baran was a C.V. Starr Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy in Berlin in January 2006 and is the author of numerous articles, policy studies and monographs, including Hizb ut-Tahrir: Islam’s Political Insurgency (2004). 

She written and spoken frequently on the need to distinguish between Islam (the religion) and Islamism (the political ideology). In 2006, in response to being asked repeatedly who the moderate Muslims were and why they didn’t speak up, she coauthored a “Muslim Manifesto” to denounce violence and extremism in the name of Islam. Baran promotes the fusion of tolerant faith and critical thinking with secular democratic rule to thwart the spread of radical Islamist ideology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (March 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230621880
• ISBN-13: 978-0230621886
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, JD is the President of WORDE, an educational organization that informs public policy about the difference between mainstream Islam and radical ideologies, and implements programs that build community resilience against religious extremism. She also serves as legal counsel and consultant to a wide range of clients and for whom she travels extensively to learn about the methodology, ideology, infrastructure, and recruiting techniques of Islamist extremist movements. She has interviewed hundreds of individuals in Muslim communities around the world, including here in the US, to understand what theologically motivates people towards the extreme, as well as the economic, social, and financial incentives used to recruit followers. Her expertise earned her a political appointment to the US Embassy of Afghanistan as Senior Advisor for Civil Society Infrastructure.
She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California, her B.A. in History from UCLA, and a degree in Islamic doctrine from the As-Sunnah Foundation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, captivating and definitely worth reading, May 11, 2010

By 

Giselle Lecroix (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Other Muslims: Moderate and Secular (Paperback)

This book is not only informative but entertaining and gripping at the same time. Consisting of academic narratives, as well as personal stories of experience, this book has everything the inquisitive mind could ask for, and is especially relevant for our time in which the Islamic religion is both misused in the name of terror, and vastly misunderstood by the Western masses.
This book is definitely a must-read.