In a 169 page thesis named “How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror,” upcoming populist thinker Reza Aslan has aimed to do away with the myth that some Americans believe about Isamo-fascism and jihad. He says, “There has been much confusion over the meaning and application of the word ‘Jihadism,’ especially because it is so often misappropriated either by opportunistic politicians who place all of America’s adversaries into a single category or by careless media that too often pander to the fears of an unknowledgeable public. Muslims in particular are annoyed by the term, arguing (correctly) that the concept of jihad, as utilized by al-Qa’ida and like-minded militants, is a base and corrupt rendering of a centuries-old doctrine that, in any case, was never one of Islam’s principal tenets.”

Alan also tries to make the obvious statement that not every Muslim is a terrorist by quoting the Quran and stating, “al-Qa’ida is not an army, and bin Laden is certainly no commander in chief; he is not even its chief ideologue.” According to Aslan the issue is not whether Islam can find a place in modern America but the fact that many Americans wrongly believe that Islam is not compatible with the democratic thinking that America practises. He criticizes how Islam was castigated after 9/11 and says that the George W. Bush was to blame for using terms like “axis of evil” and for allowing Christianity to affect how things were perceived. He says, “So while America’s military battles may be in countries such as Afghanistan or Iraq, the cosmic war is taking place in the heavens, and God, whom Jerry Falwell profoundly declared to be ‘prowar,’ is engaged on behalf of America against her enemies. … This was clearly the message sent by Bush, perhaps the most forcefully religious American president in history.”

The question remains how many Americans wil be convinced by this new thesis.