Between Jihad and Salaam: Profiles in Islam

For this revealing collection of interviews that unveil the thoughts and personalities of Muslim thinkers and leaders, Joyce Davis adopted traditional dress to gain access to a range of Islamic leaders normally off limits to westerners. In over a dozen face to face encounters with the hidden elite of the Muslim world, Davis reveals extremes in opinion. We hear the words of individuals such as the Sudan’s Hassan al Turabi, often described as the new Ayatollah; Muntassir al Zayat, spokesman for Al Gamaa and al Jihad, responsible for much of the violence in Egypt; and Abida Hussain, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the U.S. who allows her daughter to date. These men and women possess religious principles and moral leadership that many western readers will find admirable, while they also express sentiments that are alarming. What becomes clear from these profiles is that some of the people who once provoked fear are worthy of trust, while others, undeniably, are not.