The Rev. David von Schlichten is a graduate (1997) of this seminary and pastor of St. James Lutheran Church, Youngstown, Pennsylvania.

He authored "Kiyoshi 'Uncle John' Watanabe: Brace Samaritan Smuggling" in Witness at the Crossroads, a 2001 collection of biographical sketches of those who took up a leading role in public life from the Gettysburg Seminary.

Silent No More: Confronting America’s False Images of Islam
by Paul Findley, Amana Publications, 2001, 324 pp.

Reviewed by David von Schlichten

            When I received in the mail a review copy of former congressperson Paul Findley’s Silent No More: Confronting America’s False Images of Islam, I thought it would prove engaging and enlightening. At the same time, I thought, “Of course, the vast majority of us understand that Islam is not inherently violent.” After all, I had heard repeatedly on TV and among my parishioners that we all agreed that 9/11 was the result, not of Islam or of Muslims in general, but of extremists who had perverted the faith. Therefore, I figured that Findley’s book would be a helpful supplement to the already enlightened view of Islam that almost all of us have.

            How naïve I can be. A couple months ago, I drove past a church marquee that read, “To Really Remember 9/11, You Must Remember That Islam Is The Enemy.” Since then, two parishioners have told me that they see Muslims in general as The Enemy. As a result, I realize that books such as Paul Findley’s are not merely supplemental. They are essential.

            Findley begins Silent No More by explaining that the book arose from his own evolution to greater understanding and respect with regard to Islam. He then examines with insightful depth facets of Islam and how people often misrepresent the religion and its followers. Findley clearly wants to present a positive defense of Islam (one review on the Internet argued that the defense is too positive). He mentions quite a few celebrities and other notable Americans who are Muslim or supporters of Islam, even going so far as to include photos of some of them on the book’s cover. Providing photos of Muslims helps readers to see these people as full human beings instead of thinking of them as heartless, inhuman followers of a religion that commands the annihilation of the infidel.

            With thoughtfulness and perspicacity, Findley explains key Muslim concepts. For instance, while acknowledging the presence of sexism in the Muslim world, he teaches that Islam proclaims and ideal of equality between the sexes. Further, some of the barbaric practices in the Muslim world against women, such as honor killings, are found among followers of other religions and are not practiced by all Muslims. Likewise, regarding the horrible practice of female circumcision, which people often associate with Islam, Findley teaches that the Koran does not require this practice and that many non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians, are also guilty of performing it. With careful clarity, Findley comprehensively presents to American readers a more sophisticated and nuanced portrait of Islam and Muslims.

            Especially fascinating and revealing is Findley’s explanation of how politicians in Washington have clung to and helped to sustain negative Muslim stereotypes. The media, also, have helped to perpetuate such stereotypes. One example of this trend is particularly intriguing. Findley recalls a documentary from the late 1990s that showed Osama bin Laden denouncing America with fiery language and calling for Muslims to kill all Americans. What the producers of the documentary omitted were segments in which bin Laden listed his grievances against America. Granted, bin Laden’s call for people to kill Americans was inexcusable, but the omission of his grievances against America made him seem all the more maniacal by making his anger appear baseless. Findley goes on to note that the American government has a pro-Israeli bias and that organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas are often depicted as being primarily terrorist organizations when actually they are multi-faceted.

            Another compelling point in the book is Findley’s argument that there is a high degree of compatibility between the U.S. governmental structure, based on the Constitution,  and the governmental ideal that the Koran puts forth. For example, both the Koran and the Constitution require the people to choose their leaders, and both require that those leaders recognize the equality of all people before God and the law.

            While defending Muslims, Findley also criticizes them for not speaking out against the stereotyping and unjust treatment of their religion. He calls for Muslims to protest when extremists speak as if they represent all Muslims, or when the U.S. government and media reinforce negative Muslim stereotypes.

            The book concludes with a couple helpful appendices, including a short summary of the essentials of Islam and how it is similar to Christianity and Judaism.

            A bit of irony haunts Silent No More. The book was first published in 2001 but before September 11. Findley states in the book that he thinks it is unlikely that there will be any major threats to U.S. security in the near future (p.81). Some might regard Findley’s incorrect assessment as evidence that the book’s premise is lethally flawed. Findley, one of my anti-Muslim parishioners could contend, is misinformed and naïve when it comes to the world’s second largest religion. Actually, however, Findley’s error simply reinforces one of the book’s main points: Muslims are human beings. They are not demons. They are not angels. They are people. Like all people, including Christians and Jews, there are some who do evil, and there are many who strive to serve God and one another with love and peace.