Recently I was interviewed by The Conservative Book Club about my new book The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS. Get the paperback here and the kindle edition here.
“The Origins and Solutions to Defeating ISIS (Author Interview),” by Christopher N. Malagisi, Conservative Book Club, n.d.:
Congratulations Mr. Spencer on your new book, The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS! Can you give us an overview of your book, and what was your inspiration in writing it?
This book contains everything Barack Obama doesn’t want you to know about ISIS: who they are, where they came from, what they believe, what they hope to accomplish, how they are going about accomplishing their goals, and how they can be stopped.
My inspiration in writing it was a desire to clear away the fog of misinformation and disinformation from the Administration and the mainstream media regarding ISIS.
What three takeaways would you like readers to leave with after reading your book?
- ISIS is the most purely evil force the U.S. has faced since the Soviets and the Nazis.
- It is, like the Nazis, going to keep advancing until it is stopped by force.
- Contrary to Obama, it is very Islamic, and that is why it has made so many recruits among Muslims worldwide.
Where did ISIS come from exactly?
It is the old al-Qaeda in Iraq group led in the early 2000s by Zarqawi. It broke with al-Qaeda over questions of tactics – particularly over whether or not a caliphate should be immediately established in Iraq. Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda leadership wanted an Iraqi caliphate but thought that if it were established prematurely, the U.S. would destroy it.
The ISIS leadership differed, and established their caliphate. So far, they’ve been proven right: the U.S. hasn’t destroyed it.
If you could advise the presidential candidates on the GOP side, what advice would you give them on handling ISIS? What’s the strategy for degrading and eventually defeating ISIS?
Tell the truth about who they are and what they’re trying to do. Reconfigure our international alliances to eliminate self-defeating ties to jihad-enabling countries such as Pakistan; strengthen our alliances with nations that are threatened by jihad. Build with them a coalition of ground forces to destroy ISIS.
Don’t repeat the mistakes of the second Iraq war in the aftermath: eschew Wilsonian nation-building adventures and don’t endorse a Sharia constitution. Stand for American principles instead. Address the ISIS ideology at home, calling upon mosques and Islamic organizations to institute honest programs teaching against the ISIS understanding of Islam, or face surveillance and investigation.
Tell us a little more about yourself!
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- Favorite Movie: Apocalypse Now
- Favorite TV Show: Breaking Bad
- Favorite Food: Everything I should know better than to eat
- Favorite Drink: Vodka and tonic
- Favorite Band: The John Coltrane Quintet with Eric Dolphy
- Favorite US elected official: Mayor Steven Choi of Irvine, California
- Where do you get your news from primarily? The Interwebs
- If you could meet any person, dead or alive, who would it be? Emperor Manuel II Paleologos
- What do you do for fun? Watch baseball. Write preposterous short stories. Wish I could play the saxophone better.
What books, authors, or conservative-themed books, influenced your political philosophy and outlook on life?
- Whittaker Chambers, Witness
- Alan Drury, the Advise and Consent series, especially Come Nineveh, Come Tyre
- George Orwell, 1984
- T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets
- Ali Dashti, 23 Years
- The Qur’an



Liam1304 says
I going to buy that book!
Lia Wissing says
Bought & read the book – brilliant! Gives one hope that this monstrous mafia can be eradicated.
Shane says
Of course, ISIS can be destroyed, if we elect a President with the will to destroy it, which means vote for the GOP candidate next year and give him or her a GOP Congress.
logoman says
Yes. Really very frustrating to watch Obama’s lack of action. His intelligence advisors must be very frustrated that he still insists on calling Islam a Religion of Peace..
Huck Folder says
Everyone: If you cannot afford to buy this book, please check if your library has it in its current catalog.
If it is not there, or not at your branch, request it, usually the title is enough, or add the author’s name.
If you wish, you can add either the ISBN-10 or the ISBN-13 book number.
