Presumed Guilty : Why We Shouldn't Ask Muslims to Condemn Terrorism

All of us should condemn terrorism--whether the perpetrators are Muslim extremists, white supremacists, Marxist revolutionaries, or our own government. But it's time for us to stop asking Muslims to condemn terrorism under the assumption they are guilty of harboring terrorist sympathies or promoting violence until they prove otherwise. Renowned expert on Islamophobia Todd Green shows us how this line of questioning is riddled with false assumptions that say much more about "us" than "them."

Green offers three compelling reasons why we should stop asking Muslims to condemn terrorism:
1) The question wrongly assumes Islam is the driving force behind terrorism
2) The question ignores the many ways Muslims already condemn terrorism.
3) The question diverts attention from unjust Western violence.

This book is an invitation for self-examination when it comes to the questions we ask of Muslims and ourselves about violence. It will open the door to asking better questions of our Muslim neighbors, questions based not on the presumption of guilt but on the promise of friendship.

Todd H. Green teaches religious studies at Luther College and is an internationally recognized expert in Islamophobia. He served as a US State Department adviser on Islamophobia in both the Obama and Trump administrations and is a sought-after speaker, giving lectures on college campuses as well as to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Green's work has been featured in the Huffington Post, and his expertise has been cited by organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for American Progress, the NAACP, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. He has been interviewed by a variety of media outlets, including CNN, NPR, and Al Jazeera. He is the author of The Fear of Islam.