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Summary: A must read
Review: Don Richardson should be applauded for daring to speak the truth. I have read enough of the Koran and the Hadith's to know personally that what he has written is the truth. I am only sorry to see that he had the book endorsed by C.Peter Wagner, normally I would avoid any book that was endorced by him, but in this instance I think that Don Richardson is innocent and unknowing.
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Summary: "Secrets" exposed by world's most admired missionary
Review: Don Richardson, today's most well known and admired cross-cultural missionary, has written an exposee of the Koran that will serve as the standard of truth on this topic for many years to come. Mr. Richardson is most well known for his widely read book, "Peace Child," which was highly circulated by Readers Digest as well. He is known among missionary colleagues and many anthropologists for setting a modern standard for cross-cultural sensitivity (affirming all that is good within various cultures) without compromising the truth of the Gospel message. His book, "Eternity in Their Hearts," is a fascinating read, revealing God's work behind the scenes in creation and the natural order preparing most or all peoples and cultures for the reception of the Gospel. In "Secrets of the Koran," Richardson shares his frustration in not discovering much, if anything, for the Gospel to build upon in Islam. Richardson is a seasoned scholar of the Bible and is most advanced in hermeneutics (using sound skills of interpretation, one of which is the importance of context) and exegesis (drawing "out" from literary text merely what is there and not reading "into" the text meaning that is not there). To his credit, he is not an ivory-towered literary critic. Instead, he is committed to practical application of the truth, with cross-cultural sensitiviy, to numerous cultures and peoples worldwide. From his multiple careers, far from being extreme,(except for His commitment to Christ as Lord!) he has revealed a long-term commitment to sober sound-mindedness and commitment to truth. He has been a model and mentor to many of today's best missionaries. He has employed these same lifelong skills in his book, "Secrets" to bring to light what is actually in the Koran, without unnecessary diplomatic or political spin. I, for one, am very grateful to Don Richardson for his courage in telling the truth in this book and doing the hard work many of us do not yet have the skills or inclination to do. I believe the Islamic (tyrannical)/Western (liberty) divide, as revealed in "Secrets," is one that will rise to the top of global religious, policy, cultural, and destiny challenges in the decade or decades to come. It may have risen to this level already! "Secrets" sets the plumbline for those committed to truth as it relates to the Koran, as well as gospel compassion. Read it! It will shake you up! -- hopefully towards embracing and sharing the truth!
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Summary: not even a one star!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Extremely insightful book. A breath of fresh air amidst the politically correct nonsense that is pushed by the media and all to well accepted by the public. Islam is a dangerous and wicked religion fed by it's so called holy book the Quran. Great to see some one exposing it's real colours. Don writes with terrific clarity and real objectivity, a must read for all christians!
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Summary: Did the reviewer from Publisher's Weekly even read the book?
Review: In Secrets of the Koran, Don Richardson avers that we can't afford to be politically correct when discussing a book that is held to be holy and infallible by over a billion people. He's absolutely right. Richardson obviously has a viewpoint to express about the Koran and Islam, but he backs it up with historical fact and with verses from the Koran itself. Admittedly, at times he reads like a breathless conspiracy theorist, but that doesn't make his points any less valid or let us off the hook from considering them thoroughly. As for the Publisher's Weekly review, the point about 'the pot calling the kettle black' is bogus, and is in fact debunked by Richardson--simply put, violence committed in the name of the God of Christianity is contrary to the New Testament, while violence committed in the name of Allah is in accordance with the Koran. Far from being out of context, the Koranic verses Richardson cites are the basis for centuries of Muslim violence and abuse of women that is still occurring today. Additionally, the quote about camel fleas occurs nowhere in my copy of this book... is the reviewer simply making up ammunition against Richardson? Bottom line: Read the book for yourself. Form an opinion. But please do so on the basis of historical fact and what the Koran actually says. This debate is too vital to be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.
