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This advance review by the editor of the Conservative Book Club, Elizabeth Kantor, of my book The Truth About Muhammad (coming October 9 from Regnery Publishing) appears in "Fall Brings Lineup of Conservative Books" in this week's Human Events:
Robert Spencer outdoes himself in this book—in courage (who else would dare to write a warts-and-all biography of Muhammad?) but also in marshalling solid evidence that the real “root causes” of jihad violence are in Muhammad’s own character and the teachings of the religion he founded. Spencer uses only Muslim sources for the facts about Muhammad’s life—the Koran itself, plus the hadiths and other Islamic documents that Muslims themselves accept as reliable.The resulting picture is at once instructive and horrifying. It’s often said that Islamists are bent on imposing the standards of the 7th Century on the modern world. The Truth about Muhammad actually shows the reader the savage time and place in which Islam emerged. Spencer opens a window on 7th-Century Arabia: the brutality, the superstition, the abuse of women. He shows precisely how both the conditions of Muhammad’s time and the prophet’s own actions continue to shape modern Islam. Did you know that Muslims used to face Jerusalem, not Mecca, to pray?—that is, until the breakdown of an accord between Muhammad and a Jewish group. (The repercussions of that failed agreement are still being felt in Muslim-Jewish relations today.) And were you aware that the requirement of four male witnesses to prove a sex crime comes from a “revelation” Muhammad received, clearing the name of his favorite wife? (Today, up to 75% of the women jailed in Pakistan are there because they’re victims of rape—who are judged to be fornicators and adulteresses because they can’t prove rape by Muhammad’s nearly impossible-to-meet standard.) A similar “revelation of convenience” allowed Muhammad to marry his own daughter-in-law. This book is full of fascinating and informative facts and connections between what happened in the 7th Century and what’s going on in Islam today.
The tragic fact is that, for Muslims, religious awe—respect for the majesty and justice of God—is inextricably bound to the savage culture Muhammad came out of, to his own flawed character and to his violent and lust-driven teachings. To defeat the jihadists who want to kill us, we need to understand them. The Truth about Muhammad is an important contribution to that project.
Posted by Robert at September 7, 2006 3:38 PM
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I can't wait to read the book. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades showed up at my local library, and I had to wait two months before it was available. Our library also has a "second hand books for sale" section where I bought another book by Robert Spencer about Islam. People on this board should consider buying copies of Spencer's books and donating them to the local library.
Posted by: hoyode![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 7, 2006 4:06 PM
"A similar 'revelation of convenience' allowed Muhammad to marry his own daughter-in-law"
Indeed! Compare it to this story from the child bride Aisha:
(from Bukhari Volume 6, Book 60, Number 311: as narrated by Aisha)
"I used to look down upon those ladies who had given themselves to Allah's Apostle and I used to say, 'Can a lady give herself (to a man)?' But when Allah revealed: 'You (O Muhammad) can postpone (the turn of) whom you will of them (your wives), and you may receive any of them whom you will; and there is no blame on you if you invite one whose turn you have set aside (temporarily).' (33.51) I said (to the Prophet), 'I feel that your Lord hastens in fulfilling your wishes and desires.'"
Once again Allah intervenes in human affairs with a revelation concerning the sexual perogatives of one Mohammed, the perfect man. Oh for crying out loud! Anyone else smell something fishy, like Aisha perhaps who by this time may have had Mohammed's measure?
at September 7, 2006 4:11 PM
Cant wait to buy the book.
Posted by: storagemanager at September 7, 2006 4:14 PM
I just had a "revelation" too, it was to buy this book as soon as it comes out!! Cant wait!
Go U.S.A. !!!
at September 7, 2006 4:15 PM
While I wait to read this book, I always wonder when will the average Arab or muslim person start to be enlightened a bit. As an ex-muslim I thank anyone who dare to speak out the truth about the real Islam. My turning point in this enlightment process was a book "Understanding Islam Through Hadith: Religious Faith or Fanaticism" by Ram Swarupa book published in 1980's. A true eye opener, I was then a very young naive University student. I never looked back again at Islam nor doubted the authenticity of the reliable early Islamic sources.
