A fine review of my new book from il miglior fabbro, Daniel Greenfield.
“Robert Spencer Looks Squarely at ISIS,” by Daniel Greenfield, FrontPage, September 7, 2015:
To order “The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS,” click here.
“Speaking freely about Islam is clearly more risky. But difficult questions must be asked and answered—if the West is going to face the terrorist threat adequately. For if there are elements of Islam itself that engender violence, it is neither irresponsible nor hateful to say so.”
Robert Spencer wrote those words in the opening of “Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions about the World’s Fastest-Growing Faith.” It was 2002 and we were all on a terrible journey into a different world leaving behind the peace that we thought we had earned a right to in the aftermath of the Cold War.
Beginning with “Islam Unveiled,” Robert Spencer would be our guide in this world. His books charted the development of the threat. A decade ago, he wrote “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam.” Now he has written “The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS.” And it, like all his many books, are motivated by, as he wrote in Islam Unveiled, the need “to look squarely at what the West is really up against.”
The rise of ISIS has dismantled many of the politically correct pieties that Robert Spencer has spent so much time deconstructing. ISIS may be the first almost fully honest Islamic terrorist organization because its worldview is not rooted in the stealth Jihad of an extended campaign against a stronger West practiced by Muslim Brotherhood front groups and the Brotherhood’s Al Qaeda splinter, but of an apocalyptic conquest in which the triumph of Islam is so imminent that there is no more need for Taqiyya.
ISIS has so effectively crushed the politically correct myths about Islam that the establishment has been sent reeling into deeper levels of denial. Politicians throw tantrums and refuse to call the Islamic State by its name. They insist that it’s a group of psychotic nihilists that have nothing to do with Islam. And yet Muslims around the world have flocked to its black banner. They claim that admitting the truth about ISIS aids the terrorists and that the only way to defeat the Islamic State is through vigorous denials.
While they huddle behind their flimsy shelters of lies, once again, our invaluable guide steps into the breach with another book, exposing the myths about ISIS and revealing what its existence means for Islam and a besieged free world.
Beginning with its origins, Robert Spencer charts the rise of ISIS from long before Obama was insisting that the terror group was a jayvee team. He demonstrates that ISIS is not an aberration, but part of a historical continuity with groups such as the Assassins and more recent precedents in the Wahhabi forces of Saudi Arabia. “Al Qaeda is simply an especially virulent outgrowth of Wahhabism. And ISIS is just an especially virulent outgrowth of Al Qaeda,” Spencer points out.
While Obama, Kerry and Cameron insist that ISIS is something unique and deviant with no basis in Islam, Robert Spencer details its links to Islamic theology using the words and writings of its own leaders. But more importantly he brings out the Islamic subtext that serves as the background grammar for all the terror group’s tactical and philosophical discussions to demonstrate that not only is ISIS not “un-Islamic,” but its entire worldview is thoroughly saturated with Islamic theology.
There would be no ISIS without Islam.
Contrary to the claims that ISIS is hijacking Islam, the Islamic State is actually trying to realize it. The frame of reference of its leaders is the Koran. Their geopolitics is neither the modern frame of conservatives nor the post-modern one of liberals, but a retroactive mythical history of the Koran.
ISIS is not hijacking the Koran. It is living the Koran. When it beheads, enslaves and conquers, it is following Mohammed’s mandate. Its level of brutality is only unprecedented in our time, but not in the historical space in which Islam originated which the Islamic State is striving to recreate.
Robert Spencer examines the “lone wolf attacks” in America, Europe and Canada that were guided and inspired by ISIS. Once again he locates the Islamic roots of each attack disproving efforts to blame foreign policy, mental illness and the usual range of excuses that are routinely used to cover up acts of Islamic terrorism. Spencer finds that each attacker had a worldview grounded in Islamic theology.
Likewise the disputes between ISIS and other Islamic terrorist groups are not a sign that the former is extremist and the latter moderate, but represent a power struggle between various organizations. Robert Spencer details some of these disputes, the theological stakes in them and their outcome.
Taken together, “The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS” forms a comprehensive picture of the structure, tactics and threat that the Islamic State poses to non-Muslims and the West. It is a picture that not only ties together the terror group’s different arms and tactics, but that also explains its worldview on its own terms.
Robert Spencer’s long career has been dedicated to warning us about the process that broke apart the old Islamic structure and made way for new Islamic groups struggling to regain what had been lost. ISIS is the most significant evolution in this effort to resurrect the Caliphate and yet it is a natural outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda. Its existence proves once again the value and importance of his scholarly work at a time when our own government is more determined than ever to ignore it.
Obama has tossed aside the study of the roots of Islamic violence for the promotion of appeasement toward what some call “political Islam”. A generation of law enforcement and military personnel is being left deliberately ignorant of the nature of the enemy and how its leaders and operatives plan and think. They are told that the answer lies not in understanding ISIS, but in collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood. “The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS” fills this empty space with a look at the Islamic State that is easy to understand for the casual readers and studious enough for the dedicated professional.
Like death and taxes, Islamic terrorism has become a part of our lives. Ever since September 11, its presence has been inescapable. As the evolution of the Jihad continues, we can be confident that Robert Spencer will continue dedicatedly documenting it as he has been doing all these years.

cs says
D. Greenfield really knows what Robert is talking about.
Lia Wissing says
I’ve also bought & read the book: it not only tells the truth about now, but holds out hope for the future.
Jay Boo says
Obama’s snake
Look! the snake is shedding its skin.
