Good Muslim, Bad Muslim

Mahmood Mamdani talked about his book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror, published by Pantheon Books, about the way Muslims around the world have been characterized by Westerners since the mid-1970s. Professor Mamdani argued that scholars like Samuel Huntington and Bernard Lewis had mischaracterized Muslims by claiming that they were either all potential enemies (Huntington) or split between “good Muslims,” which the U.S. should support, and “bad Muslims,” which the U.S. should undermine (Lewis). He said that the U.S. was responsible for nurturing some of the most extreme Muslim groups during the Cold War, particularly in Afghanistan where the remnants of the U.S.-supported Mujahadeen eventually formed the Taliban government and filled the ranks of Al Qaeda. Professor Mamdani also talked about the U.S.-Israel relationship and answered questions from members of the audience. close