While my first book dealt with the fundamental and personal issue of God's existence from a metaphorical and spiritual approach, this book is about how unplanned life circumstances exposed me to three widespread groups in the Muslim world, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, the Sufi and the Wahhabi. The facts related in this book are based on thirty years of direct encounter with the followers of these groups.
Indeed many countries are fighting the international disease of radicalism militarily, but eliminating or imprisoning its adepts is far from a solution. Ideologies are fought successfully with counter ideologies. Books, education, awareness, articles and all intellectual means are more effective in the long run than military actions.
This book sheds some light on which of these groups is the source of radicalism which is hitting the Muslim world harder than anywhere else. However, the vast majority of the Muslims do not identify themselves with this 'mental parasite' and would like to identify its roots in order to eradicate it once for all.
It needs to be emphasized that I am not a religious scholar nor is this book about established religion. Furthermore, this is not an academic study, but merely a real-life experience of the effect of these different groups, in the Islamic world and on me as Muslim. These effects are also apparent within the young generation of Muslims who have become easily radicalized by some of these ideas.
I was exposed to Sufism as a young boy growing up in a large city in Morocco and later I encountered the other points of view when I went to the US for higher education. My leading indicator is which of these group helped me to become closer to God and His commands in my daily life with peace, dedication and love as well as the way in which I perceive and interact with Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and non-believers alike.
The book relates my great learning experiences while exposed to the religious and political agendas of these groups. It is also directed to many individuals who are confronted with these issues. Indeed there is a huge difference between reading about them and having a direct contact with their followers who devotedly carry out their practices. These latter were highly educated, very religious and mature graduate students in the U.S.
This testimony is also important for how Islam is viewed and practiced today in many Islamic and non-Islamic countries, and why some groups or individuals get unfortunately radicalized while thinking they are interpreting the Holy Quran correctly.
The first chapter is an introduction to the three groups; although this information is also widely available in many books. Still it is highly recommended to go over this chapter in order get an update of the latest alterations in the thinking and philosophy of these groups. It is in chapter two where I start to relay my direct encounter with the followers of each of these groups.
While the book is interesting in terms of the subject and the tremendous international concern about the spreading of radicalism, chapter three 'Real differences among the three groups' maybe the most important analysis presented. Indeed the material provided in this section is rarely found in any other book because it displays rich contents based on a direct encounter with devoted and highly educated followers of the three groups.