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March 30, 2006

Creating the Online Infidel Library

An anti-dhimmitude initiative from the European author Wolfgang Bruno (news links in the original):

Fatima Houda-Pepin, raised a Muslim and active in the struggle against the use of sharia in Canada, warns that the public should make an effort to get to know those in the Muslim community who are lobbying for application of Shari‘a: “One of the strengths of Islamists is that they know you very well. They know our history, they know our culture, they know our justice system.” The reason why so many Westerners reacted with defeatism and despair over the Muhammad cartoons affair is because we are mentally on the defensive. We are reacting more than acting, waiting passively for the next Islamic move. We haven’t even named the enemy yet. The attacks of 9/11, the London and Madrid bombings were reduced to the work of “evildoers who had hijacked a great religion,” not Islam itself. Muslims have been carefully studying our weak points for decades, to find ways to exploit them. Meanwhile, we have largely been ignoring them, first because we didn’t take them seriously, and later because we would not want to get involved in a global clash with the Islamic world. Get real: This is a world war, at least a cold one. War has already been declared upon us, and it is irrelevant whether Westerners and infidels like this or not. We need to recognize this and start fighting back, before we lose this fight without ever having admitted that we were in it.

It’s time to turn the tables. We’re the most powerful civilization in human history. We’ve split the atom and sent men to the moon. We can deal with a cult from 7th century Arabia, if we put our minds to it. Yes, they have a head start, but they have weak points, too. Many of them, and sometimes huge ones. Find a pressure point and squeeze. As philosopher Eric Hoffer has said, you can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you. If we had some basic understanding of our enemy and watched him closely, we would see that he made at least two major mistakes during these recent cartoon events that we could exploit. First, he showed us his hand and his true intentions, thereby waking up millions of infidels just a little bit too early. Second: He also clearly demonstrated some of his weak points, both the extreme arrogance and the ridiculous hypersensitivity to even the slightest criticism. During the Muhammad cartoon affair, the Islamic world might as well have worn a gigantic neon sign saying: “We fear freedom of speech above all else. Give us bombs, just don’t send us rational criticism or mockery.” They scream “We love death,” yet cringe like shivering Christmas puddings in front of a few cartoons. If this is what they fear most, then this is where we should push harder.

Jihadist Muslims are war fetishists. Their obsession with orgies with virgins in the heavenly Islamic brothel and the close connection between death and orgasm borders on necrophilia. You don’t frighten a war fetishist with war, and you don’ scare a death cult with death. Although the use of force will sometimes be necessary to win this fight, it is important to understand that this is not Islam’s weak point. Islam is a warrior creed, a very good one. War, death and mayhem are its home ground. Free speech is ours. We should draw the enemy away from his home ground by teasing his arrogance, lure him out into the open and over to our home ground, where we have the natural advantage.

Now is the perfect time to launch an ideological counter-offensive, using the Internet. Internet censorship is still less effective in most Muslim countries than in China, and there is now a critical mass of ordinary Westerners who understand that Islam constitutes a mortal threat to their freedom. Many of them could be mobilized, if somebody leads them and shows them how. The key to winning this struggle is not to engage the silent majority in the Islamic world, but to mobilize the silent majority in the West and in the infidel world, and perhaps the minority of ex-Muslims within the Islamic world.

The idea of using the Internet to spread critical thinking isn’t new, although it is not always directly linked to Islam:

In Arabic, "Internet" Means "Freedom"

Somewhere in Baghdad a man is working in secrecy to edit new Arabic versions of liberal classics. He has made Arabic translations of more than two dozen articles and nine books and booklets. Sponsored by the Cato Institute, he joins a small but growing assortment of Arabic-language blogs promulgating liberal ideas. "No more than 10,000 books were translated into Arabic over the entire past millennium," says the U.N., "equivalent to the number translated into Spanish each year." "The Internet is a historical opportunity for Arab liberalism," Pierre Akel, the Lebanese host of one such site, metransparent.com, said. "In the Arab world, much more than in the West, we can genuinely talk of a blog revolution." The U.N. report notes that in the Arab world—a region of 284 million—a book that sells 5,000 copies qualifies as a best-seller. The Internet, in contrast, makes possible worldwide, instant distribution, at a nearly negligible cost.

