Ralph Peters

In the following viewpoint Ralph Peters argues that the future of Islam lies not within the oil-rich Arab states where Islam began, but in non-Arab countries in Asia and Africa that contain half the world’s Muslims. It is in such places as Turkey, Pakistan, India, and Indonesia, he argues, that an ongoing struggle exists between the fanatical and fundamentalist version of Islam promulgated by the Arab world and a more progressive and tolerant version of the faith. The United States, Peters argues, should actively encourage the development of respect for law and human rights in those nations. In addition, he contends that America should work to “roll back” militant Islam in places where it is threatening to expand. Peters, a retired American military officer, is a columnist and...