Rating: 
Summary: At last someone who can think straight- even about religion
Review: Finally a book that doesn't buy into using Christian constructs to explain Islam but instead tries to get inside the Muslim worldview. Spencer is obviously a careful student of relgion who whenever possible lets Muslim writers speak for themselves to illustrate the differences and, more disturbingly, the similarities between liberal and fundamenatlist Islam.
One of the better things about Islam Unveiled is that it breaks through the fog of liberal "hey ho! Western Culture has to go!" clap-trap to show that there are of course there are differences between Christian and Muslim values. Obviously, people who think the Bible and Koran are alike are ignorant of the actual contents of the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Gospels, and the Koran.
Anyone whose only exposure to Islam has been through politically correct authors owes it to himself to read this book!
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Summary: Should be required reading for every Westerner
Review: I feel the need to mention up front that I am a fairly conservative man on most issues. Ergo, although I have tried to keep my personal biases out of this review, realize that it would be very difficult for anything I do to not reflect my conservative leanings at all, so don't say I didn't warn you..._Islam Unveiled_ does what the politically correct media seems unwilling to do: give us the hard facts of Islam, explain the context a bit, and let the audience draw the conclusion. I was one of those people who read in my AP History textbook--in a Christian prep school, ironically--that "jihad" referred to a peaceful evangelism and that when the Muslims conquered the Byzantine Empire, they did not require conversion to Islam. Upon reading this book, I discovered that both points are technically true, but only in the theoretical, bare-bones sense. In the real world, they do not play out nearly as nice as they sound. Politicians and media outlets who proclaim that Islam is a religion of peace are simply feeding wishful thinking. Islam is hardly tolerant of other religions, as can be seen in the Qu'ranic proclamations that converts to Judaism or Christianity deserve to die (among other things.) What's more, nowadays, most Christianized areas are actually secular states which give full rights to people of other religions. Can this happen to Islamicized nations? Spencer doesn't see it happening any time soon. Spencer packs his book full of facts, and he criticizes, though gently, people who try to gloss over important details of Islam (including, among others, both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush). In America today, he says, it is somehow politically incorrect to criticize any religion other than Christianity. And this, he shows us, can definitely be seen in the media's much watered-down portrayal of Islam. As mentioned earlier, one of his greatest strengths is that he does not try to force the reader into a certain mindset. Granted, he wrote the book to persuade, but he does not try to coax his audience into taking up arms and launching a secularist/Jewish/Christian jihad against Islam. He simply lays out the score and concludes on the note that, at the very least, there is conflict ahead between the West and Islam, and that we need to be prepared for it. One other thing I should mention: Spencer is a devout Roman Catholic Christian, but he does not write his book with a tone of assumption that Christianity is true. (There are a couple of times where he drops in references to the "grace of the Almighty" intervening on behalf of the West, but they're almost so sparse that an atheist might have written them.) However, he does devote a great deal of space to comparing Islam to Christianity and Judaism. Some people will not like this, but it was definitely a wise move. As he says, political correctness in the West does not often take kindly to criticism of any religion other than Christianity. If he simply pointed out the vices of fundamentalist Muslims, politically correct types would undoubtedly spit back incidents of Christian abortion bombers or Israeli terrorists. Therefore, it was necessary for him to explain the difference between Judaic/Christian extremism and Islamic extremism (namely, that the former is in violation of Judaic/Christian teachings, whereas the latter is not so much in violation of Islamic teachings). I tend to be rather choosy when it comes to nonfiction books, and this is definitely a must-read.
Rating: 
Summary: Objective ... masked in analytical analysis
Review: Islam Unveiled at the surface seems like a very detailed analysis that presents contrarian views about Islam and Muslims.
Unfortunately there is nothing obejective in this book from start to finish.
De-contextualizing any faith no matter which one it is and going at it with a vegence cannot produce a good literary work, let alone something that can benefit the reader.[...]
