The tragedy of September 11, 2001, showed that even if some progress has been made, we have all - the Western and Islamic worlds together - failed the test. If we want to do better in the twenty-first Christian century, people in the West must learn to understand the Muslims with whom they share the planet.

They must learn to respect and appreciate their faith, needs, anger, and expectations. And there is no better way to begin this serious process than to understand precisely the life of the Prophet Muhammad, whose remarkable genius and wisdom can illuminate these dark and frightening times.