The Jew Is Not My Enemy: Tarek Fatah

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I know I got some stares from coworkers while reading it, based on the title. Someone even told me I was being racist? I thought it was a great, informative read and especially appreciated that the author tried to remain neutral and stuck with his purpose of the book throughout (which was to inform) instead of some personal agenda. He made it obvious that instead of being offended by any questions toward religion we need to be realistic and admit that there may be problems. The part that stuck out the most was his comment on what the hadith has done to the Quran stating "One would expect Muslims to denounce the depiction of their Prophet as a mass murder" but instead it is viewed as noble. Fatah mentions a lot of people who are true to their faith, without being extremist, who are actually advocating to make things better and to get believers back on track. Sadly I had not heard of any of them, but of course I did some research. I also appreciated how honest he was when talking about Israel and Palestine as well as the confusion on why Muslims were not upset about Saudi Arabia's take over of Mecca and Medina. This book made me hopeful as well as felt sorry for those whose religion has been hijacked by extremist while live in fear.