“The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS Paperback – August 24, 2015, by Robert Spencer (Author)
Published by Regnery Publishing (August 24, 2015), ISBN-10: 1621574539, ISBN-13: 978-1621574538”
jihad3tracker says
THANK YOU, HUCK, FOR A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT ROBERT’S NEW BOOK —- PUBLIC LIBRARY DISTRIBUTION.
A generalization here, but one which I am convinced is true: librarians (who likely have a Leftist privilege guilt worldview) are nonetheless open to solid arguments in opposition to their POVs.
So, when requesting that the book be added to catalog holdings, gently mention “religion of peace” misconceptions — and how perhaps even humble YOU have come to see reality about Islam during weeks or months reading Jihad Watch.
Mo says
@ Huck Folder
“Everyone: If you cannot afford to buy this book, please check if your library has it in its current catalog.”
Thank you for this idea. I’ve been unemployed/under-employed for years now. Right now I have about $9 to my name. Obviously, I can’t afford much of anything right now.
Huck Folder says
Interesting, Indigo/Coles/Chapters lists Robert’s book,
but online only. Are they afraid that physical copies
would inflame certain delicate sensitivities?
If readers can spare the time to go and ask for this
at their bookstore(s), maybe that would generate
a ‘buzz’.
When I requested a copy of the Charlie Hebdo
‘survival’ printing, I was told that all 200 Canadian copies
had gone to Quebec. Why didn’t Canada receive
at least 2,000 or 20,000 copies?
A form of cencorship?
mortimer says
No more Sharia-based constitutions.
No more Sharia-based law.
mortimer says
Politicians, police, teachers, and social workers need to read ROBERT SPENCER’S BOOKS BEFORE they read the Koran (which is obscure, contradictory and amoral).
Robert Spencer’s books bring clarity to a complex and intentionally confusing mishmash of Bronze Age philosophy that is the materialistic, misogynistic, misanthropic morass of the Koran, hadiths and Sira…the hideously ugly and amoral basis of Islam.
Islam is enslavement…no more, no less.
Michael Copeland says
Islam, enslavement?
Why, yes, muslims proudly say so themselves: “We are slaves of Allah”.
Allah is Lord of This World, the Greatest of Deceivers.
KD says
I thought I would post this from the comment section 1st thing before I go to bed. I’d like to see some of you have to say about the following comment .
John W. Morehead
21 days ago
For a counterpoint readers might be interested in the perspective of John Azumah in an essay also published in First Things. He challenged sola scriptura approaches to interpreting the Qur’an in relation to violence, whether Muslim or Christian, when he wrote:
“Those who argue that jihadi groups represent the “essence” of Islam actually reflect a very Western way of
thinking. Wittingly or unwittingly, they presume a scripturalist interpretation of Islam, imagining that we can explain Islamic terrorism by drawing a straight line between authoritative texts and the actions of jihadists. To prove their point, these Islam-is-the-problem critics tend to link specific acts of jihadi groups to a string of references from Islamic scripture, traditions, legal texts, and Muslim scholarly opinions. Perversely, this sola scriptura approach is no different from the jihadists’ own “Qur’an and sunna alone” approach.”
Jay Boo says
Not all Muslims own sex slaves.
I get that.
Yet Islam fully condones it.
The MSM should at very least acknowledge the endless filth that Muslims are actively encouraged to commit (today) through the Qur’an and using the ‘example’ of Muhammad’s sordid life as a way for all Muslims to behave.
No Fear says
“The Nazi Party is Hitler. Hitler is Germany, Germany is Hitler. Sieg Heil ! Sieg Heil ! ”
Rudolf Hess on Nazism
Michael Copeland says
The Koran is part of Islamic law.
Islamic law is not optional.
A straight line can indeed be drawn between Koranic instructions, like “Kill the non-muslims wherever you find them” (9:5) and jihadi actions.
Denying any verse is a capital offence.
The killing punishment can be done, vigilante style, by anyone without penalty.
See Manual of Islamic Law, “Reliance of the Traveller” o8.4.
The Manual is a free download.
Mirren10 says
In reply to KD’s posting of the comment made by Morehead.
I would like to ask Morehead, what he thinks the difference is between the actions of groups such as IS, Boko Haram et al, and how muslim majority countries implement sharia.
