Akbar Ahmed, author of Journey Into Islam The Crisis of Globalization

When one Professor and four American students set off on a journey through nine Islamic countries the results are catalytic. Through encounters with representatives of Islam's three major strands – Traditionalist, mystical and modernizing – the group grains a keen understanding of the currents swirling through the Islamic world today. Surprising findings include the disarray of the modernists and the interest some fundamentalists take in East-West dialogue. Author Akbar Ahmed explains.