The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists

In the midst of the confusion and misunderstanding that surrounds Islam from both Muslims and non-Muslims alike, this book manages to cut through all the chaos and re-examine all the issues. Through solid arguments, Abou El Fadl manages to pose a formidable challenge to all extremists who have hijacked the faith. In just under 300 pages, he launches a massive counterattack on extremist groups, surgically dissects their misguided beliefs, and slams their poisonous ideology. Moderate Muslims who were bewildered and shocked into inaction following the September 11 disaster now have the intellectual ammunition to retake the initiative and rescue their religion from the likes of Bin Laden. For non-Muslims, the book will reveal the complexities of Islam (rather than the cartoonish version promoted by the media) and its rich history of scholarship and philosophical enquiry... all while steering clear of any attempt to convert the reader. Every once in a while, a book emerges with the power to influence the course of history. This is one of those books. "The Great Theft" has given moderate Muslims a much needed fighting chance!

I found this book to be disturbing in its depiction of the Wahabi/puritan strain of Islam which is currently on the ascendancy across the Muslim world. It is troubling to learn how a fanatical, but powerful, minority of Muslims is able to influence the evolution of Islamic thought & practice to such a great extent. This book is essential reading for any Muslim who cares about his/her faith! In addition, anyone curious about Islam will get an inside glimpse into the challenges facing Moderate Muslims who dare to disagree with the religious puritans who purport to speak on behalf of Muslims everywhere.

An excellent book for someone who is interested in understanding how the mind of an a religious fundatmentalist, extremist, puritan, or a zealot works. The material is based on well informed and sound understanding of the subject. Although the book presents several ideas and actions in the last chapter, on what the moderates can do, the emphasis is more on the causes vs. the cures. A more comprehensive plan of action for the cures will be most welcome in the author's next book.

El Fadl takes the explanation millions of Muslims have been trying to make for years and articulated it for the world to hear. Instead of denying that "extremist" Muslims who take part in suicide bombings and death are not actually Muslim at all, El Fadl points out the distinctifying differences between the minority under the say of puritanism and the majority that is all too unspoken for in the Western world. This is the only way to make a definitive point to many Westerners, since many take to heart much of what they hear. El Fadl realizes that many of the horrible things heard about Muslims is indeed true but indicative of the acute minority that hardly represents the whole. Thus, El Fadl does not attempt to redefine what the average Western audience has heard rather than expand on what they've heard and make the difference between puritan ideaology and the majorly-supported moderate ideaology. Also, El Fadl realizes that lauding any particular part of the Qur'an or going beyond observation will make a cause for debate. For this reason, El Fadl does not make his own points rather than refer to doctrines on both sides of the argument that are highly supported. He also distinguishes between any of his opinions and the factual blueprints of the separate ideaologies. This method not only allows the reader to make his or her own opinion, it allows them to see the obvious contradictions in a school of thought rather than the Qur'an itself. This distinctifies the obvious difference between man-made twisting of Qur'anic verse and the more grounded interpretations that have been established through ages of highly intellectual study. El Fadl also addresses the harsh subject of declining jurisprudence in Islam. El Fadl explains the reasoning behind the explosion of extreme Qur'anic interpretations of today and why groups of the sort have obtained the opportunity to prosper. El Fadl points no fingers, but makes it obvious that outside influences and Imperialistic domination contributed to the end of over a millenium of peaceful jurisprudence responsible for the quelling of suck extremist and contradictory uprisings. This book speaks for the silent Muslim population which has lived in harmony with the world for over a millenium. Because this majority characteristically does not believe in religious compulsion or widespread preaching to those not seeking, political and public connections are weak for many of these people. El Fadl speaks for the masses who have been all too misjudged in this trying time in human history.