An interesting look at the American Muslim.

Salon.com recently wrote a review of Paul Barrett's
"American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion." I'm going to be picking up the book this week. I think it's important to realize that Muslims, particularly, American Muslims aren't the fanatical idiots we see on television.

A good friend of mine, M., is Muslim and she does, by choice, wear the veil. It's amazing to see how the world perceives her and this choice of hers, especially after 9/11. Would we make the same judgments about a woman who chooses to wear a mini-skirt? Who chooses to wear a cross around her neck? Who wears an African-style hat? But M. gets crap wherever she goes. Why is that, do you think?