Dangerous Narratives

Once hailed as a beacon of civilization, the Muslim world has become somewhat of a bête noire to the rest of humanity. We now rank near the bottom in just about every human development index that matters. This begs the question: How did this precipitous fall from grace take place? How did the inventors of the astrolabe and arithmetic, who were once lauded for building universities and observatories, fall so far that their ingenuity is now spent on jerry-rigging explosive devices from helium inflated condoms and on throwing multimillion-dollar beauty pageants for camels and goats? More importantly, what is stopping Muslims from getting their act together and pulling their societies back to the forefront of human achievement? Dangerous Narratives seeks to answer these questions and explain what led the Muslim community to where it is today. It posits that the troubles facing the Muslim world are at their core neither religious nor economic, but cultural. In particular, they stem from a distinct set of warped cultural scripts and worldviews-dangerous narratives-that are anathema to development and progress. Follow author Muhanad Halvani's quest to present an inside look into these harmful beliefs, and gain a richer understanding of the state of current affairs in one of the most volatile regions on the planet.