However, some books critical of Islam are already available online, and more will probably be added:

Call for Internet Publication of Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam.

This is a call for the Internet publication (and eventual translation) of the book Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam by Marywan Halabjaye. The book concerns how Islam is allegedly used to oppress women. Halabjaye’s book is based on an analysis of the Qur’an as well as recognized Sunnah and Hadith. This call for Internet publication is based on the belief that the best response to those who would suppress publication of a book is to increase publication, promotion and distribution of that book. The most efficient way to do that is on the Internet. This request is also based on the belief that it would be a powerful and timely lesson if the only thing accomplished by those who seek to suppress publication of the book Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam is to cause it to be published to the entire world.

I have advocated the idea of creating an organized network to promote Islam-critical books in cyberspace. Maybe a dozen or more blogs and websites could form the global backbone of this network, the cyberspace version of Radio Free Europe. This to make it more difficult for hackers to block the efforts, and to disseminate the books as much as possible. The websites should preferably be based in the USA, since it has the strongest protection of freedom of speech, or at least outside of the jurisdiction of the Eurabian Union. Start with those who are already in the business, for instance Jihad Watch, Faith Freedom International, Little Green Footballs, Michelle Malkin and others. These “backbone” websites should receive financial compensation for this task. Anybody, anywhere should be able to download the books or republish them at their own websites. This would bypass media censorship and create an Online Infidel Library. It would mirror the online library Google is trying to create now, but with books about Islam only. The information would spread around the planet faster than CAIR can say “Islamophobia”. The genie would be out of the bottle, and no amount of intimidation, hacker attacks or “hate speech” lawsuits could return it to the bottle.

I have been contacted by at least one person who was pondering the possibility of financing and hosting critical books on Islam on the Internet, and wondered whether this was feasible. To publish in English a handful of these books on the Internet isn’t too complicated, it just requires some private individual or group of people with sufficient means to buy the copyrights and support the backbone websites and it could be done quickly. I don't know all of the practical details of how much such an operation would cost. But since the entire text of these books would be put online for free, I reckon one would have to pay significant sums to buy the copyrights. The good thing about starting out with private citizens is that we would directly engage the silent masses who are fed-up with Islam and Islamic demands. If our so-called leaders won’t lead this fight, then we will have to push them and force their hand. They only feel pressured by Muslims now, it’s time they feel some pressure from infidels, too. That goes for European politicians in particular.

However, when you increase the number of books and thus costs, and certainly when you start with translations into multiple languages, it probably becomes too complicated and time-consuming for private citizens to undertake. I have suggested publishing Bat Ye’or’s book “Eurabia” online, both in the full version and in abridged versions, translated into multiple European languages. Some of the most important Islam-critical books should also be translated to major non-Western languages, Chinese, Hindi, Arabic, Persian, Turkish and so on. I envisioned this to receive clandestine support of, for instance, the US government. It is unlikely whether they can or want to do so openly, but the amount of money it would cost would be peanuts compared to what the Iraq campaign costs on a single day and could be provided secretly. This could be called Operation Theo van Gogh, or perhaps Operation Asma bint Marwan, after the poetess who was murdered by Muhammad’s thugs for mocking Islam.

NOTE: The following list of books is based solely on my own subjective views. The authors have not been consulted about whether they would agree to publish their books on the Internet, and it is quite possible that some of them might object to this. However, it is likely that several of them would agree to this, provided that they get adequate financial compensation for this. The number of suggested titles could easily be doubled, but any such Online Infidel Library would probably include some of the books I have listed here. I have read most of these books myself, but include some by reputation or recommendations from people I trust:

Group 1:

"Leaving Islam - Apostates Speak Out" edited by Ibn Warraq

“The Islam Threat” by Ali Sina from www.faithfreedom.org, whenever it gets published. I have had the pleasure of reading it, and it is good.

