Books

Finalist, Religion News Association Award for Religion Reporting Excellence.

Donald Trump's weaponization of Islamophobia in his first campaign for U.S. president shocked the world. Yet his promise to end the Gaza war rallied many American Muslims to his side in the 2024 election. In this new paperback edition, which includes the Gaza War, acclaimed journalist Lawrence Pintak argues that Trump is a symptom of America's fractious and contradictory relationship with Islam that stretches back centuries.

Featuring unique interviews with victims and perpetrators of Trump's policies, as well as analysis of the media's role in inflaming debate, America & Islam provides a complete guide to the twin challenges of terrorism and the polarizing rhetoric that fuels it, sketching out a future based on co-operation and the reassertion of democratic values.Donald Trump’s presidency shocked the world. His attitudes toward Muslims became a key point of contention on the campaign trail, and proved to be a harbinger of his broader war of divisiveness and discord. Here, acclaimed journalist Lawrence Pintak scrutinizes America’s relationship with Islam since its foundation. Casting Donald Trump as a symptom of centuries of misunderstanding of Muslims and demonization of the Islamic world, as well as a cause of future tensions, Pintak shows how and why America’s relationship with the world’s largest religion has been so fractious, damaging and self-defeating.

Featuring unique interviews with victims and perpetrators of American policy, as well as analysis of the media’s role in inflaming debate, America & Islam seeks to provide a complete guide to the twin challenges of terrorism and the polarizing rhetoric that fuels it, and sketches out a future based on co-operation and the reassertion of democratic values.