Chasing a Mirage The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State

At the heart of the matter is the duplicity of imams who decry the West for the ills that affect Muslims. Such invective deflects the failure of most Muslim countries to offer a modicum of freedom, human rights and equality--not ideas that are the purview of western countries, but indeed are inherent in the spirit of Islam. Where did things take such a wrong turn? In the author's assessment, the Quran did not prescribe that Islam should take on a political form--an entity that is the Islamic State. Yet in the aftermath of the Prophet's death, two streams of Islam emerged. One was political and imperial, seeking power and domination, reverberating though the ages and resulting in war bloodshed among Muslim brothers. The other Islam was spiritual, which unleashed the human spirit, triggering an age of enlightenment that once was the hallmark of science, literature, music, and mathematics. The author suggests that the crashing end to Islam's era of intellectual supremacy was a direct result of political Islam inflicting a crushing defeat on the spirit of Islam. In a global movement, Islamists have worked to establish the Islamic State, while Muslims continue to be sacrificed for a cause that s rooted in deceit and delusion. Can a millennia of aggression be brought to a halt? Chasing a Mirage is unequivocal in its answer and in its remedy to end political violence that is inimical to Islam and its state of grace and peace. The book urges Muslims to give up on the Islamic State and strive for the state of Islam.A leading moderate Muslim looks into the heart of Muslim/Islamic identity The terrorist attack on 9/11 and subsequent attacks in Bali, Madrid, and London were for much of the non-Muslim world a brutal introduction to a religion and culture that it had, until then, not thought much about. In the six years since 9/11, Muslims and the motivating principles of their faith have undergone severe scrutiny by writers and opinion makers alike-while still failing to address a key issue: the distinction between Islamists and Muslims. In Chasing a Mirage, Canadian journalist Tarek Fatah analyzes the diverging aspirations that separate the Islamist from the Muslim, and what the implications of an "Islamic State" vs. "state of Islam" have for the world's one billion Muslims and their five billion non-Muslim neighbors. Tarek Fatah (Toronto, ON, Canada) is cofounder of the Canadian Muslim Conference and guest host of The Agenda, a popular current affairs program on TVOntario.Lately, Muslims and their religion are facing unparalleled scrutiny from the rest of the world. Since the terrorist attack of 9/11, and subsequent attacks in Bali, the Middle East, and London, Muslims have intrigued the western world's non-Muslim writers, observers, and opinion makers. In the last five years, numerous books have been published from Irshad Manji's The Trouble with Islam to Bernard Lewis' What Went Wrong and Lawrence Wright's The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. Unfortunately, most of the books written on the subject fail to address a key distinction between Islamists and Muslims. What Islamists seek and what Muslims desire are two separate objectives, sometimes overlapping, but clearly distinct. While the former seek an "Islamic State," the latter merely desires a "state of Islam." What ails the Muslim world and how to prevent it from sliding farther into the abyss requires urgent address. While an endless analysis of Muslim "grievances" and Western "imperial interests" may have some merit, it does not address the Muslim question: Why are so many Muslims seeking their future in their past? This book will answer this question and focus on the chasm that divides a billion Muslims from their 5 billion non-Muslim neighbors. The Muslim world seems to be mired in its inability to move towards the modern nation state. It still has multiple levels of citizenship, and is unable to implement gender equality, let alone protect the rights of gays and lesbians, or the disabled and mentally ill. There is historical evidence that, throughout its 15 centuries, numerous Muslim empires and kingdoms have invoked Islam to consolidate and legitimize political power. However, leaders of the Muslim community continue to chase the mirage of the perfect "Islamist state" rather than pursue the "state of Islam." One state requires a theocratic nation structure; the other a state of spirituality. The intersection of Islam with Western values and norms of behavior are causing fall-out and vitriol. Moderate Muslims are falling under attack from vocal and menacing conservative elements. Chasing a Mirage pulls no punches in casting a cold, hard light on the present condition of Islam and its growing power throughout the world.In Chasing a Mirage, Tarek Fatah Writes: Islamists argue that the period following the passing away of Muhammad was Islam's golden era and that we Muslims need to re-create that caliphate to emulate that political system in today's world. I wish to demonstrate that when Muslims buried the Prophet, they also buried with him many of