“The Legacy of Jihad” by Andrew G Bostom

"Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis" by Bat Ye'or

"Onward Muslim Soldiers" by Robert Spencer

“The Force of Reason” by Oriana Fallaci

"Jihad in the West: Muslim Conquests from the 7th to the 21st Centuries" by Paul Fregosi

“While Europe Slept : How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within” by Bruce Bawer

"Mohammed and the Rise of Islam" by David S. Margoliouth

“American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us” by Steven Emerson


Group 2:

"Why I am not a Muslim" by Ibn Warraq

"What the Koran Really Says" edited by Ibn Warraq

“The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam And the Crusades” by Robert Spencer

“Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions Among the Converted Peoples” by V.S. Naipaul

“Militant Islam Reaches America” by Daniel Pipes

“Islam and Dhimmitude” by Bat Yeor

“The Sword of the Prophet” by Serge Trifkovic

“Rage Against the Veil” by Parvin Darabi

"Women and the Koran" by Anwar Hekmat

“View from the Eye of the Storm: Terror and Reason in the Middle East” by Haim Harari


Group 3:

“The Quest for the Historical Muhammad” by Ibn Warraq

”Twenty Three Years” by Ali Dashti

“The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations?” by Tony Blankley

“The West and the Rest: Globalization and the Terrorist Threat” by Roger Scruton

"Muhammad" by Maxime Rodinson

"Among the Believers" by V. S. Naipaul

“The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs” by David Pryce-Jones

“Menace in Europe : Why the Continent's Crisis Is America's, Too” by Claire Berlinski

Posted by Robert at March 30, 2006 3:20 PM
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Comments
(Note: The Comments section is provided in the interests of free speech only. It is mostly unmoderated, but comments that are off-topic, offensive, slanderous, or otherwise annoying stand a chance of being deleted. The fact that any comment remains on the site IN NO WAY constitutes an endorsement by Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch, or by Robert Spencer or any other Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch writer, of any view expressed, fact alleged, or link provided in that comment.)

Robert: Maybe you have addressed this elsewhere but I wonder about your use of the term "infidel." Due to overindulgence of sweetened carbs, I am often unable to recognize sarcasm, so, is your (and Hugh's) use sarcastic? Otherwise, it seems to be assuming the Muslim point of view. Aren't they infidels in Christians' eyes?

Posted by: Seymour Paine [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 30, 2006 3:48 PM


I think I know how to properly expand a section of my libary now.

Posted by: Foehammer [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 30, 2006 4:08 PM

Brilliant idea!

Pledge time:

If Robert or another equally reliable anti-islamist figure will organise this campaign I pledge $100NZ towards copyright purchases and internet publication costs.

Posted by: Lili [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 30, 2006 4:27 PM

Books are useful for the 'second level of intelligence' online.

Something more visceral is needed for the "hot" style that appeals to the short-attention-span jihad-intrigued, whether Muslim lion or infidel dog.

Animations based on these works wiould help.

Free downloadable graphic novels.

Music; artwork; videos; films.

Rational discourse is a late stage of argument.

The id needs fresher, warmer, juicier stimuli.

Online, especially.

An adjunct to this drier, head-oriented, less-instinctively thrilling material would be a good way to bring new, inquisitive minds toward the harder, more intellectually mature work ahead.

Mohammad cartoons, animated.

Anti-jihadi 'faux' hostage tapes, mocking their cowardice. (Why does is take 5 'brave' Muslim guys to kill one trussed-up infidel?)

Music videos lampooning the hysteria of burning a McDonalds down in Pakistan over a rumor of Mohammad being caricatured.

Mockery will undermine Islam's dogmatic follies as much as rational insight in books will expose its anti-intellectual imperialism.

Spread the response.

Energize all fronts.

Creativity is anti-Islam.

Let's use every weapon.

