I would like to offer a few suggestions as to how that option might be realized. Such caricatures are usually based on the assumption that Islam is monolithic and that Muslim communities are homogeneous. Both assumptions are false. All the recommended authors are Christians who have done much to dispel the rampant misinformation concerning Islam. Second, reflect on what underlies our tendency to caricature Islam.
Modernity is uncomfortable with the demands of tradition.
Moreover, I think many recognize, even if only reluctantly, that in dismantling the traditional shape of our religious life, in many ways our religious communities have been debilitated. Islam's vitality and self-confidence reminds us of what we have lost. In short, the growing strength of Islamic identity and the resurgence in Islamic practice only serve to underscore the progressive weakening of Christian identity and the steady diminishment of Christian practice in secularized Western societies. We resent Islam's newly found vitality because it draws attention to our present malaise. Third, appreciate the practical, external expressions of faith that typify Islamic life .