Thank you to NetGalley and Common Word Publishing for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

I'm not going to give this title a rating for many of the same reasons I generally do not rate memoirs, it doesn't seem right or fair (to me) to rate someone's experience. And this title falls into that opinion I hold. With that caveat, here's what I personally think about this title. (**Because NetGalley requires a star rating for reviews I have attached a one-star rating to this title for the purposes of providing feedback**)

It was very informative and interesting to read. But it was very...predictable. By that I mean, of course, the way Rashed, a very enthusiastic and pious Muslim, interacted with the people he was very affirming and positive about the Muslim faith. And he was 100% sincere but in his piousness, he chooses to gloss over the realities of what his chosen faith has perpetrated in the world. Just as pious evangelicals choose to gloss over the realities of what their chosen faith has perpetrated in the world. Or any pious person in their chosen religion.

With many of the interactions, Rashed relays the same exact - literally - information. I imagine he has a document he copies and pastes from. So I wish those repeat interactions would have been limited to just one with a footnote that many people who contact him get that initial communication and he would have included a better variety of interactions. Unless, of course, that's what most of them are. In that case, the book could have been a pamphlet and he didn't sign a pamphlet deal, he signed a book deal.

Rashed is sincere and wants to bring an understanding of the Muslim faith to the masses, so to speak. But his choice to gloss over realities, condemn lifestyles that aren't considered traditional in his faith, and insistence that every single person is a Muslim because of how the translation works out (which I call BS) is annoying. Quoting large portions of the Qur'an as "proof" doesn't actually prove anything. I should know, I am a former evangelical who used to quote large portions of the Holy Bible as "proof" when in actuality that didn't prove anything...except how pious I was.

Ahmed Lafty Rashed’s willingness to share a range of dialogues that he’s had, ranging from the polite to the heated, is greatly appreciated. I feel like I was able to learn far more about the Isalmic faith than I would have from any standard FAQ on the topic. This is an excellent resource for anyone looking to better understand the Islamic faith, and most definitely a book I want to have readily available in the academic library that I work (and of course it’s an equally excellent addition to any public library as well).

This book answers many of the common questions that many people have about Islam to give the reader a better understanding about the Muslim religion. This book gives the reader a better understanding of Islam and dispels many of the stereotypes that many people have against Muslims especially in this day and age when you have those who are prejudiced against Muslims. I would recommend this book for anyone who is looking to get a better understanding of Islam.

Very informative. I would suggest anyone who is completely or moderately unaware of how to relate to and correctly interact with Muslims.

Loved this book! The format is new and innovative, and the content is very informative. Instead of a question/answer straight out format, it's a series of written conversations between two people. It doesn't read as contrived or scripted and gave me new insight into the Muslim faith.

I thought this book would give a good overview of the Muslim faith and I liked the way the description said the book was laid out and organized.. While the description is accurate in the way the book is organized the book isn't accurate in the information.
Throughout the book the author makes comparisons between Christian Bible and the Koran, Christianity and the Muslim faith. The problem is that the statements made about the Christian Bible are inaccurate and not factual. For example, the author posits that the Qur'an is more reliable than the bible because it's language has not changed since the time of Muhammad whereas the bible has changed in language, substance and meaning. The fact is that the language of the bible has changed in order to keep the substance and meaning accurate. Language changes over time .and meanings of words change. Therefore the language, or words used, need to change in order to keep the original meaning and substance accurate. For example, the word "gay" used to mean "happy" Over time it's meaning has changed for mean "homosexual" . Language evolves and to keep the message accurate the language within whatever document you're reading needs to be updated.
If the author is going to draw comparisons between different religions, then the information he relays about the other religions needs to be accurate and factual.

I loved that What Would A Muslim Say? Is a collection of actual emails between a muslim and those who are not and are enquiring about Islam. This is a wonderful book for our world today. I believe this book is very pertenant for our world today. I think everyone who wants to know about the real islam shoumd read this book.