Posted by: profitsbeard [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 30, 2006 6:25 PM

In a prior thread, for which I won't waste the time looking, I posted an article from a Pakistani newspaper that said freedom of speech is Western intellectual terrorism being waged on Muslims.

Posted by: Lisa [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 30, 2006 7:23 PM

Lisa-

One of the Mohammad cartoon protesters (London? Pakistan?) had a placard that read:

"Free Speech Is Western Terrorism".

Do I hear the Koran crying?

Posted by: profitsbeard [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 30, 2006 9:35 PM

There are two models that come to mind for implementing such a scheme. One is the Open Books project concept, promoted by the technical publishers OReilly & Associates. The concept is a nifty one, and the rationale for implementing such a scheme is laid out here

http://openbook.oreilly.com/

If there is a desire to make such an undertaking financially self-sustaining, another model within OReilly is the subscriber based safari service. That way, books would still be accessible to the the audience, but unlike in a library, this time for a fee.

http://safari.oreilly.com/

The advantage of the latter is that for a nominal fee,as the number of subscribers is increased, this makes available funds to do the above tasks of translating the above works into other languages that make them accessible to infidels and mohammedans worldwide. Another way of defraying some of the costs would be for volunteers proficient in other languages to translate these books, and thereby donate time and effort instead of cash.

I don't know whether Mr Bruno has looked into either of the above models, but this would be worth looking into.

It would also make material easily availble. While in the US this may not be so big an issue, it is important for infidels worldwide to access the books mentioned above. Also, publications from other countries, which may be difficult to obtain here in the US, could be made available here. An example of this would be the various online books available on the Voice of Dharma

http://www.voi.org/books.html

Another suggestion: while Mohammedans distribute Qurans like confetti, they don't do that with ahadith and siras. Therefore, it would be a great idea to have English versions of the above online for infidels to get an advanved look at them before they get trapped into Islam.

From the above article

NOTE: The following list of books is based solely on my own subjective views. The authors have not been consulted about whether they would agree to publish their books on the Internet, and it is quite possible that some of them might object to this. However, it is likely that several of them would agree to this, provided that they get adequate financial compensation for this.

Robert, has supporting such an online enterprise for an appropriate compensation crossed your mind?

Posted by: Infidel Pride [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 30, 2006 10:52 PM

I think it's a great idea, it'd end up on all blog's plus alot of other places on the net.

If the authors can't afford to give away the income, maybe we could paypal chapter's of the various books we liked etc.

Posted by: meredith [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 12:46 AM

Profitsbeard,

"One of the Mohammad cartoon protesters (London? Pakistan?) had a placard that read:

"Free Speech Is Western Terrorism"."

Yes, London, Pakistan (in at least one protest), and Egypt...those are the ones I can recall where variations on that slogan appeared.

BTW, I enjoy the wit in your posts.

Re: attention-getters like the cartoons being followed up with more detailed, factual material...I agree. This is a strategy that should be implemented. As it is now, we have a lot of information on the net, but we need those attention-getters that will provoke people to learn more.

------------------------------

Re: Libraries on the net.

We need to compile and categorize information according to key issues, with all the information referenced properly. That is, we need an INDEX. There are certain issues that come up, for example, where we don't have all the facts in a basket on hand, so to speak. One issue that comes up in debates regards Islam's bloody history. It would be useful to have on hand a list of all the Islamic battles, right up to the present-day, with a brief description of each, with an estimate (where available) of the death toll, and the total death toll, from Islam's 1400-year history. I have read that approximately 70 million Hindus have been killed in imperialist jihads (i.e., for purely Islamic ideologically-based motive) in India within a 250-year span, but I do not have the source handy. (I believe it may be in Bostom's The Legacy of Jihad, but I haven't got that book yet). We (all of us interested in educating the public) should have all these facts compiled, with proper sources (otherwise, it will not be believed; it will be dismissed as hype). Everything has to be prepared before entering a debate.

