In his analysis, Mazrui does not gloss over the difficult facts. Palestinian suicide bombers kill innocent Israelis. In the Sudan atrocities are committed in the name of Allah. Yet, an analysis of the numbers suggests a disproportionate level of suffering among Muslims throughout the world. In economic terms, almost all Islamic countries are within the third world and are subject to the policies of Western institutions, like the IMF and the WTO, which guarantee that they are likely to remain there.

In terms of casualties as a consequence of violence, Muslims are overwhelmingly the victims, most often innocent civilians caught in the crossfire. Even in 9/11, several hundreds of the victims were Muslim. This fact often goes unstated. Similarly, the 1998 attack on the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, which caused twelve American casualties, also killed two hundred innocent Kenyans. Or consider the innocent casualties which arise from the inevitable Israeli retaliation following suicide bombings. Or the routine rapes committed in Bosnia.

Mazrui is fond of quoting Lord Acton: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." But he adds a corollary: "Absolute powerlessness also corrupts absolutely." While he unequivocally condemns acts of violence by militant Islamic extremists, nevertheless he asserts that such incidents are entirely explainable (and, presumably, preventable). The moral pillars of true Islam go ignored when one is desperate. Suicide bombers are not merely fanatical -  they have lost all hope, at least for this life. The simplest way to win the war on terrorism is to end the causes for despair.

Islam is disappointing in one respect. It opens with a fascinating question, but fails to follow through. It presents much factual material, but leaves it to the reader to infer whether, indeed, Islam poses the kind of challenge which might portend the fall of American civilization. In part, this shortcoming is a function of the book's structure.  It is drawn largely from papers which Mazrui has previously published, and so, in places, it feels somewhat disjointed. It could have benefited from a final chapter written expressly for the book and which returned to the opening question. Nevertheless, it is an important work for offering us a thoughtfully articulated glimpse of the Islamic point of view on some of the most pressing issues of our time.