Forefront Conversations with Sumbul Ali-Karamali

Media depictions would have you believe that Christianity and Islam are vastly more different than they are similar, that the Qur'an is an intolerant text, and that Islam is a violent religion. Sumbul Ali-Karamali vehemently disagrees. At first, her book, The Muslim Next Door: The Qur'an, the Media, and that Veil Thing, reads as a primer on the tenets and traditions of Islam, but the truth that exists in the context of its pages is that the rich and ancient religion is so much more similar to Christianity and Judaism than the media would lead you to believe. The book and interview cover a wide range of topics from how much regional culture has shaped Islam (why not every Muslim woman wears a hijab), what Islam thinks of Jesus (they like him a lot), and yes, even jihad (and no, it's not what you think). Interviewer: Jim Rohner ABOUT SUMBUL ALI-KARAMALI Sumbul is an author, speaker, and lawyer who has received degrees from Stanford University, the University of California at Davis, and the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. She has practiced corporate law, taught Islamic law, and been a research associate at the Centre of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law in London. She has been on multiple councils and committees aimed at promoting women’s rights and human rights from an Islamic perspective, has been turned away by CNN for not fitting their picture of a "secular Muslim," and is a devout supporter of the Oxford comma.