Some people unfairly lump Islam and terrorists together. Islam is a religion of peace, and its holy book, the Koran, opposes terrorist activities. Zadeh shows that not all Muslims are terrorists, and that those who are, are doing things contrary to Islam. He says that those who become terrorists no matter their religion or nationality have become so frustrated with their situations that they resort to the poor person’s method of combating a stronger enemy or gaining attention for their cause.

Firooz E. Zadeh, an American citizen born in Iran, has a B.S. from the University of Tehran in Iran, a M.S. from the University of Wyoming, and has done doctoral studies at the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Denver. He taught at the Eagle County School District in Colorado and at the Colorado Mountain College. He is presently working as an enrichment lecturer for the Holland America Cruise Lines. He wrote his autobiography, The Journey: An Immigrant’s Story From Tehran to Twin Lakes, in 2004.

Zadeh encourages Americans and other Westerners to learn more about Islam and the various Islamic nations and peoples. They vary from country to country in how they observe Islam. Not all Muslims are Arabs; most are of different ethnic groups or nationalities. The customs and traditions of Muslims vary much as customs of Christians vary from country to country. Some Americans have mistaken some cultural customs to have been imposed on the people by Islam when in fact a lot of the customs are cultural in nature. Not all Muslim women wear headscarves - for example, in Turkey many women do not wear headscarves. Some may think that women in Muslim cultures are treated as second-class citizens when in fact they are being protected. Of course, some Muslim men abuse this custom.

The American and Western governments need to have a better understanding of Islam and Muslims, according to Zadeh. They need to realize that not all Muslims are uneducated, though many are because of the economic situation of their country. The Western governments need to realize that they cannot wipe out all terrorists. New people will take their place and continue the fight for their cause. Al-Qaeda and others are very well-organized. Zadeh gives evidence of this by telling of a story of the finding of a sophisticated Al-Qaeda manual; even a former CIA agent acknowledged level of sophistication.

Zadeh suggests that the U.S., Israel, and other Western governments are combating terrorism the wrong way. He suggests they help to improve the so-called terrorists’ situations with economic aid and other humanitarian aid, but also treat these people better. The governments also need to gain a better appreciation of their situations and not to judge them according to Western ideas.

This book is recommended to those who want to learn why they should not condemn all Muslims as terrorists. There is a bibliography for further study. President George W. Bush would gain a lot from reading this book.