I just hope more muslims wake up from their slumbers. Thanks Mr. Spencer for speaking out.
Posted by: sammish
at September 7, 2006 4:26 PM
My only concern is that when it's reviewed on conservative sites, those who frequent there are the ones who are going to buy it and read it.
In my experience, everything is divided as being from the 'liberal' or 'conservative' viewpoint, and those on the opposite side automatically dismiss whatever it is, without even a glance.
I don't think so much in terms of labels. My first thought when I see or read anything is not 'Is this right-wing or left-wing?', but rather, 'Is this factual?'
I guess I'm just thinking of friends that I have, who would identify themselves as liberal. I could be wrong, but I doubt they'll even glance at this, much less read it. To them, they'll see it as something slanted to the conservative side (whatever that means!) regardless of what facts are contained in it.
Posted by: Mo at September 7, 2006 4:28 PM
Too short and superficial.
Hopefully, the book will get a serious, in depth review in a place like the New Yorker or Harper's Magazine.
Posted by: george_rem at September 7, 2006 4:29 PM
Hey Robert, some one has beat you to it:)
Muhammad (Hardcover)
by Eliot Weinberger
http://www.amazon.ca/Muhammad-Eliot-Weinberger/dp/list/1844671186
A luminous portrait of the Prophet, in the Islamic tradition.
Muhammad is a shimmering, lyrical biography of the Prophet, composed from the words of Muslims throughout the centuries. Drawing on a variety of Islamic sources, from the hadith, or sayings of Muhammad and his companions, to Abbasid and Persian texts, Weinberger weaves a subtle, mystical prose poem, spanning Muhammad's birth and childhood; his adolescence, miracles and marriages; to the isra and miraj, his journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and ascent into heaven, with the angel Jibril (Gabriel) as his guide. The result is a vivid triptych that presents the final prophet of Islam with extraordinary clarity.
at September 7, 2006 4:33 PM
I can't remember the last time I was excited about the imminent release of a book. Yet excited I am. Whether it receives good or bad reviews doesn't matter at this point because as has been stated in another post today "there is no such thing as bad publicity". As a matter of fact the worse the review the more curiosty will be peaked.
My only hope is that Hooper and his freinds become so p.o.ed that they scream and holler in the MSM and draw that many more people to read and learn the truth.
at September 7, 2006 4:33 PM
read the books, use the wisdom and truth to debunk any newspaper editorials that are written by Islamic loving reporters or college professors. Give them facts!! Call to their attention the truth about Islam.
We are at war and everyone needs to identify the enemy.
Posted by: exsgtbrown at September 7, 2006 4:37 PM
"Understanding Islam through Hadis"
Posted by: dennisw at September 7, 2006 4:39 PM
Fascinating sammish. I wish I could read more stories of ex-muslims.
I also still wish I understood exactly what is so appealing about isalm in the first place, and what makes people choose islam and then to stay with it?
Maybe it is just because other religions are forbidden to be shared in muslim lands that the people have have no other choice or example.
Other than that I can only guess it must satisfy the most base human desires to kill, steal, control and belong to community of like-minded thinkers. With copoius amounts of anti-western, anti-white, anti-Christisan anti-Semetic thought mixed in to appeal to discontents and have-nots to fill the shoes left vacant by Marxism.
But none of this explain how islam can be so different than all other religions which all share some manifestation of the same natural law and share the same moral precepts. Islam stands alone in its utter absence of love.
at September 7, 2006 4:44 PM
The best points about " Spencer's The Truth About Muhammad" is that Robert takes the written word from
"Muslim Men" who were the ones who wrote about Muhammud. Nothing can be refutted, all the real life blood and guts of Muhammud's life is revealed through Muslim words. all muslim apologist need to check into a hospital for the mentally insane. The gig is up!
at September 7, 2006 4:50 PM
The worst thing you can do to the devil is show him his own reflection. The worst thing you can do to a muslim is to tell him the truth. Write on Robert, write on!
