Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Lllusion of an Islamic State

In "Chasing a Mirage," Tarek Fatah Writes: Islamists argue that the period following the passing away of Muhammad was Islam's golden era and that we Muslims need to re-create that caliphate to emulate that political system in today's world. I wish to demonstrate that when Muslims buried the Prophet, they also buried with him many of the universal values of Islam that he had preached. The history of Islam can be described essentially as the history of an unending power struggle, where men have killed each other to claim the mantle of Muhammad. This strife is a painful story that started within hours of the Prophet closing his eyes forever, and needs to be told. I firmly believe the message of the Quran is strong enough to withstand the facts of history. It is my conviction that Muslims are mature and secure in their identities to face the truth. This is that story.Advance Praise for "Chasing a Mirage" "Tarek Fatah has written a provocative and challenging book which is a must read for anyone who cares about these issues." --Janice Gross Stein ""Chasing a Mirage" is an extremely valuable contributing to the fight by progressive Muslims against Islamist fascism. This book should be required reading for the Left in the West who have mistakenly started believing that Islamists represent some sort of anti-imperialism." --Farooq Tariq "Fatah argues passionatley for universalism instead of exclusivism, integration instead of ghettoism, and makes a powerful appeal for the silent majority of Muslims to speak out before it is too late. This work of courage and daring needs to be read widely." -- Pervez Hoodbhoy "This fascinating work by brave and bri8lliant tarek Fatah is simultaneously thought-provoking, instructive and enlightening for laymen and scholars, Muslims and non-Muslim...an invaluable and rare addition to the corpus of Islamic literature in the post-9/11 world, a bold step towards Islamic Reformation and Enlightenment." --Taj Hashmi "Tarek Fatah's is a voice that needs to be heard. Canada needs a healthy, reasoned debate about the issues he is raising, and indeed so does the world." --Bob Rae "This fascinating work by brae and brilliant Tarek Fatah is simultaneously thought-provoking, instructive and enlightening for laymen and scholars, Muslim and non-Muslim... an invaluable and rare addition to the corpus of Islamic literature in the post-9/11 world, a bold step towards Islamic Reformation and Enlightenment." --Taj Hashmi "Tarek Fatah's is a voice that needs to be heard. Canada needs a healthy, reasoned debate about the issues he is raising, and indeed so does the world." --Bob Rae, Member of Parliament, Canada

About the Author :
Tarek Fatah is host of the weekly TV show, the Muslim Chronicle, and a frequent contributor to the "Toronto Star," the "Globe and Mail, " and the "National Post." A lifelong critic of Islamic extremism, Fatah has earned the ire of Islamists. For his work and perseverance as a writer and broadcaster, despite numerous death threats and intimidation, the National Press Club of Canada awarded Fatah the 2007 Press Freedom Award. Earlier, "Macleans" magazine named Fatah as one of 50 people it described as "Canada's most well known and respected personalities." In 2002, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for his work in the community.Born in Pakistan, Fatah was a left-wing student leader in the late 1960s, during which time he was twice imprisoned by successive military dictatorships. He started his career in journalism with the now defunct Karachi newspaper, the "SUN, " before moving to the Pakistan television network PTV where he won a number of awards for his work as a pioneering investigative reporter. After yet another coup in 1977, Fatah moved to Saudi Arabia where he worked for 10 years in the advertising industry while observing up-close the working of Wahabbi Islam and its global agenda, before migrating to Canada in 1987. In the aftermath of 9/11, Fatah founded the Muslim Canadian Congress, a secular Muslim organization dedicated to the separation of religion and state, opposition to Islamic extremism, and an end to what it describes as "gender apartheid" that is practised in many parts of the Muslim community. Tarek Fatah lives in Cabbagetown, Toronto with Nargis Tapal, his wife of 33 years, and their two daughters Natasha and Nazia.

Review :
"I think this book is a positive contribution to the discussion about contemporary Islam and certainly a valuable addition to the voices that are critically looking at Islam's right-wing. . . . I don't think there is any other public intellectual in the North American arena -- Muslim or other -- who could have written this book." ("HuffingtonPost.com", April 15th, 2008)"."..a book worthy of attention...both for its contents and for the courage of its author."" (Haaretz, October 2008)