New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, religion scholar and former nun Karen Armstrong, the religious leader of the Islamic Center of America in Detroit, Iman Sayed Hassan Qazwini and American Muslim Asma Gull Hasan on this edition of Fresh Air. Thomas Friedman covered the Middle East for many years, work that won him two Pulitzer Prizes. He's also the author of the book, From Beirut to Jerusalem. The book looked at the inside of Arab and Israeli power circles, and examined the intifada and the perceptions American and Israeli Jews have of each other. Karen Armstong's the author of many books, including, A History of God, an examination of the fundamentalist movement in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths and Islam: A Short History. She's also the author of the best sellers Jerusalem, and The History of God. Imam Sayed Hassan Qazwini is the religious leader of the Islamic Center of America in Detroit, the biggest such center in the United States. It includes a Mosque in which he preaches. American Muslim Asma Gull Hasan's the author of the book, now in paperback, American Muslims: The New Generation. Asma was born in Chicago and is the daughter of Pakistani immigrants. (Broadcast Date: September 19, 2001)