The entire foreign policy and much of the domestic policy of the United States and other Western governments is based on the proposition that the vast majority of Muslims are moderate and peaceful including those who are emigrating in large numbers to Europe and North America. But as Islamist groups and many mosques radicalize peaceful Muslims and appeal to the teachings of the Koran Hadith and Sunnah it is imperative for moderates and reformists to articulate a vision of Islam and an exegesis of Islamic texts that can withstand the challenge of Islamists and the ulema who have declared the sanctity and immutability of the text. Instead they must reestablish a firm foundation of Islam that is modernized genuinely peaceful tolerant pluralistic and compatible with secular governance the freedom of speech human rights and equality.The Challenge of Modernizing Islam is the first major effort to provide that foundation.