Another issue is "it's all about the Wahhabis." To refute this, one can document all the instances throughout the world where there is sharia law, violent jihad, and other types of jihad (economic, socio-cultural, legal, political, demographic), and provide a breakdown country-by-country, labelled by Islamic sect, to show, in a very thorough and overwhelming way, that it is not merely the Wahhabis that are the source of the troubles.

The on-line Library I envision would be basically like this (this is merely a suggestion):

Categories.

Status of Non-Muslims Generally.
-Policy: Koran, Hadith, Sira. Islamic Law.
-History
-Present conditions
-Present-day Muslim organizations' activities

Status of People of Other Religions: Christians, Jews, and "Idolaters."
-Policy: Koran, Hadith, Sira. Islamic Law.
-History
-Present-day conditions in the world
-Present-day Muslim organizations' activities

Status of Muslims Generally
(content format as above)

The Ultimate Goal of Islam
(...as above)

Jihad
(as above)

Slavery
(as above)

Women
(as above)

...

This is essentially an encyclopedia of Islamic ideology and practice. Robert's P.I.G. actually captures much of this material in about 231 pages, and is therefore a very handy reference. What I am envisioning is essentially a huge archive, with everything categorized for easy access while working on computer and on the net.

Lots of this material is already out there, though much of it is not on the net, and much of it cannot be accessed quickly, efficiently, all in one place. Organization is the key. Huge amounts of information need to be summarized and condensed. Time is of the essence. Thorough well-prepared arguments are needed to gain the traction with which to influence policy-makers, our various institutions, and the general public.
Such a project is full-time work and requires plenty of funding.

Posted by: Archimedes [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 12:48 AM

Yes, Robert, Yes! This is the best idea I have heard yet.

Count on my help and support!

My personal library includes most of the works you have quoted and I have been lending them to coworker and friends on a continual basis.

I think that translation to major languages especially Far Eastern is key.

Bravo let's get to it. Global solidarity and knowledge.

Posted by: El Cid [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 1:07 AM

One of the most important things that could be put online for people who want to understand Islam would be a Chronological Koran. Now I know there is no single authoritative chronology of the Koran, but Ali Sina of faithfreedom.org offered up a pretty useful one. I've already started on one at my blog. The next step is to assemble a chronological Koran that is presented in parallel with the matching ahadith and siras.

The most important reason for such an arrangement of the Koran, available in a reliable English translation to anyone who wants to read it, is that a presentation like this is necessary in order to understand what abrogation really means, how the peaceful verses in the Koran get cancelled out by the end of it. The second reason is that it would allow readers to understand the whole story of Mohammed's exemplary life from the ahadith and siras, and how he went from used camel salesman to conduit of angelic pronouncements to prophet, bandit chieftan, mass murderer, rapist, and child molester. It's not like it's hidden in the text. It's out there in plain sight if you only look.

Exposure and innoculation is the most powerful weapon we have against the slave-taker's seductive lies.


Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Matthew 7:15-16

Posted by: Pangloss [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 1:16 AM

Interesting.

The online library you propose will provide ideological support for both the ji- and the antiji- had.

Ahh, the mysteries of the open-source Internet......

Posted by: jehana [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 3:22 AM

I dont think this approach will really help so much because :

The vast majority of the Islamic world are neither online or literate:

Even if they were trying to educate the islamic masses is a non starter as , like the brainwashed cult members that they are , they will just ignore any rational argument.

I am not saying that it should not be done I am just saying that it will , in my opinion , BE INEFECTIVE

The solution in the end will be a MILITARY solution - history teaches us this lesson.

Posted by: johnmac [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 3:39 AM

johnmac: "The vast majority of the Islamic world are neither online or literate:"

I was thinking the same thing but apparently enough of them have online access to make the internet tool a formidable recruitment tool for the jihad itself. In any case, the target of this effort, according to Bruno is the infidel world:

“The key to winning this struggle is not to engage the silent majority in the Islamic world, but to mobilize the silent majority in the West and in the infidel world, and perhaps the minority of ex-Muslims within the Islamic world.”