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Summary: Beyond Politics and Sound Bytes
Review: In Secrets of the Koran, Don Richardson plows through all the niceties and cultural caution surrounding the subject of Mohammed, violence and Islam, and unleashes a powerful - yet honest - assessment of the Koran and the writer of Islam's holy book. Blunt? Yes. Honest? Yes. Easy to read? Not always. Necessary? Absolutely. I too was mystified by the vehemence in the PW review (above). And actually, did this person read a different book from the rest of us? Nowhere in my volume does Richardson blast PBS with any comments such as "may the fleas of 1,000 camels", etc. This book is so refreshing! Richardson may not pull too many of his punches, but in most cases, I am relieved that he does not. Is he critical of Mohammed and Islam? Most definitely. Is he hateful toward individual Muslims? Absolutely not. A common myth is that Christianity, in it's biblical teachings, is equally as violent as Islam and the Koran. Simply not so. All one has to do is read both books to see that, since the reign of King David more than 2,900 years ago, the Old Testament never advocates violence as a solution for holy retribution. And in the New Testament, you will not find ONE verse wherein Christ or the disciples advocate murder and mayhem as a solution or justification for wrong-doing. One cannot say that about the Koran. Please read this book for yourself. Though you may not agree with everything Richardson has to say - or the way he says it- I believe you will find the facts here quite eye-opening.
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Summary: A must read
Review: Other reviewers may claim "all lies", but it is well documented with a bibliography at the end of every chapter. BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT FOR YOURSELF. I now truly and rightfully so, fear this religion. This book points out obvious mistakes and lies in the Koran. It also proves the Koran's author to be nothing more than a murderous pillaging villain who left the world with an out of control cult. If I sum up all I read it would be, "Major eye-opener!"
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Summary: Insights from the author
Review: Readers of my most recent book, Secrets of the Koran, should expect to be startled by what it reveals. I was startled by my own research, because I had read authors who were quite positive on the Koran but--like many other authors I have since discovered--I found my study was leading me to views that stand in polar opposition to the views of authors favoring the Koran. A major concern today is the Koran's war, plunder and enslavement verses, verses that command Muslims to kill, ravage, maraud, enslave and oppress 'infidels' (those who reject Islam). Even torture is commanded ("Chop off their fingertips!"). Again and again I heard apologists for Islam claim in television interviews that the Koran contains very few such verses. I decided to count and found 109! One out of 55 verses in the Koran advocates violence. Again and again I heard apologists warn against taking the Koran's "very few" war verses "out of context." Heeding the warning, I very carefully drew from Muslim sources, linking verses with their context. By the way, those contexts do not show, as Muslims always claim, that Mohammed used bloodshed only for "justifiable self defense." He very definitely was the aggressor! Muslims frequently quote war verses from early Old Testament books to justify
Mohammed's attempt to return us all to late Bronze Age violence in the 600s AD. They overlook the new ruling God ordained in I Chronicles 22:7-9. King David was the last writer of Scripture who was permitted to use the sword in God's name. Beginning with Solomon and his writings--Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon--all the way to Malachi and his book of prophecy, there are no more Old Testament war verses. Israel's kings (perceived from that time on as primarily secular, not religious) still waged war and God still punished from heaven. But no servant of God mentioned in Scripture was permitted in all those centuries to wield the sword in God's name. Of course the New Testament follows suit with not one single war verse among its 7992 components. Anyone who did subsequently claim any part of the Bible as justification for violence was violating the Bible. My book explains all this, yet some still accuse me of overlooking war verses in the Old Testament (as if such verses do indeed justify a horrendous outbreak of Muslim religious violence in the 600s AD.) I firmly believe that a critical mass of readers of my book will carefully check the facts before reaching a conclusion. My bibliography lists 19 other authors, many of them secularists such as the former Muslim Ibn Warraq, who have also published recent criticisms of various aspects of Islam. I am far from alone. We must let Muslims know that as surely as they bring their religion to America,-and most Muslims in America are clearly nonviolent, decent people-they must expect it to be critiqued freely and thoroughly, because that is what Americans do! There needs to be an open debate, but not violence or hate in either direction. That is one of the things that makes us a great people. It is also our main line of defense against tyranny, fraud and error.
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Summary: No More Media Coverup... This Book Lets The Truth Be Known!
Review: The author pulls no punches here. If you are one of those politically correct types who believes the standard media lines that "Islam is a religion of peace" or that violent Muslims around the world don't represent "real Islam"... you wont like this book at all.Don Richardson shows us from the Koran's own words what real Islam is... based on the teachings of Islam's "holy book". For anyone who is a Christian and has longed for simple, precise, but powerful analysis of the Koran and its claims, this one is A MUST for your reference library. I wish I could send a copy of this to every Christian teacher and preacher in America. Anyone, Christian or non-Christian, who wants a searching, detailed and scholarly analysis of Islam in terms of its history and writings of its "holy books", the Koran and the hadiths should take a look at this, bring an open mind, and prepare to be amazed, and at times deeply disturbed, by the what this book lays out in the open. Commentators in the national media, our politicians, and the academic types on our college campuses bend over backward to tell us that militant or violent Muslims don't represent the true spirit of Islam. This partly because most of them don't know what's in the Koran and have never read it...its also partly as result of a well-intentioned but misguided attempt to shield Islam from criticism, particularly in the wake of the September 11th attacks. The fact is, not only are these people doing a disservice to the public by not telling them the truth, but they are setting us up for disaster, in a sense, since America as a whole is still unaware of the widespread, very well funded network out to conquer the West in the name of Allah.