Rating:
Summary: honest & thought provoking
Review: This is a deeply unsettling little volume, because it offers scant hope that the West can live at peace with Islam unless the religion changes radically, and even less hope that that is possible. Still, the questions Islam Unveiled poses and the answers it provides are hard to dismiss, and given the urgency of the times, necessary to ask. If Spencer is right, the West faces a primitive, violent, and fiercely chauvinistic religion whose followers, to the extent that they are pious adherents to its teachings, cannot be reasoned with, only resisted. Islam is at its core inimical to democracy and human rights as we in the West understand them. To expect Muslims to drop their belligerence toward the West, which has existed since Islam's founding in the 7th century, is to expect them to jettison core values of their faith - something for which there is no precedent in Islamic history. The Koran, writes Spencer, is more central to the Islamic faith than the Bible is to Christianity. Muslims believe it was revealed directly from God to the Prophet Muhammad. He will find there many divine instructions to make constant war on the infidel, who is only to be given the choice of conversion, slave-like subjugation (in historian Bat Yeor's word, dhimmitude) - or death. And throughout Islamic history, that's exactly how Muslim societies have behaved toward non-Muslims, who are by the very fact of their unbelief not considered innocents in the eternal, divinely mandated conflict. Undeniably, Christians have in the past committed many despicable acts in the name of God, but they did so in violation of scriptural teaching, not in fulfillment of it, as in Islam. This literalism has profound consequences for the way Muslims live. Unlike in Christianity, there is no scriptural mandate for separation of church and state in Islam, making secular democracy an alien and hostile concept. Women have few rights over and against their husbands, who may legally beat them, and men in general. Enslaving infidels and raping infidel women are justified under Koranic law (and still occur in some Muslim lands). Spencer does not believe that Islam can be tamed. While Muslims in the West live in peace, prosperity and religious liberty, Christians and other non-Muslims are persecuted, sometimes unto death, throughout the Muslim world today. Because Islam demands death for heretics, moderate Muslims will always risk their lives by offering more liberal interpretations of their faith. And most crucially, in his view, Islam cannot be other than a religion of violence. "Of course, most Muslims will never be terrorists. The problem is that ... Islam's violent elements are rooted in its central texts," Spencer writes. His final verdict on Islam is sobering, particularly when one considers the rapidly increasing Islamic presence in Europe. Is Islam Unveiled pessimism, or realism? We can only know for sure if we have a serious public discussion of the issues Spencer raises in this important (but unsatisfyingly brief) book
Spencer may be wrong - until we hear from this supposed vast silent majority of peace-loving Muslims, the answers Spencer gives go a long way to explain the hatred, violence, backwardness, and fanaticism endemic to the Islamic world.
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Summary: Every American should read this book
Review: Most American's think that Muslim's hate America due to its support of Israel. That could not be farther from the truth. Even if America were not pro-Israel, they still would have the USA. American's are non-believers and for that, they are infidels. Being an infidel is one of the worst things in Islam. This is a horrifying book since it is so close to home.
The facts are real.
The Arabs don't deny it.
15 of the 19 hijackers of 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia, and they don't even apologize. Every American should read this book, and then write their congressman to take action against the dangers of Islam.
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Summary: Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Faste
Review: Spencer (board member, Christian-Islamic Forum) has published articles on Islam in magazines such as National Review and Crisis. This book, which reflects much research, is a response to any who would see Islam today as "entirely benign and enlightened." The author concludes that "whether or not Islam ever becomes dominant in Western Europe or elsewhere in the former lands of Christendom, the wars will not end." He believes that militant Islam will not disappear with the death of figures such as bin Laden. Reflecting a detailed study of the Holy Book of Islam, the Sharia (law), Islamic history, current events, and the teachings of historic and present Muslim leaders, this work seeks to show why this is so. All readers will find it challenging, if not disturbing, as it provides insight into a rigid, fundamentalist "Islamist" view of the world--a view that many Muslims, especially in Southeast Asia and the West, might also seriously challenge. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. General readers; upper-division undergraduates.
