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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
Rating: 
Summary: Required reading for any American that wants to live
Review: Islam Unveiled is required reading for any American that wants to live and does not want to be a victim of Islamic terror. The author writes, in detail, in a marvelously researched manner. The mistake that many people make is that Islam is only anti-Israel. For from it. Islam is anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Protestant, anti-Catholic, and anti-Buddhist, anti just about everything. Even if there was no Israel, or the US was not an ally of Israel, radical Islam would still despise the USA. When Islam despises you, your live is in danger. This is a horrifying book. What is most horrifying is that it is non-fiction.
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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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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: Good questions; preliminary answers.
Review: Spencer asks some good questions here, and has read widely enough, and is bold and honest enough, to come up with fairly reasonable answers. I've read many books on Islam, and found this one pretty good; I learned a fair amount from it.
If the key to thinking clearly is to figure out what questions to ask, Spencer gets us off to a good start, because he asks excellent questions. The titles of his chapters summarize the ground he covers: "Is Islam a religion of peace?" "Does Islam respect human rights?" "Does Islam respect women?" "Is Islam compatible with liberal democracy?" "Can Islam be secularized and made compatible with the Western pluralistic
framework?" "Can science and culture flourish under Islam?" "The crusades: Christian and Muslim." "Is Islam Tolerant of Non-Muslims?" and finally, "Does the West really have nothing to fear from Islam?"
The answers Spencer gives to all these questions, if I had to chose a single word, would be "No." But he is fairly nuanced about it, and admits repeatedly that Islamic history sometimes offers better examples, and that many Muslims are shooting for something better.
One weakness of Spencer's approach is that he seems to rely mostly on second-hand research, rather than deep personal familiarity with the culture of Islam. Fortunately, he has read a lot on both sides, (including some of my favorite
"subversive" writers, like Bat Y'eor and Paul Fregosi), and is generally well-informed.
Only, and here's a second major weakness, Spenser almost invariably compares Islam to Christianity. I am a Christian myself, but since Islam has had long interaction with Hinduism, Judaism, animism, and now communism, in other words the "borders of Islam are bloody" (as Huntington put it) on other fronts as well, I wish he'd varied his examples a bit.
A final weakness of this book is that the interaction between Islam and Christianity is so complex, and there are so many villains on both sides, (also some heros) that Spenser's argument for real religious difference between Islam and the West seems to weaken from attrition. He explains that the teachings and personalities of Jesus and Mohammed are radically different (which they are, and it is nice to see someone be honest about the crimes of the latter). Yet Spenser concedes (in effect) that Christians have often acted more like Mohameed than like Jesus. This begs for a bit of social theory to complement the history and theology. Could we not explain the problems in modern Islam in terms of civilizational stress (like Bernard Lewis), demographics (like Samuel Huntington) or "scape-goating" (following Rene Girard), as easily as by the religious differences between the two systems? Didn't the Japanese, Chinese, and West act very much the same way when subjected to similar social pressures?
Actually, I think Spenser could have considered these rival theories and borrowed what is useful and true in each of them, and still take the real differences between Islam and Christianity into account. He might have used Vishal Mangalwadi's arguments and others on the social influence of Biblical thinking. Girard's idea of scapegoating could have been helpful here, too, explaining Mohammed, and those who justify him, and the scapegoating of Israel, pretty well. I do think, ultimately, that the Muslim world is to a large extent controlled by Koranic orthodoxy. It also seems to me that the West itself was also heavily influenced by Islamic jihad ideas during the Middle Ages. Spenser needs more theory to unify the facts, rather than just saying, "Here these Muslims did this, and there they did that."
Spencer seems an honest man, and wrestles with the Koran and Bible what I would call a fair manner, dealing with verses that contradict his theory as well as those that support it. It is refreshing to see anyone eschew relativism, and take the differences in religions seriously. While his analysis could be improved, Islam Unveiled is a good place to go for the right questions, and to begin finding some reasonable answers. author, Jesus and the Religions of Man
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Summary: Answers the Tough Questions
Review: The negative reviews of this book are quite puzzling, and seem to be based merely on the principle that Islam should never be subject to critical examination. In fact, Spencer goes well out of his way to be respectful to Muslims, while at the same time fair to those wondering why the religion seems plagued with the sort of cultural and moral obstacles that make it inconsistent with liberal society. It is not enough to wave the magic wand, as Islam's Western defenders often do, repeat a few mantras like "Islam is a religion of peace," and hope that no one dares to raise serious inquiry, no matter how understandable. How is it, for example, that if Islam is about peace and tolerance, its most ardent followers should be acting in exactly the opposite way - and with the full support of millions? Spencer answers the questions that many of us are [quite justified in] asking by explaining the harsh edge to the theology and how it is quite plausible that those engaging in human rights abuses against unbelievers, women and others may be more in agreement with the Qur'an and Hadiths than their more moderate peers. If not, then there are many disturbing facts that need explaining away - pretending that they don't exist is simply insufficient. The book does not deserve to be called "anti-Muslim." Spencer makes every effort to leave verses in context and to provide honest comparative analysis. I was left quite hopeful, in fact, that Islam will be able make the transition that other religions have made in embracing progressive revelation as a means of freedom from a ruthless past. If you want a better understanding of the Islamic world, read this book!
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