review from Library Journal: In 1977, a multi-building hostage situation shut down the city of Washington DC for days. Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, leader of the Hanafi movement, engineered the takeovers to demand that the movie The Message be destroyed, and to bring attention to the lack of justice against the men from the Nation of Islam who gruesomely murdered several members of his family in 1973. Mufti (journalism, University of Richmond; Faithful Scribe) skillfully explains what led to the attack. The life story of Khalis, born Ernest Timothy McGhee in 1921 in Gary, Indiana, who converted to Sunni Islam after a discharge from the Army on the grounds of mental instability, and that of the Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad, gives insight into intradenominational differences in Islam in twentieth century America The story behind The Message, possibly the most expensive and elaborate film no one has heard of, is fascinating. The hostage siege is narrated in nail-biting detail from accounts of negotiators and hostages. Verdict: The recent attack on Salman Rushdie makes this book especially pertinent. Those interested in fundamentalism, Islam in America, Middle East politics, and film will especially appreciate this book.

Reading American Caliph is like the perfect mix of a hostage drama, a historical narrative and a study on religion that is both gripping and eye opening to any reader.

When reading Shahan Mufti’s book I was struck at just how cinematic his writing was with every page gripping me and keeping me reading until one page became twenty pages. The story of the 1977 Washington Siege is a fantastic story that blends in an understanding of politics and most importantly religion and the effect it can have on people or a nation.

I felt that I learned more about Islam and Muslim belief and it’s offshoots in America more than I could in another book as well as the history Muhammad has in pop culture and the ongoing battle surrounding it. The people, who are real, felt life like and didn’t seem like just an author crafting a true story but felt like someone who loved it or heavily researched it.

I adored American Caliph and hope to implement it into my curriculum when I begin teaching to allow students to better understand Islam and it’s history in America!