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Summary: Robert Spencer's Islam
Review: In this well written and thoroughly documented book, Robert Spencer attempts to refute current politically-correct claims like that of president Bush that "Islam is a religion of peace." While I believe he has generally succeeded, he has induced too much doubt. An unnecessary and myopic Christian bias is reflected too often in this otherwise cogent work. When Spencer writes, for example, of "[t]he natural human tendency for mercy that God has implanted into the hearts of all people" (p.69)*, he confuses an unprovable matter of faith with matters of fact, suggesting that his interpretation of Islam may be less than factually based. When he tells the reader that "[T]he idea of the universal dignity of all people, believers and unbelievers, [is] one of the Church's great gifts to secular society. . ., " ignoring the genesis of this concept in Judaism, he further impugns his objectivity. The knowledgeable reader may therefore agree less than completely with Spencer's negative resolution of conflicting portions of the Islam's holy book e.g. "[D]o not attack [those who fight against you] first. God does not love the aggressor. . . ( Qur'an, Sura 2:190-191) [But] . . . when you meet the unbelievers on the battlefield strike off their heads. . .(Sura 47:14). . .lie in ambush everywhere for them." (Sura 9:5). "Those who follow [Muhammad] are ruthless to the unbelievers. . ." (Sura 48:29)* * Spencer concedes that: "After all, it has been only 1400 years since the time of Muhammad, and 1400 years after Christ. . . Christians were killing Infidels (often fellow Christians of different sects) themselves." (p.21) Considering the slant of the work, therefore, the critical reader of__Islam Unveiled__ may, readily agree more than does Mr. Spencer that "Islam is simply a religion that will eventually mature, as did Christianity, into a more tolerant, more expansive faith." (Id.) * Pages cited are those of the first edition of the book, published by Encounter Books.
** These quotes from and citations of the Qur'an are from Spencer's work, here at pp. 20, 21
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Summary: Its too easy
Review: I think its too easy to look at all the Muslim countries in the world and make wrong assumptions about Islam. I am a Muslims myself and trust me i will be the first criticize the actions of some "muslims" in the name of religion. All i can say is dont judge Islam by the so-called muslims of the world but look at the actual teachings of religion by the Holy Quran and Sunnah. There is alot of ignorance in the Muslim world. Its sad because these people dont understand their own faith and in turn giving Islam a bad name. Please study the Quran with an open heart and then u will see how beautiful it really is like i do.
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Summary: Facts always crush the weak minded..
Review: Robert Spencer writes about the exact sort of weak minded cowards that display themselves in the review by "taqwaman".
Other have already pointed out the many errors in his "review", like Spencer NOT being jewish/zionist. I would like to mention that the interview that "taqwaman" refers to that Amos Oz had with Sharon was retracted by Denver Rocky Mountain News (and syndicated) columnist Holger Jensen, who admitted that Oz himself had confirmed that he has never interviewed Ariel Sharon. The fact is that Sharon was NOT interviewed by Amos Oz.
The truth doesn't matter to people like "taqwaman". Anyone reading his review of this book should keep that in mind.
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Summary: Makes lunatics angry, so it must be good!
Review: Spencer is not Jewish, nor is he a "Zionist". He IS a quite talented author who captures in this book the war within Islam on the war against Western civilization. You wouldn't know that from the delusional, paranoid, and bltanatly anti-Semitic rant Amazon has chosen to publish directly under the listing.
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Summary: Wonderful Tome here...
Review: It is predictable that whenever an honest writer actually writes about Islam, he is called a racist and islamophope by Liberal morons and Islamists! However, the facts stand on there own in this book!! Islam is inherently cruel and evil and its 1400 year reign of murder and bloodshed is plain too see in this book and also in many others........not least islam's own sacred writings of the Quran and Sahih Hadiths which are blood curdling in there brutality!! Kudos to Mr. Spencer for a courageous book......if you want the Truth about Islam, read books like these or by Ex Muslims or other writers.......avoid at all costs the pathetic drivel of liars like John Esposito and Karen Armstrong who do nothing but whitewash the ugly side of Muhammed's teachings!! Thank you
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Summary: An objective portrait of Islam
Review: As the conflict with Islam is likely to shape the international relations, politics and culture of the world in the foreseeable future, it is crucial to educate yourself on the religion and its influence on its believers. However, since the mainstream media avoid honest, in-depth coverage if Islam, you are not likely to find a lot of credible material on TV or in the press. Despite the evidence to the contrary, the Western media and Muslim apologists for Islam continue to proclaim: it's not about the religion (see the relativist review by one Tagwaman below). Even though Islam may not be inherently evil - it was after all created out of an Arab desire to have its own prophet and religion like Judaism or Christianity - it does contain dangerous ideas, such as complete lack of tolerance for the "infidels." And unlike the Bible, the Koran is believed to be the direct word of God, and thus subject to no reform. While Christianity and Judaism have undergone reformations, Islam is still stuck in the 13th century Arab Peninsula. Whether the ideas that lead to violence against non-Muslims, be it in the Middle East, Iran, Nigeria, Sudan or in Indonesia's Celebes, are "true" Islam or not, critics of the fundamentalist, militant and intolerant approach are practically non-existent: they are either too intimidated to speak out or are dead. After all, we haven't seen too many protests in the Muslim world against those fundamentalist "abusers" of Islam. Do not get dissuaded by the negative reviews of this or any other book that paints anything other that idealized view of Islam. Most of them contain no factual arguments, others cite misleading information at best. The Tagwaman review below is a good example. He claims, for instance, that Osama bin Laden "never received a formal or traditional education in Islam." A quick check will reveal, however, that "at secondary school and university he adopted the main trend of many educated Muslims at that time, Muslim Brotherhood. There was a collection of Muslim scholars in Jeddah and Mecca at that period. [...] He had two distinguished teachers in Islamic studies, which was a compulsory subject in the university. First was Abdullah Azzam who became later as one of the big names in Afghanistan and the second was Mohammed Quttub, a famous Islamic writer and philosopher" [PBS.org]. How many of the world's one billion Muslims have received a more formal education? What IS the true Islam, then? "Islam Unveiled" is highly informative and...disturbing.
