We heard the cries yet again, after the Charlie Hebdo massacre: "Why don't moderate Muslims speak out?" In fact, they have been speaking out for a long time, but Western politicians and media have got very good at pretending otherwise.
Karima Bennoune, however, has been listening. For this book, she interviewed 286 people of Muslim heritage from 26 countries, all of whom have been the targets of vicious threats, and have witnessed awful atrocities, for standing up to Islamic fundamentalism. Bennoune emphasises the diversity of a Muslim world that encompasses secularists, dissenters, free-thinkers and human rights activists, and leaves one in no doubt that the biggest victims of Muslim extremism are other Muslims. Having formerly worked for Amnesty International, she also criticises Western human rights organisations for poor judgement, and if her depiction of the USA as a Christian counterpart to Islamic fundamentalism sounds sweeping, it doesn't detract from the courage of her interviewees and the value of their testimonies.
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