For most Americans, knowing about Islam was not exactly a high-priority before 9/11. But today, understanding the world’s second-largest religion is a matter of urgency. Although the newspapers and airwaves are filled with facts about Islam, the material is often confusing, biased and contradictory. However, it’s impossible to get a sense of Islam from reading random passages from the Qur’an. Although no one book can capture the totality of such a complex faith, Beliefnet has gathered some of the best recent writing from their site and created Know My Faith: The Beliefnet Guide to Islam. Know My Faith contains essays that explore all areas of the religion from the very basic Islamic beliefs to broader topics such as the meaning of violence in Islam; the role of women; Islam in America, and Islam and Christianity. Contributors include Karen Armstrong, best-selling author of A Brief History of Islam; Gasser Hathout, former chairman of Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles; Ingrid Mattson, vice president of the Islamic Society of North America, and Michael Wolfe, author of One Thousand Roads to Mecca.