Author Garry Wills is photographed in his Evanston, Ill., home Friday, April 6, 2007

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Author Garry Wills is photographed in his Evanston, Ill., home Friday, April 6, 2007 / AP Photo

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Garry Wills has spent his career taking a close look at the Roman Catholic Church. But for all that thinking about religion, he had never read the Qur’an until recently. What he learned about Islam is the subject of his new book, “What the Qur’an Meant: And Why It Matters,” and this episode of “Two Way Street.” 

"I think Islam hates us.” That’s what then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told CNN’s Anderson Cooper in 2016 when asked if he thought Islam was at war with the West. But Wills says it’s important not to mistake Islamic terrorism for Islam itself. ISIS and other jihadist groups, he explains, are not indicative of the true nature of Islam. He debunks a number of misconceptions by discussing what the Qur’an actually has to say about holy wars and Sharia Law.

We also discuss Wills’ own relationship to God. As a Catholic, Wills prays the Rosary every day. He’s written an entire book on the Rosary and tells us the historical background and meaning of this ritual.