Esposito PaperBy Amir K. HajekIslam and Politics, revised April 24, 2015Word Count: 1,659The turbulent world we live in today has countless imperfections. John Esposito, a professor at Georgetown University, asserts alternative and intriguing ideas about the future of Islam and its impending era of reform. The main problem is extremists and fanatics who use Islam to justify their terrorist actions. Furthermore, Western media has sullied the religion of Islam to the point that foreign relations between Muslims and the West have declined since the 1970s. As stated by Esposito in his book “The Future of Islam”, Islam had become the center of the media scene and of many news agencies; one witnessed “an explosion of interest and coverage of Islam.” Islam has since become a sensationalized topic and has also become the headlines of 21st century history. Esposito also states how this misconception of Islam has a controversial and important role in today's politics. Today's Muslim population of more than 1.5 billion people plays a vital role in today's global history and Western society. The main goal of this book by Esposito is to explain "how we got to where we are and what we need to understand and do to create... 'a new way forward'." Esposito also explains in his book how Islam has been “a source not only of compassion, morality and virtue, but also of terror, injustice and oppression”. His ideas can be considered both promising and controversial to say the least. The biggest and most promising ideas found in Esposito's book focus primarily on Islamic reform which is slowly accelerating towards drastic change. It can be seen that throughout history any form of religious reference... middle of paper... is a misinterpretation by extremists and terrorists. Although the Quran may contain controversial and sometimes refutable verses, it all depends on the audience and the preacher. “The future of Islam and Muslims is inextricably linked to all of humanity. Our entire future will depend on working together for good government, for freedom of religion, speech and assembly, and for economic and educational progress. Together we can contain and eliminate our hate preachers and terrorists who threaten the safety, security and prosperity of our families and societies.” Esposito's final comment on what we as humanity should do to save the future of Islam is almost unimaginable, but at the same time it is the only rational way to human prosperity and peace. Bibliography: Esposito, John L. The Future of Islam. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.