Recent Islamist terror attacks have ensured that the role of Islam in the West is debated more fiercely than ever before. There are people that feel threatened by Islam as a religion; others who feel that a true reading of the faith will inevitably draw people away from terrorism.

During his career, Howk served as an assistant and advisor to three General officers involved with the Afghanistan war. He assisted Karl Eikenberry when he served in Kabul leading the U.S. effort to build the new Afghan National Army and to orchestrate the U.S. and U.N. led Afghanistan Security Sector Reform program. He later assisted Stanley McChrystal while he was evaluating and developing the new Afghan War strategy. Finally, Howk assisted Sir Graeme Lamb as he partnered with the Afghan government to develop an internationally supported Afghanistan Peace and Reconciliation process. In all these positions and in many others, Howk worked directly with Muslim colleagues from Middle Eastern and South Asian nations and dozens of military and diplomatic officers from the international community.

Major (ret.) Jason Criss Howk, a student of Islam, aims to bridge gaps in understanding of Islam. Attempting to neither spread the religion nor denigrate it, Howk will lead a discussion about what he learned while translating the Koran into Modern English. He will aim to demonstrate what is and is not in the Koran and how those who adhere to it may be expected to act. He will also discuss the faith as well as the political ideology of Islamism. Howk will analyze different strands of the Islamist movement. He will discuss the ideology that animates terrorist groups, how they recruit, and how they sustain their numbers.