Mrs. Lane's work is admittedly full of errors, which is why she withdrew the publication of the book.  However, the point of Dr. Ahmad's collaboration in this work is to correct the errors of Mrs. Lane, giving a more accurate historical and Qur'anic basis for us to understand what Dr. Ahmad believes Mrs. Lane to have meant.

When this book was chosen by the Freedom Book Club (September 2011), Koran burnings had been scheduled by intolerant Christian clerics, and many Americans were upset that plans were proceeding to build a Muslim community center two blocks from where the World Trade Center in New York once stood.  This lead some to call for adherents to the Muslim religion be forced to register in a government database.

Dr. Ahmad states in his introduction: "There is a great need to draw people's attention to the positive role that Islam has played in the establishment of human rights, especially of individual conscience."  "Mrs. Lane had a profound historical insight: she devoted a chapter [of  “The Discovery of Freedom: Man's Struggle Against Authority”] to giving due credit to Islam for its role in the discovery of freedom."  Dr. Ahmad uses Mrs. Lane's rhetoric as the take-ff pint for an ccurate historical commentary and cites pertinent Qur'an and hadith passages in the hop that the result may help to prevent yet another round of crusades between Muslim and Western worlds."

I found it particularly interesting to learn that there is not set hierarchy within the religion.  The ideas presented by various speakers attract various levels of interest and adherents.  The history of the origins of Islamic universities is also fascinating, as they developed around the mosques as bazaars of knowledge.  

The book details how the Prophet Muhammad received revelation from God, and how that knowledge spread through Muhammad's ministry. How empirical science was used by Islamic people to understand the world around them so that they the available materials are better able to be used to benefit mankind.  These ideas spread throughout the world, influencing the "have not" societies of Europe so as to seek the bounties of the east by sailing west (strange I know).

When the Christian Kings of Europe aggressed against the free enclaves of Saracen societies throughout Europe, a tremendous brain drain ensued, where the most self reliant people in Europe fled to the American continents to escape the inquisition.

There are many points made in this book which I feel are excellent.  I enjoyed learning about a topic that I know very little about.  I look forward to the time when I can devote more effort to this realm of inquiry.  I recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in freedom and Islam.  While the subject is not exhaustively explored, it remains very accessible, providing much food for thought.