I Am The Other: Debating the Role of Islam in a Divided America

Can two people with profoundly different beliefs ask each other the hardest questions—and still stand together?

In a time of growing fear, polarization, religious prejudice, and political division, I Am the Other offers something increasingly rare: an honest conversation across one of society's most difficult divides.

Imam Azhar Subedar, an Islamic scholar and religious leader, and Robert Gary, a secular Jew and former federal prosecutor, come from vastly different worlds. One is a man of deep religious faith. The other approaches religion with skepticism. Yet instead of retreating into their differences, they confront them.

Together, they tackle difficult and often controversial questions about:

Islam and the misconceptions surrounding Muslims

Shariah and what it actually means

Islamic extremism and the misuse of religion

Islamophobia, antisemitism, and religious prejudice

Democracy, freedom, and the rule of law

Muslim-Jewish relations and the roots of distrust

Terrorism, fear, and the danger of defining entire communities by extremists

Whether people with fundamentally different beliefs can truly coexist

Robert asks the questions many non-Muslims may be thinking but are reluctant to ask. Imam Azhar answers from the perspective of an Islamic scholar committed to explaining Islam as he understands and practices it—without allowing either extremists or Islamophobes to define the faith.

The result is not a debate in which one side is expected to defeat the other. It is a search for understanding.

I Am the Other does not ask readers to abandon their beliefs or pretend that important differences do not exist. Instead, it asks a more challenging question:

Can we understand someone without becoming them—and can we live alongside one another without fear?

For non-Muslims, this book offers an opportunity to examine Islam, Muslims, and Shariah beyond headlines, stereotypes, and fear. For Muslims, it provides insight into the questions, concerns, and distrust that many encounter in the West—and an opportunity to address those concerns openly rather than defensively. And for anyone concerned about the growing divisions shaping our communities, it offers a powerful reminder that extremism thrives when people stop seeing one another as individuals.

We are all someone's “other.” The question is whether we will allow fear to define us—or choose the harder path of understanding.

If you are interested in Islam, Shariah, interfaith dialogue, religious tolerance, Muslim-Jewish relations, Islamophobia, extremism, democracy, or the challenge of living together in a divided society, I Am the Other invites you into a timely, provocative, and necessary conversation.

You do not have to agree with the other to understand them. But understanding may be where coexistence begins.

Imam Azhar Subedar:

Imam Azhar Subedar is an Islamic leader and scholar born and raised in Canada. He completed a transformative decade of Islamic studies in the United Kingdom, earning a Master's in Islamic Sciences and Arabic Literature. Imam Subedar addresses contemporary social issues through the lens of the Quran. Since 2002, he has been a driving force within U.S. Muslim communities, serving as an advocate, strategist for Islamic organizations, and a respected spiritual leader.

His commitment to empowering individuals and fostering community growth was shaped by September 11, 2001. On that day, while traveling by bus from Pakistan to New Delhi, India, he learned how the world had changed shortly after arriving. The troubling signs he experienced on his journey foreshadowed the challenges that would follow from that moment on; his life as a Muslim and as an Imam was forever altered. He made it his mission to combat the Islamophobia that arose in the aftermath of 9/11 and to dispel the collective guilt unfairly assigned to all Muslims due to the actions of extremists who misuse the name of Islam.

Imam Subedar recognizes that, in addition to his spiritual responsibilities to his congregations and community, he must educate both Muslims and non-Muslims about the often misunderstood verses in the Quran, including those regarding jihad. He has been acknowledged for his contributions within his community and beyond, receiving recognition from politicians across the political spectrum, including Republicans and Democrats. He served on President George W. Bush's White House Faith-Based and Community Initiative Committee and was the first Muslim to deliver the opening prayer at the Florida Senate. Additionally, he offered the prayer at President Biden's Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service.

Imam Subedar has become an integral part of the fabric of both Islam and America, offering counsel during the tragedy of the Pulse nightclub shooting and attending the funeral of Muhammad Ali. In various ways, he continues to work towards building bridges and fostering understanding in the community.

Robert Gary:

Robert Gary has an extensive background in criminal justice. He has an LLM in Criminal Justice from the NYU School of Law. He served as a prosecutor in the Organized Section of the United States Justice Department, Acting Chief of the Cleveland Organized Crime Strike Force, Special Assistant United States Attorney, Director of the Ohio Organized Crime Council, and Special Assistant to the Governor of Ohio for criminal justice, as well as assistant county prosecutor. As a private attorney, he was appointed by a U.S. District Court judge to represent Muslims in federal prisons in 1995. He utilizes his prosecutorial expertise to engage with his co-author, Imam Subedar, and, more importantly, to explore the text of the Quran. His family was directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001. His eldest daughter, an attorney, worked in an office near the World Trade Center and was engulfed by dust and debris when the building collapsed. His youngest daughter served as the Communications Manager of the American Red Cross for the September 11th Recovery Program, and she was present at Ground Zero shortly after the attacks. Robert Gary wrote articles for the Lorain Journal discussing the intifada and the 9/11 attacks. His daughter and his press credentials granted him early access to the still-smoldering World Trade Center site. These experiences fueled his motivation to learn more about Islam and the underlying rage that prompted the attacks on U.S. soil. To further his understanding of Muslims and Islam, he has traveled extensively in the Muslim world, visiting countries such as Iran, Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey, Jordan, and the UAE. During these travels, he met with English-speaking clerics or imams to enhance his knowledge of Islam. He has lectured on the geopolitics of Islam and world terrorism. He has taught classes on the Quran and Islam at the Osher Institute for Lifelong Learning and the Longboat Key Education Center, some of which were conducted in partnership with Imam Subedar. Additionally, he has lectured on Islam globally as a speaker for Crystal Cruise Line. The unique relationship forged between Imam Subedar and Robert Gary-a Muslim and a Jew-has endured through more than five years of co-authoring "I Am The Other," the conflict in Gaza, and the deep divisions created by the shift to the right in American politics.