All of them implement sharia to some degree, including punishments for ‘blasphemy’ ( Asia Bibi is on death row in Pakistan for ‘blaspheming’ mohammed). All of them flog, imprison, amputate, behead, and persecute non-muslims.
And they all do it in reference to the koran, the hadith, and sira.
So, what’s the difference, Morehead ?
KD says
Mirren,
Thank you for your reply. You can ask him. His comments are in response to the article why did the Isis caliph rape Kayla muller. You can find thr article @ first things. If I recall, you are a former Muslim.
Kd
Mirren10 says
” If I recall, you are a former Muslim. ”
??!!
Nope.
Mirren10 says
I went to first things, and left a comment for Morehead. I doubt I’ll get a reply, however, since this (his comment) was over 21 days ago.
No, I’m not a former muslim. Where did you get that idea ?
KD says
Mirren,
I confused you for someone else. My apologies!!!
KD
KD says
Mirren,
I confused you with someone else. I apologize!!
KD
Mirren10 says
No worries. 🙂
Don McKellar says
John Azumah is trying to discredit and equate those critics of Islam who point out the facts and direct link between what Islam texts say and what the most devout moslems practice as being just as wrong as the moslems practicing Islam as literally as possible! That doesn’t make even a tiny little bit of sense.
Is those observer and factual commentator wrong when correctly reporting their observation as accurately as possible? No. the Koran and the hadiths say what they say, and these people are doing it as literally as possible. Just because it makes John Azumah uncomfortable, and he thinks these texts should be interpreted with more nuance, these facts aren’t changed. The observer and reporter of these facts remains correct. The texts say what they say and ISIS and all the rest are doing what they’re doing. Period.
voegelinian says
“this sola scriptura approach is no different from the jihadists’ own “Qur’an and sunna alone” approach.”
First of all, Koran + Sunna is not analogous to “sola scriptura” — what would be analogous to “sola scriptura” in Islam would be Koran only; and there exist no Koran-only Muslims (except a smattering of Muslims pretending to be Koran-only and therefore lying to us about it).
Secondly, what other kind of Islam is there that Muslims practice, other than one massively informed by Koran + Sunna (with Sunna including hadiths, tafsirs, and fiqh)…? If you can describe in detail an Islam that does not massively require Koran + Sunna, with evidence to back up your claim, I may begin to be persuaded.
KD says
V.
Thanks for your post. I made no claim. I just found the quote. I’m on your side. ?
KD
gravenimage says
KD wrote, quoting John Morehead:
“Those who argue that jihadi groups represent the “essence” of Islam actually reflect a very Western way of
thinking. Wittingly or unwittingly, they presume a scripturalist interpretation of Islam, imagining that we can explain Islamic terrorism by drawing a straight line between authoritative texts and the actions of jihadists. To prove their point, these Islam-is-the-problem critics tend to link specific acts of jihadi groups to a string of references from Islamic scripture, traditions, legal texts, and Muslim scholarly opinions. Perversely, this sola scriptura approach is no different from the jihadists’ own “Qur’an and sunna alone” approach.”
…………………………………..
Good God, what rot. The Jihadists *themselves* claim–correctly–that they act on the basis of Islamic scripture and the model of the “Prophet”.
Note the last line: the idea that Anti-Jihadists are–somehow–just like Jihadists because they understand that pious Muslims act on the texts of Islam.
This would be, of course, like saying that Winston Churchill is just like the Fascists because he understands that Nazis acted on the ideology of Adolph Hitler.
Anent to this: note that Robert Spencer cites the Qur’an as one of the books that most “influenced [his] political philosophy and outlook on life”. This does not, of course, mean that Spencer likes the Qur’an or believes in the verite of its contents–just that opposing the evil of the Qur’an and its influence on its vicious followers shapes so much of the course he has bravely chosen to pursue.
rob says
Robert
Can I take this opportunity to record my personal thanks for your untiring work.
Rob
David says
Congratulations on your new book.
