One of the most vital, yet elusive questions of our time is what went wrong in the relationship between the Muslims and the West. And many have tried to answer this question, while the approach of Huntington and Lewis was to suggest that the fractured relationship is rooted in the crisis in Islam itself, others such as Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, have instead opted to search and explore for a common ground between the two - which can then be turned into a launch pad for renewed relationship not just between the two, but, which can aid in the survival and rejuvenation of a free and pluralistic world. As many have unquestionably pointed out, who better to take on this mammoth task than the Imam of New York?

No matter how oft it is written, the unofficial credibility that “a Manhattan imam whose mosque is only 12 blocks from the World Trade Center site” lends to ones commentary in a post 9/11 world, a simple reading of What’s Right with Islam IS What’s Right with America only confirms that such a credibility is not only misplaced but, in this case placed on the right shoulders.

In part a personal journey, in part a duty and in part a man simply seeking a solution to the issues facing us all – Imam Fesial Abdul Rauf, draws on his extensive study of the religious scriptures of Islam and traces the common historical and philosophical roots and religious values between the Abrahamic traditions, the Jews, Christians and the Muslims – to draw out an all abiding Abrahamic ethic – which underlies all monotheistic religions and is based on the values of justice and equality. Imam Rauf traces back the evolution of these foundational beliefs through the golden age of Islam in medieval Cordoba and Baghdad to the development of the democratic and capitalist principals of the West. By doing so, the Imam, begins the ambitious quest of building the basis for rebuilding that relationship by demonstrating that the Islamic principals actually support the fundamental values of a pluralistic, free society; uncovers the promise of a Muslim form of democratic capitalism within the Quran and draws a vision of a Muslim world that can embrace its own form of democracy and capitalism, aspiring for a new Cordoba, a time in history, where Jews, Christians, Muslims and all other traditions lived together in peace and prosperity.

The commentary also gives a detailed account of life and work of the Prophet Mohammed, describes the five epochs of Islamic history, and notes the five principles of Islamic faith. He also, explores the reasons for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and explains the condemnation of terrorism in Islamic law as well as raises important issues such as contemporary U.S. foreign policy in Iran and Indonesia, the U.S. sponsorship and creation of militias in the Islamic world, the anti-Muslim bias in American Media – and their role in fracturing the relationship between the two. However, unlike other authors, Imam Rauf book stands alone in its focus on finding solutions, instead of finding fault and thereby giving hope in otherwise despair times.

This text along with the Imam’s other initiatives have a two fold purpose and twin targeted audience. It is for Muslims seeking to understand their own religion and practice it freely as well as for non-Muslims seeking to understand the Islamic religion to overcome a negative perception of the same. It is an attempt to build a bridge between the two communities. In a world where “Islamophobia” is rampant, the relevance of this text cannot be dismissed.

- By Devika Mistry