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Summary: Cats and dogs
Review: As testified by the other sixty-odd reviews, very many things can be said about Robert Spencer's book. Let me just state that Spencer is a cat writing about dogs (or the other way around, it doesn't matter). In other words, Spencer cannot possibly imagine that there are any viable alternatives to the cathood (i.e., capitalist liberalism-cum-democracy). As for the details, I would only like to point out Spencer's near-complete silence about sufism - a powerful movement within Islam which clearly demonstrates both the intrinsic spiritual power of this religion and the inability of people like Spencer to fit it into their "Islam as an enemy of humanity" set of mind.
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Summary: What our Government Won't Confront
Review: In the days after September 11, everyone from the president to Oprah Winnfrey rushed to defend Islam as a "religion of peace." Many of us listened with a mixture of wishful thinking and uneasy skepticism. If you were doubtful about the statements of the pro-islamic pundits, then this book will confirm your worst fears. And they are well-founded. First there is the history of Islam and it's founder Muhammed. There is a popular myth about Muhammed which paints him as a cloistered scholar and man of letters, a philosopher and a thinker who spent his time writing. In fact, he was a war captain who waged bloody warfare on non-believers. You would be hard pressed to find such a prophet in Bhuddism, Hinduism, or even Christianity. As the book shows us, Christians who wage bloody campaigns have always done so in violation of Christian teachings. Not so with Islam. Violent acts like 9/11 are considered honorable when waged upon non-muslims or "infedels." This book also illustrates Islam's horrendous record of women's rights, how "liberal" islamists are actually a minority, and how freedom and democracy have little hope of survival in an Islamic society. They are powerful arguments which unfortunately, the West does not wish to acknowledge. As shown by countless examples, defending Islam as "peaceful" is comparable to calling Nazi Fascism "loving and kind." The difference is that Hitler's beliefs were political, whle Islam involves a "sacred" deity, which Westerners insist on respecting. This book contains a powerful, relevant message, one which Westerners may not learn until countless lives have been lost. But let's hope not.
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Summary: What this book is good for -- and what it isn't.
Review: If you're looking to study a wide range of reactions to the September 11, 2001 attacks, then get this book. Not all books written in response to 9/11 are of the "bin Laden and his ilk are an abberation" variety, even though bin Laden and friends are a fringe-group. If you're looking to find the truth about Islam, then pass on this book -- stick with John Esposito, Sayed Nasr Hossein, and like-minded writers who, unlike Spencer, et al, actually know what they're talking about.
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Summary: Should be a five star book
Review: Overall, an excellent book. Yes, I say overall. Robert Spencer gives the reader a good and an honest appraisal of the more aggressive Qur'anic verses and how they've been applied throughout the history of Islam, the concept of jihad, perceived as unlimited and a religious obligation that will continue until all the world has either adopted the Muslim faith or submitted to Muslim rule, "human rights" under Islam, the role of women in Islam, Islam's historic treatment of non-Muslims (something which Bat Ye'or, whom he acknowledges, goes into great depth), "The Crusades: Christian and Muslim," etc. He does not gloss over the violent episodes in Christianity but points out to the reader that these acts of violence cannot be justified on the basis of the text itself. (There are those who would rightly disagree, maintaining at least in part, that the seeds of anti-Semitism can be found in the text; e.g., 1Thes 2:14-16 for example) Mr. Spencer gives a good deal of space to other authors such as Paul Fregosi, Phiip Hitti, V. S. Naipaul, Daniel Pipes, Bernard Lewis, Yoseph Bodanksy, David Pryce-Jones and even Karen Armstrong (who is way off in left-field), Mr. Spencer offering his own refreshing insights into their respective viewpoints. For a guy who is very picky about the books I read, this one is highly readable and it's available on tape as well. In the prologue, the author makes this difficult statement. One which those who are fair-minded and knowledgeable about the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict (or better, the Israeli-Muslim world conflict) might regard as an act of appeasement or worse, a sop; something which Mr. Spencer himself readily exposes and acknowledges on the part of an insecure West. The statement: "Today, Palestinians and other Muslims in fact suffer wrongs that cannot be justified." Now Israel, as a nation (perhaps no better or worse than is the U.S. in the conduct of warfare), has been fighting for her very existence in a very dangerous neighborhood for decades. On September 11, 2001, Americans only got a small taste of what Israel experiences on a daily and weekly basis, and we Americans were rightly outraged and therefore mobilized. Nonetheless, this statement would be akin to saying "Afghanis, Iraqis and other Muslims in fact suffered wrongs (presumably at the hands of the Americans) that simply cannot be justified." This would be the implication of Mr. Spencer's statement here, otherwise what other explanation is there except, as he writes, "Islam itself in some way exacerbates the conflicts in which these wrongs occur."(?) In some way? Again, this is an otherwise exceptional book.
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