Despite persistent misconceptions that Islamic nations are inherently against progress, Christopher de Bellaigue argues that the Middle Eastern heartlands have long welcomed modern ideals and practices, including the adoption of Western medicine, the emergence of women from seclusion, and the development of democracy. Structuring this history around Istanbul, Cairo, and Tehran, de Bellaigue directly challenges the oversimplified view of the Muslim world through the stories of philosophers, anti-clerics, journalists, and feminists who opened up their societies to political and intellectual emancipation. With trenchant political and historical insight, de Bellaigue further shows how the violence of a small minority is in fact the tragic blowback from these modernizing processes.