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Summary: Bad answers to poorly understood questions
Review: Spencer's goal is to show that despite millions of Muslims living peacefully throughout the world, the religion of Islam is a source of world terrorism. Spencer bases his argument on verses of Islam's holy book, the Koran. He quotes verses that allegedly mandate violence and hostility to infidels, Jews and Christian. But Spencer's quotes are often mistranslated and presented outside important historical contexts. Additionally, Spencer makes false claims about the Koran. For example he says there are no verses in the Koran to mitigate violence (pg. 21). But later, Spencer contradicts himself by stating that "Those who say that Islam is peace constantly invoke Qur'anic injunctions against killing innocents (pg. 33)." Though Spencer presents historical examples of Muslim brutality, he consistently fails to tell the entire story. And despite his reassurance that the book is "about Islam, not about Christianity", he often appeals to Christianity as a counterexample to Islam's alleged brutality. When he does write about violence done by non-Muslims in God's name, his main idea is sometimes mixed with disturbing innuendos, like when he reminds us that Pizzaro's mass slaying of Incans stopped their custom of human sacrifice. If Spencer is willing to give at least some context for mass slayings by Spanish Conquistadors, then he should also be forthcoming in providing historical and political contexts for the subject of his book, a book ostensibly "about Islam, not about Christianity." Islam, says Spencer, is not a monolith. That is an understatement. Islam is vast complex of many things: nearly 1500 years of history spanning a plethora of dimensions, none of which are easily separated and addressed in 176 pages, even by Islamic scholars. Spencer's disregard for a balanced presentation of facts, all of them, is very damaging to both his argument and his credibility as an author. Ironically, Spencer's book demonstrates how terrorists justify themselves using the Koran, or any other religion or "ism" for that matter: pull verses out of context, ignore other verses and juridical limits by misreading and mistranslating verses, and apply them as needed. This book is sloppy, erroneous and dishonest, and has little regard for its subject matter or its audience.
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Summary: American people, read this book, it will help you wake up!
Review: I bought this book because I needed some extra information for my project paper that I'm doing now for my Doctoral Program in Human Services. After I read the book, I rushed to the Bookstore to see if they had a copy of Qur'an (Koran) there to see with my own eyes if the author was correct about the violence being present in this "sacred book" of Islam. I was horrified when I read the passages from Qur'an. Yes, it is violent toward anyone who is non-Muslim. This book changed my attitude toward Islam. There is something we should do as Americans to protect ourselves, our children and all Christians and other peaceful religions from this dangerous religion that is spreading now so fast in America. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks about converting to Islam. Unfortunately I cannot recommend it to those who wants to leave Islam...It seems that once you're a Muslim, the only way out of this religion is through your death. Read this book. You won'r regret. It inspires you to do more research on the topic.
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Summary: A Book That Would Not See The Light of Day in Saudi Arabia
Review: Books have great power. The book can be a religious book like the Bible or the Quran but they are just words on paper that convey a message. The important thing is how are the books used. This book presents facts and the author's analysis and certain conclusions. It is how we view these facts and do we act on them. In our western society we are eventually ruled by a set of laws that are continuously debated and updated. So we can read the book and debate the issues but we are governed by a common set of laws. We are permitted to have books and read them and use them in our debate. That same or a similar set of laws and safeguards are missing in many Muslim countries. Read the old testament. It is filled with blood and gore but we have reached the stage where we realize that we cannot make literal interpretations. There is an attempt by the religious leaders in these Muslim countries to impose the teachings of the religious writings as a substitute for open debate and any consultation with all of society. To oppose is to potentially face imprisonment or death. This book could never be published in Saudi Arabia the home of the Prophet Mohammed, and in that country you are forbidden to have even a Christmas card or a Bible. If you are Jewish you are barred entry. What does that tell us. It tells us that they still interpret their religion in a very primitive manner and have not advanced as a society. It is the same reason groups of people cannot become educated and why these countries with or without oil do not develop economically. It is not a western problem per se and we cannot impose our will militarily or otherwise. It is their problem and their first step is that they must accept that they must modernize and educate their societies and become more open and tolerant. Running around and killing us in a Jihad is not a solution. Also, it is not our place to be silent and say nothing. We do not operate like that. We have a free society. Change in Muslim countries will not happen easily since nobody wants to relinquish power including Muslim religious leaders, and they continue to teach this religious dogma in their schools as a substitute for education and that just perpetuates the whole mess. Jack in Toronto
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Summary: A stern rebuke for Islamic apologists
Review: This book is well written, researched, and is certainly not propaganda. Many critiques of this book are derived by a politically correct view of the world, ignoring or dismissing the long, and well-documented assault of Islam to Christendom, other cultures in the east and Africa. It's easy to repeat the mantra of liberal apologists; Islam is a religion of tolerance. The truth is not so, or at least not so clear cut. Indeed Islam started its spread with violence, and has been unapologetic about its use. Jihad, for 14 centuries was militant term. The new, and contrived definition of jihad is of some type of religious or moral self-introspection. Unlike Islam, Christianity has been examined and critiqued in thorough fashion by western, and non-western scholars for centuries; unfortunately Islam can't stand up to a similar scrutiny without some Imam pronouncing a Fatwa against the author.
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