Legacy Of The Prophet: Despots, Democrats, And The New Politics Of Islam

The World Trade Center bombing, suicide attacks in Israel, the slaughter of tourists in Egypt and innocents in Algeria.

One of the world's great religions, Islam has become identified today with senseless bloodshed, its followers branded as irrational fanatics with a penchant for violence.

Ours is the era of the "Islamic threat." But another story remains to be told.

Beyond the headlines, a transformation is under way in both the style and message of Islamic politics at the end of the twentieth century: a startling shift from militancy to democracy with vast implications for the West.