Posted by: Bohemond_1069 at September 7, 2006 7:49 PM
Can't wait to read my copy.
This is unrelated to Robert's book, but I found Senator Stevens remark indicative of just another weak ego who hasn't a clue. Who gives a flip about a "slap on the face", let's get back to the initial business of killing Bin Laden and his lackeys. Beats spending it on a worthless bridge in Alaska, or not having the spine to support more financial transparency to government.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20374720-1702,00.html
Posted by: amana39 at September 7, 2006 7:55 PM
george_rem, that review of that other book doesn't provide one iota of information about whether its "vivid tryptich" is whitewashed or not.
Posted by: remote_control at September 7, 2006 7:59 PM
Good review, and can't wait til the book comes out, I already have it on my Amazon wish list.
However the second review is troublesome of Mark Steyns' book she says
suicidal Blue-State-style leftist culture that’s already killing Europe
What she and the rest of the self styled 21st Century Conservatives (what Howard Dean, a Goldwater conservative like myself, calls proto fascists) is that the blue staters aren't leftists, nor are they suicidal... that is bullshit divisive rhetoric which will only guarantee that they will not unite with the red staters...and what the blue staters are all about is countering the apoplexic fascistic religous fanaticism, right wing extremism of those who now call themselves "conservatives" and Republicans..
These people, in the name of a phoney and fallacious culture war, are their own worst enemies, sheeple, easly led and deceived by corporate denizens and the elite rich who do not have their well being in their interest.. only theres, to wit the phoney "Death tax cut", not a death tax, but an estate tax and a tax that only applies to the very top 1/2 of 1% of the population, and it is the same with the attack on Social security.. the elite, wall street wants to take your retirement contributions and use them to pump up the stock market.. in other words gambling with your retirement and money (and of course taking in the process their commissions)..it's a scam.. but since it comes out of the mouth of "conservatives" middle America lemmming like jumps on the bandwagon and "believes".
It's the same with energy, the Republican -Conservative-Bush energy policy was put together by a "blue ribbon committee" chaired by Cheney (another oil company executive) and featuring "Kenny Boy Lay" of Enron fan, the man who ripped off America and the retirement funds of not only ALL Enron employees but hundreds of thousands of Americans..
This is what the red state has delivered, and how does the Republicans hold onto power.. by lies, lies and more lies (I.e. WMD's in Iraq) and by waging war on homosexuals, (as if gays were really important, compared to Jihad, our economy, and world opinion and cooperation with the U.S.).
Conservatives need to take a deep breath, re evaluate, and especially Jeffries at Human Events, Mark Steyn and Ann Coulter... because if they don't our grandchildren will have submitted to Islam and that is a prospect that makes me very unhappy and indeed miserable.
The country is divided and it is so called conservatives (actually proto fascists) that are responsible.. they and their Culture war (thanks Pat Buchanan,thanks Pat Roberstson, Thanks Jeffries, thanks Coulter thanks Limpballs thanks for dividing this country
Posted by: Nariz at September 7, 2006 8:11 PM
I can't wait to read your book Robert! Well done and hope there are more great reviews!
Nariz
Here is the latest Mark Steyn artcile:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20876,20371596-7583,00.html
at September 7, 2006 8:17 PM
Oooooooooooops,,typo - article was the word I stuffed up!
Posted by: Gramfan at September 7, 2006 8:18 PM
Congratulations Robert and hope the book is a phenomenal success!
Posted by: Bonniea at September 7, 2006 8:29 PM
I love the look on the faces of the clerks when I ask for Spencer's books.