I liked the interview and would agree with many of Robert’s ideas. Also I wish to add that collective worldwide security should make it international law to ban war and that all schools in all countries around the world should be taught the oneness and equality of all men and women that we are all one race regardless of belief , race or nationality and that we should see all men as brothers and regard none as enemies and try and eliminate prejudice from the face of the earth which is the cause of so much hatred and wars.
Also the issue of extremes of wealth and poverty needs to be addressed because poverty is also a cause of extremism and war. With everyone receiving a good education and work available to all there is no need to join extremists causes to feed one’s family as high unemployment amongst youth is proven to be a cause of terrorism recruitment.
ISIS I agree need to be copletely destroyed militarily but the idea of religious extremism needs to be outlawed. You should be free to believe in anything as long as it does not harm, kill or injure others.
Preachers who preach peace and goodwill are to be welcomed but preachers of any faith who preach hatred, prejudice or incitement of violence against others need to be severely dealt with.
Raja says
You sound sooo good !!! Are you Cameron by any chance? Politicians have the uncanny knack to jump on to any bandwagon, more so Robert Spencer’s…
Mirren10 says
‘David’ thinks poverty and lack of education is why muslims join ‘extremist’ groups.
What a load of shite.
Look at the backgrounds of the jihadists, ‘David’.
Huck Folder says
David
“Preachers who [outwardly?] preach peace and goodwill
are to be welcomed but preachers OF ANY FAITH
[equivocate? much?] who preach hatred, prejudice
or incitement of violence against others
need to be severely dealt with.”
Ibn Kathir on BoH™ 3:28:
Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Ad-Darda’ said,
“We smile in the face of some people
although our hearts curse them.”
gravenimage says
David wrote:
Congratulations on your new book.
I liked the interview and would agree with many of Robert’s ideas. Also I wish to add that collective worldwide security should make it international law to ban war…
………………………………
That sounds good, but what do you do if someone–like, say, violent Muslims–decide to violate this ban, and wage war? Then the only way to stop them is not to roll over, but to defend oneself.
But David–who is Baha’i–appears to be saying that we would be as bad as Muslims if we defended ourselves.
More:
…and that all schools in all countries around the world should be taught the oneness and equality of all men and women that we are all one race regardless of belief , race or nationality and that we should see all men as brothers and regard none as enemies and try and eliminate prejudice from the face of the earth which is the cause of so much hatred and wars.
………………………………
What do you do when one of those beliefs includes Islam, which teaches the violent supremacy of its adherents over “filthy Infidels”?
More:
Also the issue of extremes of wealth and poverty needs to be addressed because poverty is also a cause of extremism and war. With everyone receiving a good education and work available to all there is no need to join extremists causes to feed one’s family as high unemployment amongst youth is proven to be a cause of terrorism recruitment.
………………………………
What rot. Well-educated Muslims–including those educated in the free West–are even *more* likely to wage violent Jihad than their more illiterate and impoverished coreligionists.
EL says
Comparing ISIS to the Soviets? Sorry totally disagree, ISIS is more like the Khmer Rouge. The Soviets were no angels but i wouldn’t say they were evil. Come off it.
Jack Diamond says
Tell that to the 60 or 70 million victims of the Soviet gulags.
Plamen says
“EL”, you are just out of this Earth.
Soviets were Three times as evil as the Nazis.
Period.
No Fear says
I once worked for a Ukrainian man whose family were killed, along with an estimated 20 million, by Josef Stalin.
He said the Nazis were pussies compared to Uncle Joe Stalin. My boss went on to get an MBE award. Very nice man , a joy to know.
Mirren10 says
To EL.
Stalin murdered 30 million Kulaks.
You come off it.
dumbledoresarmy says
Rather off topic…but given that Mr Spencer in the above interview has mentioned that his favourite TV show was/ is “Breaking Bad”.
I didn’t watch that show myself, but my *husband* did and enjoyed it very much.
Jack Diamond says
Robert, you might enjoy this reminiscence of “Apocalypse Now” between Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Sheen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BkChat11cE
Mo says
@ Dumbledoresarmy
“Rather off topic…but given that Mr Spencer in the above interview has mentioned that his favourite TV show was/ is “Breaking Bad”.
