Snap Judgment: Books.(The War for Muslim Minds)(Essay on Lucidity)(Lilla's Feast)(Brief Article)(Book Review)

Byline: Michael Meyer, Jenny Barchfield, Ginanne Brownell

The War for Muslim Minds by Gilles Kepel

For radical jihadists, the "triumph" of 9/11 was not the downing of New York's Twin Towers but its ability to attract sympathizers to their cause. America's response has thus played into their hands, feeding rage among Muslims everywhere. To win, writes Kepel, one of Europe's foremost experts on Islam, the United States must wage a war not of arms but of the mind. In this, its chief allies are Europe--and moderate Muslims themselves.

--Michael Meyer

Essay on Lucidity by Jose Saramago (in Portuguese)

What would happen if voters, disillusioned with the democratic process, began casting blank ballots? This is the premise of the Portuguese Nobel laureate's new novel. "It's a bad day for voting," the story begins. Indeed; more than 80 percent of the electorate in Saramago's fictitious country leave their ballots blank. The government responds by annulling ...