"This book is not an indictment of Islam, one of the three beautiful religions which bloomed in this desert land. It is an indictment of those who took from Islam its most uncompromising tenets, forgetting the message of love that accompanies them. . . . I have chosen to write about Islamic extremism because it represents the most clear and present danger today. Islamic extremists like the Hizbollah and the organization of Osama bin Laden have the financial resources and the ability to obtain the most sophisticated of weaponry, a generation ago reserved for only the great powers of the world. Atomic, chemical, and biological warfare are three of the lightning bolts they can hurl at their enemies like modern incarnations of the Greek gods on Mount Olympus. It is for this reason that these groups must be studied and explored. . . . "September 11 reminded us that Islamic terrorists, like Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda group, in their desire to recreate a harsh Muslim world that never really existed have declared war on every American. In fact, they have declared war on everybody, Christian, Muslim, or Jew, who does not agree with their view of a fascistic, theologic utopia. In doing so, they have hijacked Islam, one of our great desert faiths, as surely as the bin Laden terrorists hijacked the four jetliners on that desperate Tuesday." -- from the Introduction