In his recently released book Silent No More: Confronting America’s False Images of Islam, Paul Findley, a 22-year veteran of Congress, chronicles his long, far-flung trail of discovery through the World Of Islam: the false stereotypes that linger in the minds of the American people, the corrective actions that the leaders of America’s seven million Muslims are undertaking, and the community’s remarkable progress in mainstream politics.
It is an indispensable source for Muslims and for anyone who speaks, writes, or worries about human rights, interfaith harmony and global cooperation. With precise citations, Findley, a Christian, debunks in his narration, the stereotypes of Islam. The author of four other books, two of them on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Findley draws on his decade-long experience as the senior Republican on the House of Representatives subcommittee on the Middle East, his personal knowledge of the region and its leaders, as well as his nationwide acquaintance with U.S. Muslims.
He writes: “Most Americans have never read a verse from the Qur’an, nor met a person they knew to be Muslim. Their distorted images of Islam come from snippets of television news and headlines that falsely link Islam with terrorism and the degradation of women. They have no awareness of Islamic principles and beliefs—monotheism, peace, charity, compassion, interfaith tolerance, women’s rights—common principles that should bind Muslims, Christians, and Jews together.”