Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
With Americans still in shock after watching packed airliners slam into the twin towers, George W. Bush asked America, "Why do they hate us?" After 9/11, the world became more fearful, and acts of terrorism were prominent in the news cycles. In Why Do They Hate Us?, author Steve Slocum takes the spotlight off the extremists and instead exposes the heart of the everyday Muslim through Christian outreach.
Why Do They Hate Us? brings the story of Mohammed to life and unveils the storied history of Islam with refreshing detail. Slocum clears up common misconceptions about jihad, Sharia law and the role of women in Islam. He then connects the dots for readers of all faiths between cause and effect for the rise in Islamophobia. Finally, Slocum suggests practical ways to overcome societal fears by face-to-face interaction with our Muslim neighbors.
Why Do They Hate Us? is sprinkled with stories from the lives of everyday Muslims and anecdotes from Slocum's time in Kazakhstan, allowing the reader to catch a glimpse of a different side of Muslims than portrayed in the media.
"Before reading this book I knew very little about Islam despite a pastoral career. I now feel like I know much more. It left me with a hunger to befriend Muslims." - Pastor Martha Freeman, M.Div.
Synopsis
IPBA BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AWARDS SILVER MEDALIST
A BOOKLIST AND KIRKUS BEST BOOK OF 2019 "Well-researched, cogently argued... avoids clich s and deeply examines the complex relationship between Islam and the West."
--Booklist, starred review
White supremacist racism has many faces. A foreign policy that focuses on "American interests" and exploits foreign resources is one of those faces. Nowhere has this become more evident than in the Middle East.
Decades of covert intervention by the CIA in the Middle East came home to roost when Al Qaeda operatives hijacked American airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center towers on 9/11, horrifically killing 3000.
With Americans still in shock, George W. Bush asked, "Why do they hate us?" His bizarre answer, "They hate our freedoms," squandered an opportunity for national introspection. Instead, he unleashed the power of a $330 billion "defense" budget on the villages of Afghanistan and subsequently on Baghdad.
In the years after 9/11, Islamophobia became a mainstay in American society and in American political rhetoric. It was the unfettered hate speech toward Muslims that opened the door for closeted racists to come out into the open with hate speech toward all nonwhite groups.
In Why Do They Hate Us?, author Steve Slocum brings to light Islam's origins as a social justice movement and paints a beautiful portrait of Islam's peaceful mainstream. Why Do They Hate Us? is sprinkled with stories from the lives of everyday Muslims and anecdotes from Slocum's five years living in Kazakhstan, allowing the reader to catch a glimpse of the true soul of Islam. You'll never look at Muslims in the same way again.
"In an era of rampant Islamophobia, Slocum's book is essential reading."
--Todd H. Green, author of The Fear of Islam: An Introduction to Islamophobia in the West
"Effectively countering pernicious, misinformed narratives, this is an essential contribution to interfaith studies."
--Publishers Weekly