Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms

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"Scapegoats is an important book that shows Islamophobia must be addressed urgently."-PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER When a murderous psychopath goes on a killing spree, law enforcement officials and the media never make his religion the central issue-unless he happens to be a Muslim. Then it sets off another frenzied wave of commentary about the inherent evils that lurk within the Muslim faith. From Fox News talking heads, who regularly smear Muslim leaders as secret terrorists, to Bill Maher, who has made Islam a routine target, it has become widely acceptable to libel a religion with a following of over 1.5 billion people-nearly one-quarter of the world's population. Now popular commentator Arsalan Iftikhar-better known as "The Muslim Guy"-offers a spirited defense of his faith that is certain to win him wide acclaim-and yes, another round of overheated scolding from the usual media quarters. Iftikhar's spirited defense of his faith is certain to hit a chord during the 2016 campaign season, as politicians and pundits vie to be the toughest on the block when it comes to escalating the hostilities in the Middle East, often demonizing Islam in the process. With his witty and levelheaded demeanor, the author will cut through all the sound and fury as a voice of sanity and reason.

Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer, founder of TheMuslimGuy.com, and senior editor of The Islamic Monthly magazine. He is a prominent media commentator on Islam and Muslims, who has been interviewed in many media outlets around the world, including CNN, BBC World News, National Public Radio (NPR), Al-Jazeera English, Time, Rolling Stone, The Economist and NBC's The Today Show and Meet the Press. He lives in Washington, DC.

"Scapegoats is an important book that shows Islamophobia must be addressed urgently. Violence or hate speech against any community based on their faith is un-American and is against our founding principles." Because when a murderous psychopath goes on a killing spree, law enforcement officials and the media never make his religion the central issue--unless he happens to be a Muslim. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER "My brother Arsalan Iftikhar is one of America's great champions of reason and respect. His book is a stirring addition to the literature of American pluralism. May it help to hold back the ugliness the intolerance and the indecency that is disfiguring our country." LEON WIESELTIER "Iftikhar writes with a deep love of his country, and profound anguish about the betrayal of her cherished values of fairness and inclusiveness. This book is a wake-up call for America." BOBBY GHOSH, GLOBAL NEWS ANALYST, CNN "[Arsalan Iftikhar has] become a go-to voice in American media, playing a variety of roles explaining Islam, decrying Islamic extremism and also what he sees as rising islamophobia. It is that last which concerns him in a new book, and the title sums up its mission. It's called Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms." --MICHAEL MARTIN, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO "Scapegoats is an important book that shows Islamophobia must be addressed urgently. Violence or hate speech against any community based on their faith is un-American and is against our founding principles." Because when a murderous psychopath goes on a killing spree, law enforcement officials and the media never make his religion the central issue--unless he happens to be a Muslim. PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER "My brother Arsalan Iftikhar is one of America's great champions of reason and respect. His book is a stirring addition to the literature of American pluralism. May it help to hold back the ugliness the intolerance and the indecency that is disfiguring our country." LEON WIESELTIER "Iftikhar writes with a deep love of his country, and profound anguish about the betrayal of her cherished values of fairness and inclusiveness. This book is a wake-up call for America." BOBBY GHOSH, GLOBAL NEWS ANALYST, CNN "[Arsalan Iftikhar has] become a go-to voice in American media, playing a variety of roles explaining Islam, decrying Islamic extremism and also what he sees as rising islamophobia. It is that last which concerns him in a new book, and the title sums up its mission. It's called Scapegoats: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms." --MICHAEL MARTIN, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO