To the Best of Our Knowledge

By: Jim Fleming

Length: 52 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this hour, Ali A. Allawi is the author of The Crisis of Islamic Civilization. He talks to Steve Paulson.

Next, Tissa Hami is one of the world's few female Muslim stand-up comics. She talks with Jim Fleming abut how she went from a career on Wall Street to the comedy club circuit and what her Iranian mother (who's a dentist) thinks of it. And we hear bits from her act.

Then, Christopher Caldwell talks with Steve Paulson about the European discomfort with the rising tide of Muslim immigration. Devout Muslims pose particular challenges for the largely secular European societies as their native populations age and decline. Caldwell's book is Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam and the West.

After that, Senegalese pop star Youssou N'Dour is the top-selling African musician of all time. His album Egypt moved away from the raucous sounds of pop and was devoted to his faith. N'Dour is a devout Sufi Muslim. Film-maker Chai Vasarhelyi followed Youssou N'Dour and his band after the album came out and produced a documentary called I Bring What I Love. Anne Strainchamps talks with the film-maker and musician right after the film opened in New York. Egypt won a Grammy in 2005. We hear clips from Egypt and from the film.

And finally, Hollywood screenwriter Kamran Pasha has written a novel called Mother of Believers. It's the story of Muhammad's third wife, Aisha, whom he married when she was very young. Pasha tells Jim Fleming why he wanted to tell this story in novel form, despite the potential controversy. And we hear him read a passage from the book. [Broadcast Date: February 10, 2010]

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