To the cynical, this might all sound like some hysterical, anti-Muslim, conspiratorial type thinking... but Don Richardson backs this up with facts - this book is solid, well researched, and well documented. Its one thing for someone to say they do or don't agree with a particular religious position based on just feelings or personal bias. However the facts here are plentiful, logically laid out, and simply damning! Each quote listed here from the Koran has been compared by the author with 4 different translations of the Koran to avoid translation errors or inaccuracies. Over 100 violent or violence-encouraging verses in the Koran are laid out. Richardson goes in depth on many of these verses , giving background and context which is, of course very important. He also provides excellent historical context. He looks at the history of Islam's violence over 1000 years against Christians and Jews in particular, but also against Hindus and Buddhists or any other infidels Muslim invaders have come across through the years. For example, we always hear about Catholic crusades that began in the 11th century, but now about the Muslim crusades that began hundreds of years before the Catholic crusades, and the continuation of crusade-like violence that is evident to this very day (such as church bombings in Pakistan, genocide of non-Muslims in Southern Sudan, church burnings in Indonesia, and systematic violent and non-violent persecution of non Muslims in Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Northern Nigeria, and many other countries all over the world). Our media likes us to think that incidences of violence by Muslims such as that seen on September 11th, 2001 are isolated events, not to be considered against the backdrop of Islam as a whole. However, even if 9-11 had never happened, the record of Muslim violence, past and present is too extensive to ignore. And while oil money funds thousands, indeed tens of thousands of madrassas (Islamic schools) across the world with anti-American hatred, much of it supported by Koranic quotations (such as the ones Don Richardson reveals in his books) seeds of a confrontation with violent Islam continue to be planted around the world, while Europe, America and the West as a whole continue to see the situation with rose-colored glasses.
While we hear so much about "moderate Muslims", these moderate Muslims are not the ones who have spent BILLIONS over the years setting up thousands of madrassas and mosques around the world that teach their hateful worldview which is supported directly by the Koran itself in its own words. These "moderate Muslims" are not the ones in the driver's seat of Islam; the moderate Muslims are in the back seat, while the well funded, often well-educated, and highly driven radicals are running the show! Numerically the radicals might not be in the majority, but they are growing rapidly and their influence in the Muslim world and the world as a whole is disproportionately large and growing also.
Some of the facts and figures in this book will astound some, and enrage others, as will the quotes from some influential Muslim leaders Richardson also includes in this book. The shameful thing is,this book contains facts , figures, and quotes that the American media certainly has at their disposal, but refuses to look at, for one reason or another. While the media whitewash continues, brave authors like Richardson will continue to sound the alarm. God bless him.
Frankly, will America wake up? I suppose so - because if this continues we are in for a rude awakening one day. But years from now, when the true colors and the effects of radical Islam begin to be felt more and more in European and American society, many Westerners will be surprised.Those who read this book,howevwer, wont be surprised at all. The truth has always been out there. Radical Islamists have been working "under the radar" for many years, and continue to escape media scrutiny for the most part. It's time for the light to be shined on these people and the Koran, the book that inspires them. Then decide for yourself if Islam is really a "religion of peace".
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Summary: A good book about a not so wholly other book
Review: The Publisher's Weekly article is completely unfair to this excellent and highly informative book. Richardson is taking a very diligent and honest look at this subject, as opposed to the PC or "moderate" review of the Koran.
Hard to understand, why is it even controversial to accept, that current and extreme views by some Muslims are not originating from some unfortunate misinterpretations, but they are the results of the actual and correct reading of the text and teachings of this not always so Wholly Book ?
It is a highly important book, as it shakes and questions our dependence on the virtues of Global Multi-Culturalizm, the fundamental believe that different cultures can always peacefully and respectfully co-exist in our global village. The current reality in the framework of this fantastic book can teach us otherwise.
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Summary: Secrets of the Koran
Review: This book is telling the wrong thing about the Koran, Prophet Muhhamad(s),and Islam. This book should be vanished from publication. It is wrong and humilating all Muslims around the world.
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