A must read for anyone who wants to know what Islam is really about and wants answers to the tough questions being asked today, with topics from terrorism to homosexuality. Ahmed Rashed patiently answers and explains each question in an informative and easy to understand manner, with relevant and on point sources from the Qu'ran and hadith. I look forward to reading more from this author.

While I found "What Would a Muslim Say" to be good at answering basic questions non-Muslims are thinking and asking, I feel the format of the book was a bit difficult to follow. This is also not a book for you if you are interested in learning more about Islam and the Muslim faith in more than a generalized and pieced manner.

I was interested to read this book because many of the issues discussed are questions that come up regularly when investigating the truth claims of Islam. I was disappointed that the answers were circular and did not lead to any real solid factual truth.

There are some useful perspectives and information here that would benefit folks of all faiths, including muslims. As an atheist, I respected the straightforward and informational way in which the author represented the teachings of his religion without passing judgment on those who don't share his beliefs.

The writing, however, was pretty weak. It would be better received in a lecture or other verbal format, rather than written. I found a lot of repetition and just poor quality writing overall, which is why it is hard for me to recommend as a book. But the content and message are great.

What Would a Muslim Say is a much needed text in today's irrational and xenophobic political climate. Rashed makes very thoughtful observations and speaks intuitively on many pressing issues people of the Muslim faith must deal with daily.

This is a difficult book to review, as I wish to be respectful toward a religion and those who have faith in it, while at the same time offer a review of my thoughts concerning what I read. I find I have many of the same questions/reservations I had previous to reading the book.

My background: I have a Christian upbringing and have read both the Bible and the Quran in their entirety. I currently am not a practicing Christian, and feel I have taken the best principles of all religions and use them to guide my life. I offer this information because I do not have a religious stake, nor feel the need to protect another religion from the author and the teachings in his book.

Before I requested this book from NetGalley, I went to Amazon and “peeked” inside. Amazon allowed me to read the first set of emails between author Ahmed Rashed and the conversation with Dustin. I then understood that this was not a regular book of chapters with each containing a specific set of teachings, nor was it a group of lectures. Mr. Rashed employs copies of his email conversations to teach the reader. I was impressed with the first conversation, and based my request to NetGalley upon it. Mr. Rashed appeared very knowledgable about Islam.

Once I began reading the rest of the book, I understood exactly how the WHY ISLAM organization works (at least, in the email part). I began noting that exact paragraphs of responses were repeated throughout the book, and I recognized the technique used by telemarketers. If the customer says this, use response number one. If he says something else, use response two, and so on. Because many people searching for knowledge of Islam ask similar questions, readers will see the exact answers repeatedly. I recognize the wisdom in such an approach – everyone who asks gets the same response no matter which agent they talk to, and more important, the potential for someone to refer to a passage not consistent with the message WHY ISLAM wishes to portray is eliminated.

Having read the Quran, there are many passages that are not talked about in this book. I am not saying this is wrong, as any author wishes to support the points he is trying to make. My point is that anyone reading this book will only receive one viewpoint, and if you are searching for a well-rounded view, you won’t find it here. What you will find are harmonious discussions that will give you an idea of the differences between Islam and some of the other religions, as well as the basic tenets of Islam. Like any person with a strong religious faith, Mr. Rashed presents only the information that supports his points, and the veracity of passages in the Quran trump whatever may be in the Bible. Again, I am not arguing for either religion, just pointing out what is in the book.

Bottom line: If you’ve read the Quran, this may not be the book for you to read next. If this is the first book you read about Islam, it is a one-sided argument and you may wish to investigate the other side before making up your mind. Thorough investigation before adopting any religion is sound advice. That said, I did gain the advantage of another person’s viewpoints, so you could say I did find some value in the book. The information, though basic, is presented well and in an understandable format. Four stars.

I did my review 9th Amazin. Only thing I did not like was the links, in my Kindle edition at kest, did not open Amazon or Goodreads to make it easier to do the review on both sitws... my review can be found under KIMBERLY-AISHA HASHMI