"In these fraught days of heightened tension and increasing hostility, few books could be more timely."
-- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner
"A book Americans must read before time runs out, [this] new book by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed ought to have a profound and transforming influence on Americans' view of their government's confrontation with Islam."
-- Michael Scheuer, former Chief of the CIA's Bin Laden issue station and author of Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on Terror
"Who Speaks for Islam? helps readers understand who does not speak for Islam -- contrary to the broad brush demagogy used by Bush Administration spokesmen to justify a wide ranging "World War IV" with the world of Islam.
-- Zbigniew Brzezinski, former U.S. National Security Adviser and counselor and trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies
"We live in an era in which a great many wonder what Muslims think -- why they hate us? Why some Muslims resort to terrorism? Why democracy has gained little purchase in parts of the Islamic world? There has been no shortage of people willing to offer their answers to these questions, but painfully few have actually taken the time to try to glean answers from Muslims themselves. For this reason, John Esposito and Dalia Mogahed have performed an invaluable service in Who Speaks for Islam? Relying on the unparalleled work of the Gallup organization to ascertain the views of Muslims across the world, Esposito and Mogahed have analyzed public opinion in the Islamic world on all of the most important issues of the day. Their trenchant analysis provides an excellent foundation for bridging the gaps between the West and the Ummah. In so doing, their work shines much-needed light on a topic that has had little but heat for too long."
-- Kenneth M. Pollack, Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at The Brookings Institution
"Every few years a book is published that has the potential to change perceptions of millions of people, and, by doing so, perhaps to change policies of governments for the better. I believe that just such a book is . . . Who Speaks for Islam, coauthored by John L. Esposito of Georgetown University, and Dalia Mogahed of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies. The reasons for my enthusiastic . . . praise for this volume are not only the depth of its contents, the clarity of its conclusions, and the fact that it is a fast and absorbing read. Its primary compelling strength is the sharp insights it offers into the thinking of Muslims around the world."
-- Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star
"The key to understanding contemporary Islam is making sense of the disparate views of 1.3 billion Muslims -- and no recent book has made a greater contribution to this crucial effort than Who Speaks for Islam? Cogent, concise analysis of extensive Gallup-collected data make this book required reading for anyone who cares about the future of relations between the West and the Muslim World."
-- Noah Feldman, Harvard Law School professor and author of The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State
"Who Speaks for Islam: What a Billion Muslim Really Think . . . shatter[s] the conventional wisdom and set[s] the record straight. . . . Few are as qualified as Esposito, who has written extensively on contemporary Islamic societies, to assess the findings and draw relevant public and foreign policy lessons."
-- Fawaz Gerges, author of The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global and Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy
"As our world spirals out of control with greater violence and misunderstanding between the West and the Muslim world, Who Speaks for Islam? cuts through the conflicting rhetoric of politicians and pundits and presents the often-silenced voice of Muslims everywhere. I cannot imagine a more important or more badly needed intervention."
-- Deepak Chopra, author of Peace Is the Way
"The data presented in this book are not only arresting, but indispensable. Who Speaks for Islam? should be required reading for policy makers, journalists, broadcasters, teachers, students, and scholars."
-- Karen Armstrong, author of A History of God
"At once incisive and provocative, this book is brimming with valuable insights into what Muslims think about religion, democracy, women's rights, extremism, and Muslims' relations with the West. This is a must-read for pundits and policy makers, specialists and non-specialists, American or Muslim."
-- Vali Nasr, author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future
"This is an important book. Years after 9/11, politics and quick judgments continue to stand in the way of a clear-eyed view of the Muslim world. Not so for Esposito and Mogahed. They provide powerful evidence and compelling logic that shows Muslims around the world have many of the same hopes and dreams, and face many of the same issues and concerns, as other people do."
-- Robert Pape, author of Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago
"Who Speaks for Islam? teaches us about one of the most important issues of our time. The book contains many surprises about how Westerners and Muslims view one another."
-- Jessica Stern, author of Terror in the Name of God and Academic Director of the Program on Terrorism and the Law at Harvard Law School
"Who Speaks for Islam? could not be more timely. It provides essential insights into the thinking and attitudes of a large part of the global Muslim population on critical issues such as democracy, theocracy, extremism, jihad, women's rights, and the prospects of cooperation or conflict between the West and the Muslim world."
-- Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian, former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs; founding director, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University
"Who Speaks for Islam? quantifies the mutual misunderstanding between the West and the Muslim World, allowing us all to take the first necessary step in bridging the dangerously widening divide."
-- Howard Gordon, executive producer of the Emmy-award-winning television series 24
"Rarely does a book come along to provide the statistical evidence for moving forward on cross-cultural dialogue, urging introspection while highlighting the misconceptions held by many in the East and West. Who Speaks for Islam? provides the mirror by which we look onto ourselves as we reach out to each other."
-- Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
". . .one of the most important books on the War on Terror."
-- Dinesh D'Souza
"The authors rehearse several arguments that make sense to anybody who knows the Muslim world ."
-- The Economist
"Thank heavens for polls and surveys. . . . [I]mportant to the public and decision makers of powerful countries directing the "war on terror." The poll, by a reputable agency, should become a valuable reference to those hearing different voices showing a violent face of Islam."
-- The Jakarta Post
"What has not been available is any reliable measure of the viewpoints of ordinary Muslims, who constitute 20 percent of the global population. That is no longer the case."
-- Christian Science Monitor
"Illuminating."
-- Boston Globe
"A useful book with more than a few surprises."
-- ForeWord Magazine
"Finest quality."
-- Cleveland Plain Dealer
"A must for Turkish readers."
-- Today's Zaman
"[Offers] a much-needed reality check on the relations between the West and Muslim world. . . . genuinely surprising and revealing."
-- Khaleej Times
