The True Face of Islam.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Islam may be one of the world's most important religions, but in the West, at least, it has an image problem. Hizbullah in Lebanon, Hamas in the West Bank, fundamentalist violence in Indonesia, the "mullocracy" of Iran, all are seen as representative of the rage that is Islam. That, in fact, was the main thrust of a Feb. 19 piece in NEWSWEEK on Osama bin Laden and the new wave of Islamic terrorist groups.

Yet these groups no more represent Islam than the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas, represented Christianity or the Aum Shinrikyo represented Japanese spirituality. Islam is a religion held dear by nearly a billion people, and it shouldn't surprise us that there are more than a handful of extremists. But on a recent trip to Egypt, I found little evidence of them. Yes, a few marginal cells of violent radicals still exist, despite the draconian efforts of Hosni Mubarak's secret police. But for tens of millions of Egyptians, Islam is an oasis of calm.

Egypt's population is fast approaching 70 million, and with a growth rate just under 2 percent annually, overpopulation is a very real problem. Cairo has one of the highest population densities on the planet, and the rest of Egypt's minimal amount of arable land is quickly becoming saturated with people and unchecked growth. The government subsidizes food and housing, which is a small blessing, but jobs are scarce, early mortality looms and the international economy seems to be passing Egypt by.

In this dreary context, Islam is a balm and a salve. The hour-and-a- half drive from Cairo to the industrial port city of Suez is dusty and ugly, festooned with debris and billboards. But it is at least broken up by the names of God lining the median. In Islam, God is said to have 99 names, which include "The Compassionate" and "The Merciful," and they are posted, every 100 yards, all the way from Cairo to Suez. My driver was quick to point this out, and we spent the better part of the ride listing the names and negotiating the fare. I had met him early that morning, and he had been 10 minutes late because of prayer, which he performed in the hotel's coat room with several of the bellhops.

I took a bus from Suez to the canal city of Ismailia. The bus was an old, creaky box stuffed full of people. But for the first half hour, there was a preternatural calm as everyone sat quietly and listened ...