Archimedes: “We need to compile and categorize information according to key issues, with all the information referenced properly. That is, we need an INDEX. There are certain issues that come up, for example, where we don't have all the facts in a basket on hand, so to speak”

I am in 100% agreement. A detailed rebuttal to every issue that comes up in debate ( “there is no compulsion in religion” being a good recent example vis a vis the Abdul Rahman case) should be instantly accessible to anyone via a quick link not only for the purpose of online debate but also as a reference for journalists writing about islam and for ordinary citizens to print out and have on hand when engaging the taquiyya masters in local “interfaith dialogues”.


Posted by: Caroline [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 7:24 AM

Caroline wrote:

'I am in 100% agreement. A detailed rebuttal to every issue that comes up in debate ( “there is no compulsion in religion” being a good recent example vis a vis the Abdul Rahman case) should be instantly accessible to anyone via a quick link not only for the purpose of online debate but also as a reference for journalists writing about Islam and for ordinary citizens to print out and have on hand when engaging the taquiyya masters in local “interfaith dialogues”.'

For that reason alone I would support this idea.

An open source site, with categorised sections for ease of reference, is just what is needed.

Profitsbeard wrote:


One of the Mohammad cartoon protesters (London? Pakistan?) had a placard that read:

"Free Speech Is Western Terrorism".


Have you seen that picture of a masked protestor from the recent demonstrations holding a placard that reads:

‘Behead those who say Islam is violent’

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/2779/ironyatitsbest3vh.jpg

Posted by: Xeno [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 8:35 AM

Pangloss,

"The next step is to assemble a chronological Koran that is presented in parallel with the matching ahadith and siras."

This would certainly be useful to have.

Matching hadith is found in some tafsirs of the Koran, such as Ibn Kathir's http://www.tafsir.com/
That site is good, but the link for some reason has a tendency to go down a lot. Kathir used the Koran itself and hadith to construct his interpretations. Kathir often provides the historical context as well.

Re chonological order of the Koran. I believe this has already been done, has it not?

Posted by: Archimedes [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 12:49 PM

I don't have the business training to say a lot about it, but even if its not free, possibly online ordering using the referring website as a consignment outlet for the publishers.

Posted by: daveconcerned [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 3:06 PM

This is an idea whose time has come as well as being an idea that is long overrdue.


This will save SOOOOOOO much space on my hard drive, especially if it is formatted as Archimedes suggest. My husband who doesn't have the luxury of JihadWatching as much as I do, always asks me questions and sometimes I can't find the info I had just read earlier in the day. So I created tons of files on my computer. But it is definitely a mish-mash of links and postings. Who has time for organizing all of that?

I like the idea of Western governments doing this on the sly, but it would have to be such a black project since most of us reading here have seen how easily infiltrated our governments have become by people that think the West and capitalism are evil as well as by islamists themselves.

I would LOVE my tax dollars to support'Operation Theo Van Gogh' or 'Operation Asma bint Marwan'. That's a hell of a lot better than the BILLIONS of jizya that has gone to those that hate us and want to have us submit to the moon god and his pedaphile prophet. I think I'll email Tancredo right now.


Posted by: No_Mooselimbs [TypeKey Profile Page] at March 31, 2006 7:20 PM

There are books critical of Islam that are off copyright. I placed the entire text to Andre Servier's Islam and the Psychology of the Musulman. I also have it in PDF and DOC format for anyone who would like to make it available.

Islam and the Psychology (Mind) of the Musulman by Andre Servier

Posted by: John Sobieski [TypeKey Profile Page] at April 3, 2006 6:02 PM

Just wanted to let you know that Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam is now available online. A dedicated website has been created to facilitate Internet distribution of the book: Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam.

My recent article discussing this development is: Iraqi-Kurdistan: Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam published on the Internet.

Posted by: Charles Chapman [TypeKey Profile Page] at April 4, 2006 8:55 PM

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