Amir Hussain: Oil & Water: Two Faiths, One God

by Juli Cragg Hilliard, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 9/13/2006

A Muslim author and Loyola Marymount University associate professor confronts Christian perceptions of Islam.

RBL: What is the significance for a Muslim writer’s book to be published by a Christian press?

Hussain: Many of my teachers and friends have been Christian, so the interfaith stuff is not just something I do in an academic setting. To me, it’s incredibly powerful that the book is going out to a Christian audience from a Christian publisher.

RBL:What do you hope to achieve with this book?

Hussain: There are lots of introductions to Islam out there. There are not a lot of books written for a Christian audience. Secondly, it’s to help a Muslim audience understand about Christianity.

RBL: How do you explain violence by Muslims in the name of Islam?

Hussain: It troubles me tremendously. I’d like to say that it’s extremists and misguided people. The danger is people—Muslim, Christian, Jewish or whatever religion—who understand their tradition in such a narrow and extreme way. The day-to-day reality of American Muslims is that we are not plotting the downfall of America.

RBL: What do you have to say about author Robert Spencer's assertion (RBL Q&A Sept. 6) that Muhammad founded the world’s most intolerant religion?

Hussain: The Muhammad that he describes is not my Muhammad.

RBL: Do you think he faces danger in writing a biography of Muhammad?And do you, in writing this book, put yourself in peril?

Hussain: If the book puts me in peril, it’s only because it puts me in touch with a larger audience. I think there might be people that are offended by the portrayal Spencer makes of Muhammad. Is there danger? Yes, there is. Will it happen? Probably not in North America.