Posted by: Kevin Weakley at September 7, 2006 8:32 PM
Dennisw,
The full downloaded version of the book "Understanding Islam through the Hadis" is available at:
at September 7, 2006 8:35 PM
When I read Robert's 'Islam Unveiled' back in '03, I remember wondering why he used 'Reliance of a Traveler' as his primary source when the Hadith were not only just as damning or more so, but were so much more important considering their symbiotic relationship with Islamic jurisprudence.
I even expressed this to Robert on these pages (more than once I'm sure). It's probably better that he saved his best ammunition for this book.
I have the feeling this one is going to firmly establish Robert as the lead spokesman for the global anti-jihad. He's going to be loved - and hated - more than ever.
Posted by: Cornelius at September 7, 2006 8:57 PM
Cornelius:
I wasn't saving any ammunition. I was using "Reliance" because it was a 1994 edition, showing that these were not just ancient texts, but modern imperatives in the eyes of many Muslims.
In this book, of course, my focus is different: I am trying to show that these modern imperatives in the eyes of many Muslims are rooted in Islamic teaching, so it's all Qur'an, hadith and sira.
Cordially
Robert Spencer
at September 7, 2006 9:02 PM
I think I'll buy several and give them as Christmas presents with the recommendation for them to pass it on to someone who doesn't know much about Islam.
Maybe this book will be more successful in even getting some Muslims to face the music.
Strangely enough, I have encountered people of other faiths where their beliefs were unreasonable and yet, when face to face with the facts, they chose to attack or dismiss.
Most folks who are comfortable in their 'religion' will not accept that they might be wrong. It's too 'inconvenient'.
Posted by: The Goobs at September 7, 2006 9:33 PM
Elizabeth's review of Robert's forthcoming book said:
"...for Muslims, religious awe—respect for the majesty and justice of God—is inextricably bound to the savage culture Muhammad came out of, to his own flawed character and to his violent and lust-driven teachings."
To sum that all up in a pithy statement we
should share here, there and everywhere:
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
ISLAM: It's a Human Misery Manufacturing Machine
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
at September 7, 2006 9:46 PM
Nariz claims it was conservatives who divided America after 9-11.
Here is the immediate reaction from the Left, immediately after 9-11:
http://www.commondreams.org/views01/september2001.htm
You can sample any or all of these left-wing articles, they're all the same: America had it coming; 9-11 was in response to wrongheaded or immoral U.S. policies; U.S. military action would be immoral; America has to change its policies to accommodate the "legitimate grievances" of our enemies so they won't be angry at us and attack us anymore. Plus, just one day after 9-11, they tried real hard to get a peace movement going, but stopped (temporarily) when they saw the reaction from their fellow Americans. Instead, they bided their time and waited for a better opportunity--the Iraq War of 2003.
But that's not the worst. Katha Pollitt has to take the prize for left-wing divisiveness. In the days immediately after 9-11, her 13-year-old daughter wanted to fly an American flag to show solidarity with her fellow Americans. Katha Pollitt, her mom, actually forbade her to do it:
My daughter, who goes to Stuyvesant High School only blocks from the World Trade Center, thinks we should fly an American flag out our window. Definitely not, I say: The flag stands for jingoism and vengeance and war....It seems impossible to explain to a 13-year-old, for whom the war in Vietnam might as well be the War of Jenkins's Ear, the connection between waving the flag and bombing ordinary people half a world away back to the proverbial stone age. I tell her she can buy a flag with her own money and fly it out her bedroom window, because that's hers, but the living room is off-limits.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20011008/pollitt
at September 7, 2006 9:51 PM
Fellow posters: remember to put copies of the book next to the Koran in bookstores. It's always good for some laughs. Hey.... fair AND balanced!
Posted by: MadrassasippiBurnin at September 7, 2006 9:52 PM
"I also still wish I understood exactly what is so appealing about isalm in the first place, and what makes people choose islam and then to stay with it?"
- a poster above
Simple: a gun, a rage, a rope.
