No one can deny that Islam is very much in the spotlight today. In spite of extremely negative portrayals by Western media (or perhaps because of them), increasing numbers of people are seeking to find out more about it. And more often than not, they are being pleasantly surprised by the fruits of their research. In fact, more people are embracing Islam today than they did prior to September 11, 2001.

However, there does remain a great deal of misconception and misunderstanding on the subject, frequently fuelled by political policies which deem it in their interest to support Islam's enemies. In addition, Muslims themselves, at first shocked and confused by the events of recent years, did not really know how to respond to the challenge. Now they have been rudely awakened to the urgency of refuting the many false claims and accusations being spread against their way of life and of defending the truth, and accordingly, the rights and honour of Muslims everywhere on earth.

Islam is the religion and way of life of about one-fifth of the world's population. Muslims are of diverse nationalities, cultures and races, but their religion teaches that all men are essentially equal and that no distinction should be made between them on the basis of such superficial differences as colour, class status or personal beliefs as long as they remain peaceful and law-abiding citizens. The behaviour of certain misguided groups or individuals outside the fold of mainstream Islam cannot be attributed to the religion any more than violence in North Ireland or mafia activities can be attributed to Christianity.