My faith in humanity has been restored...at least for the morning.

An Islamic Reformation

I knew - the very instant I saw the second plane hit the Twin Towers - that jihad had come to America. To my horror, the country that had given me shelter, protection and hope was under a monstrous attack from my own culture of origin.

I immediately telephoned a number of Muslim friends. Without exception, they made excuses for terrorism, denied the responsibility of Muslim culture, and concluded that 9/11 was an Israeli conspiracy.

These were not radical fundamentalists but moderate, educated and well-traveled Muslims.

I BEGAN to reflect on the society in which I had grown up.

Exposure to freedom and democracy will bring peace, stability and prosperity to the entire world. Our problem is that we think of slavery only in terms of physical labor, as opposed to the mental slavery that people suffer in so much of the Arab world.