"The Global Muslim Community at a Crossroads: Understanding Religious Beliefs, Practices, and Infighting to End the Conflict" is an illuminating work. Written by an eminent psychologist who was raised as a Muslim in India and now resides in the United States, it examines the core reasons for the current state of affairs in Muslim communities, explaining the psychological underpinnings of Muslim religion and practices and the reasons they can fuel violence.

Drawing on the editor's exposure to Eastern and Western cultures and his longstanding interest in the study of comparative world...