Prophète Geoff
Posted by: Geoff at September 7, 2006 10:45 PM
Many many thanks Razdan. From the book --->>>
CLEANING THE TEETH (MiswAk)
Muhammad loved toothpicks and used them often. “Were it not that I might overburden the believers-I would have ordered them to use the toothpick at every time of prayer,” he said (487).
http://voi.org/books/uith/
Internet says the book was once banned in India
at September 7, 2006 10:48 PM
Before this turns into a Left vs. Right insult-fest, why don't you both have a nice tall cool glass of shut the hell up.
It is the loud-mouths on both ends that make the vast purple center sick to death.
All this blue-state, red-state crap does nothing but sell election advetising.
Let's focus on the real enemy: Islam.
at September 7, 2006 11:11 PM
ROBERT: "In this book, of course, my focus is different: I am trying to show that these modern imperatives in the eyes of many Muslims are rooted in Islamic teaching, so it's all Qur'an, hadith and sira."
Well Robert, no question that this is the more formidable approach. You are going after the ideology at its foundation. I'm so glad you used EXCLUSIVELY the foundational texts. Just being able to say so lends a legitimacy to the effort it might not otherwise possess.
Regardless of whether the book makes a splash or not - and God knows the MSM will do everything in its power to prevent such - at least it will be there, for the historical record.
We're all indebted to you Robert, even the fools who perceive you as an adversary. It's not many men whose life's endeavors include the enlightenment of an entire civilization.
Posted by: Cornelius at September 8, 2006 1:39 AM
-give me doughnuts,
Thank you. The Red/Blue, L vs. R stuff has gotten absurd and distracting.
If I really feel the need to post something and I don't have something serious, technical, or redbloodedly (yeah, it's my adverb, don't make me use it again) defiant to say, I can, at least, make fun of the koranians. Ridicule seems to rile them up more than anything else.
BTW - Got my Zionist Machine™ fixed. It's humming along now. Oh yeah, the Dog Emperor aka DOG(swt) sends a whoof out to all the Believers and a grrr to the mohammedan infidos. ghAllah also sent an e-mail saying he's still watching through his big telescope on Mars and he's getting less pleased by the mo's every day.
Posted by: Eisenhund at September 8, 2006 3:03 AM
We need a Movie.
There are readers but they are dwarfed by non reading, impressionist movie goers.
Its time for America to see Muhammad for the Charlatan, violent, most evil person to ever walk this earth.
Posted by: paulc37 at September 8, 2006 6:35 AM
a poster above mentions a scribbler for the Nation magazine. No surprise there. Back in early 1979, the Nation was pimping for the Khomeini gang that had just taken over Iran. They were civil libertarians, the Nation wrote at the time.
Posted by: Eliyahu at September 10, 2006 4:10 AM
Apology: Human Misery Manufacturing Machine
On this exact fifth-anniversary moment of the extraordinary attack on Manhattan, I wish to reflect that Robert has asked us to be temperate and to reasonable in our contributions and our assertions -- as this benefits all of us in our task of questioning and understanding Islam. On that account I do retract with sincerity my statement that identified Islam broadly and in toto as a human misery manufacturing machine.
That manner of assertion fails to meet the intellectual/moral standard described by Neil Hamilton who emphasized the importance of "accuracy and thoroughness in the collection and use of evidence, reasonable assertion, impartiality in the determination of the weight of the evidence, careful analytical reasoning, and fairness in argument or controversy."
I strive to a greater dispassion, reason and balance in regard to what Islam is in its totality. This does not mean earnest or unquestioning sympathy for Islam, as I am not extraordinarily sympathetic except for my appreciation for the beauty that flowed out of Islam into the path of the great Sufi tradition.
I take this 9/11 anniversary moment to apologize for the intemperance of my original assertion. I consider it a duty to reach for a higher standard of conversation and will strive for that over the next five years. May that conversation continue in earnest.
Posted by: thatsmy2cents at September 11, 2006 9:15 AM
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