I didn’t watch that show myself, but my *husband* did and enjoyed it very much.”
It wasn’t easy viewing at times, but it was excellent. It’s one of the greatest depictions of the truth that “the wages of sin is death” that I’ve ever seen put on a screen. (Some people seemed to take it as the villain being the hero of the story. But that just serves to demonstrate the inverted morality of our current culture.)
voegelinian says
Breaking Bad was a riveting show, excellently directed, written, and acted; however, its worldview was heavily imbued with, and indulged, a pop nihilism a tad too glibly plunging the viewer into the dark side. By the final few episodes, the lead character had transformed from an interestingly tortured tragic figure into a preposterous Machina ex Agonistes…
Incek Mahallesi says
Voeg:
“By the final few episodes, the lead character had transformed from an interestingly tortured tragic figure into a preposterous Machina ex Agonistes…”
Says the CJ Guru/Roger bin Ebert of Jihadwatch, who opined on these pages many months ago about the PCMC imbued “American Sniper”…without having seen the movie!
So…did you ever see the flick, Voegy? Never caught the “other review” you offered up on these pages…or did I miss it due to being involved in reading bonified film critics’ reviews of AS, which I then used to measure my thoughts on the whole affair which were….Ta Da!: that the movie wasn’t in the slightest PCMC.
Incek Mahallesi says
By the way, I really hate to give a plug here for Voeg’s lousy blog, but if you want to read a truly agonizing account of the American Sniper Imbroglio that went on in these pages some months ago, hold your nose and go to his site for some very bad reasoning/victim mongering and sharp cheddar-level cheeziness.
voegelinian says
Incek can go fuck himself sideways.
Incek Mahallesi says
“Incek can go fuck himself sideways.”
____________________________
Nice. Great language. Keep it up, Doc.
And keep it classy, San Diego.
Toodles!
IM
Matthieu Baudin says
“…Tell the truth about who they are and what they’re trying to do. Reconfigure our international alliances to eliminate self-defeating ties to jihad-enabling countries such as Pakistan; strengthen our alliances with nations that are threatened by jihad. Build with them a coalition of ground forces to destroy ISIS…”
He’s hit the nail right on the head; everyone should sit up and listen.
ECAW says
I see the “how to” defeat ISIS but not the “why to”.
Could it not be argued that ISIS are doing us in the West a favour by:
1. Damaging, and possibly destroying, Islam in its heartland
2. Alerting us to the danger of Islam generally, including the more deadly stealth variety as practised by The Muslim Brotherhood type groups.
duh_swami says
Robert Spencer deserves a black belt in truth telling. Only the tough need apply…In the cage fight between truth tellers and liars, Robert wins every time…
I bin reading and posting here since 2003, and have never caught Robert in a lie…If you can, buy all his books, make a collection of them…
IQ al Rassooli says
David
Preachers who preach peace and goodwill are to be welcomed but preachers of any faith who preach hatred, prejudice or incitement of violence against others need to be severely dealt with.
Using your own train of thought EVERY mosque & Madrassah should be CLOSED because they teach HATE ALL the time
Your following comments show COMPLETE lack of understanding Muslims: Also the issue of extremes of wealth and poverty needs to be addressed because poverty is also a cause of extremism and war.
Because the TERRORISTS of 911/ 7/7 London and most of the others were committed by very EDUCATED and well fed Muslims
You really need to LEARN much more from Robert Spencer
IQ al Rassooli
Kafir & Proud!
Axel Grealy says
IQ al Rassooli
If these mosques and madrassahs are teaching/preaching the koran, then they are teaching/preaching hate, supremacism, violence, deceit and oppression all of the time.
Major Kangaroo says
It was real cool to get some back story on Mr. Spencer . You should try Pink Floyd , Never mind that Roger Waters is an idiot .
Logoman says
Yes a great read indeed. Highly recommend it especially to those who still call this a religion of Peace and that they pose no threat. Well done Mr Spencer – keep up the fight!