the universal values of Islam that he had preached. The history of Islam can be described essentially as the history of an unending power struggle, where men have killed each other to claim the mantle of Muhammad. This strife is a painful story that started within hours of the Prophet closing his eyes forever, and needs to be told. I firmly believe the message of the Quran is strong enough to withstand the facts of history. It is my conviction that Muslims are mature and secure in their identities to face the truth. This is that story. Advance Praise for Chasing a Mirage: "Tarek Fatah has written a provocative and challenging book which is a must read for anyone who cares about these issues." - Janice Gross Stein "Chasing a Mirage is an extremely valuable contributing to the fight by progressive Muslims against Islamist fascism. This book should be required reading for the Left in the West who have mistakenly started believing that Islamists represent some sort of anti-imperialism." -Farooq Tariq "Fatah argues passionatley for universalism instead of exclusivism, integration instead of ghettoism, and makes a powerful appeal for the silent majority of Muslims to speak out before it is too late. This work of courage and daring needs to be read widely." - Pervez Hoodbhoy "This fascinating work by brave and bri8lliant tarek Fatah is simultaneously thought-provoking, instructive and enlightening for laymen and scholars, Muslims and non-Muslim...an invaluable and rare addition to the corpus of Islamic literature in the post-9/11 world, a bold step towards Islamic Reformation and Enlightenment." - Taj Hashmi "Tarek Fatah's is a voice that needs to be heard. Canada needs a healthy, reasoned debate about the issues he is raising, and indeed so does the world." - Bob Rae "This fascinating work by brae and brilliant Tarek Fatah is simultaneously thought-provoking, instructive and enlightening for laymen and scholars, Muslim and non-Muslim... an invaluable and rare addition to the corpus of Islamic literature in the post-9/11 world, a bold step towards Islamic Reformation and Enlightenment." - Taj Hashmi "Tarek Fatah's is a voice that needs to be heard. Canada needs a healthy, reasoned debate about the issues he is raising, and indeed so does the world." - Bob Rae, Member of Parliament, Canada"I think this book is a positive contribution to the discussion about contemporary Islam and certainly a valuable addition to the voices that are critically looking at Islams right-wing. . . . I dont think there is any other public intellectual in the North American arena -- Muslim or other -- who could have written this book." (HuffingtonPost.com, April 15th, 2008)"In Chasing a Mirage, Tarek Fatah opens a window on the Muslim world that reveals a blighted landscape. Fatah, a Canadian Muslim born in Pakistan, argues that Islam has been hijacked by radicals who falsely invoke the Quran and Prophet Muhammad for their own political purpose that offends the spirit of Islam." "In the author's assessment, the Quran did not prescribe that Islam should take on a political form - an entity that is the Islamic State. Yet in the aftermath of the Prophet's death, two streams of Islam emerged. One was political and imperial, seeking power and domination, reverberating through the ages and resulting in bloodshed among Muslim brothers. The other Islam was spiritual, which unleased the human spirit, triggering an age of enlightenment that once was the hallmark of science, literature, music, and mathematics. The author suggests that the crashing end to Islam's era of intellectual supremacy was a direct result of political Islam inflicting a crushing defeat of the spirit of Islam."--BOOK JACKET."Tarek Fatah has written a provocative and challenging book, which is a must-read for anyone who cares about these issues."--Janice Gross Stein, Director, Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto "Chasing a Mirage is an extremely valuable contribution to the fight by progressive Muslims against Islamic fascism. This book should be required reading for the Left in the West who have mistakenly started believing that Islamists represent some sort of anti-imperialism."--Farooq Tariq, Secretary General, Pakistan Labour Party "Fatah argues passionately for universalism instead of exclusivism, integration instead of ghettoism, and makes a powerful appeal for the silent majority of Muslims to speak out before it is too late. This work of courage and daring needs to be read widely."--Pervez Hoodboy, Professor, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan "This fascinating work by brave and brilliant Tarek Fatah is simultaneously thought-provoking, instructive and enlightening for laymen and scholars, Muslim and non-Muslim ... an invaluable and rare addition to the corpus of Islamic literature in the post 9/11 world, a bold step towards Islamic Reformation and Enlightenment."--Taj Hasmi, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu "Tarek Fatah's is a voice that needs to be heard. Canada needs a healthy, reasoned debate about the issues he is raising, and indeed, so does the world."--Bob Rae, Member of Parliament, Canada