The fangs of Islam are so full of anticipation that they can no longer hide the dripping venom. This Serpent cannot hold back the desire to rattle its tail, but Obo is still not listening. He believes the snake will not bite the hand that feeds it. He enjoys being wrapped ever so tightly in the warm embrace of Islam’s snake. He basks in the comforting feeling of being desired as the ever tightening coils caress his ribcage. It is so reassuring to know that one is truly wanted.
Angemon says
And still, some people prefer to denigrate those who want to talk about the elephant in the room.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
The rise of ISIS has dismantled many of the politically correct pieties that Robert Spencer has spent so much time deconstructing. ISIS may be the first almost fully honest Islamic terrorist organization…
From what I know ISIS, better called the New Caliphate, *is* the most honest Islamic terrorist organization. Except that the New Caliphate is not a terrorist organization, as such, they are a pure bred Islamic *activist* organization. In addition to the normal activities of mass murder and enslavement, they are a full fledged government as mandated by the Holy Ko-Ran. They provide healthcare services, police, and now a massive immigration agency that makes the one operated by Prez Barack Hussein.
This is why I like Caliph Ibrahim so much. His honesty is matched by his ambition. No bull, no quarter.
Incek Mahallesi says
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
“Sixteen Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) fighters who have contracted HIV from two Moroccan sex slaves were reportedly ordered to become suicide fighters.
ISIS “leadership is planning to assign suicide attacks for its militants who are tested positive with AIDS,” said an activist in the Syrian city al-Mayadeen, Afghanistan’s Khaama Press reported.
The doctor who was forced to treat the infected ISIS fighters said they were quarantined by the group’s leadership once tests confirmed they were carrying the HIV virus, adds the report.
“The doctor whose identity has not be revealed further added that the men were treated at an ISIS-run hospital in the eastern-Syrian city of Al-Mayadeen,” noted Khaama Press.
The sixteen men, most of them foreign nationals, had unprotected sex with two Moroccan sex slaves, the unnamed doctor reportedly said, according to Syria’s independent press agency ARA News.
“Most of those infected are foreign militants who had sexual intercourses with two Moroccan women,” said the doctor. “The women passed on the disease to the militants before their infection was revealed.”
“We were ordered by the group’s local leadership to transfer the infected militants to a quarantine center in the city,” reportedly added the doctor.
The two Moroccan women escaped to Turkey “for fear of execution” by ISIS, according to the doctor.”
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/09/09/report-isis-orders-16-hiv-positive-jihadists-to-become-suicide-bombers/
gravenimage says
As always, Islam is eating its own.
sinantara says
revenge of the sex slaves. but soon we will learn that they were mossad agents.
sinantara says
revenge of the sex slaves. soon we will learn that they were mossad agents.
Angemon says
I guess we can imagine how the islamic version of “Philadelphia” ends: not with a whimper but a bang. Or boom, as in “kaboom”.
Now, how did those Moroccan girls got AIDS in the first place? Could it be how GI and/or Mirren postulated it would happen months ago?
Walter Sieruk says
A good description of the cruel ,vicious and murderous fiends who compose the brutal and deadly jihad entity ISIS is found in the Bible. For the Bible reads”The hearts of men are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live ,and afterwards they join the dead”‘ Ecclesiastes 9:3. [N.I.V.] For the ISIS villains are indeed wicked and insane. For example the callous character of ISIS are evil. This they have proven ,many times over, by their malicious and malice-filled ruthless murderous actions. The savages is mad in that they must really believe in the irrational Islamic daydream of establishing a caliphate and then using it as a base to conquer the world for Islam. The jihadists of ISIS have an unrealistic and deluded worldview. For their ISIS jihad is a false cause which has its foundation rooted in a false religion, which is Islam.
voegelinian says
…not only is ISIS not “un-Islamic,” but its entire worldview is thoroughly saturated with Islamic theology.
There would be no ISIS without Islam.
Contrary to the claims that ISIS is hijacking Islam, the Islamic State is actually trying to realize it.
These formulations by Greenfield are of course wonderfully preferable to the pap & drivel of the Western mainstream; however, after the formula “ISIS is Islamic” and “ISIS is trying realize Islam” we need to go further:
“Islam is ISIS — always has been, is, always will be.”
I.e., the assumption (whether explicit, in the mainstream, or implicit, in the Counter-Jihad) seems to be that ISIS is accidental and that whenever and wherever Islam does not behave like ISIS, it is (or could be) for Islamic reasons. No, the formula should be robustly merciless:
All Muslims follow an Islam that is essentially the same as ISIS, and the only reason any given Muslims are not behaving like ISIS at any given moment is not because they don’t want to or that their Islam does not fervently embody such goals & behavior – but only because temporary circumstances of weakness force them to behave in ways that seem more moderate.
Incek Mahallesi says
“I.e., the assumption (whether explicit, in the mainstream, or implicit, in the Counter-Jihad) seems to be that ISIS is accidental and that whenever and wherever Islam does not behave like ISIS, it is (or could be) for Islamic reasons. No, the formula should be robustly merciless.”
What a bunch of drivel! Don’t you ever get tired of your nonsense?!
Assumptions can neither be implicit nor explicit! What rubbish!
_________________________________________________
Go back to logic school, you pompous fool. Study and learn.
And stop spouting nonsense.
Angemon says
voegelinian posted:
“I.e., the assumption (whether explicit, in the mainstream, or implicit, in the Counter-Jihad) seems to be that ISIS is accidental and that whenever and wherever Islam does not behave like ISIS, it is (or could be) for Islamic reasons.”
Rubbish. Utter rubbish. There are plenty of people in the CJ movement who wrote articles and appeared on the MSM explaining that ISIS is islamic and not, as you claim “accidental”. Heck, they’ve written books on the subject.
I know your shtick (well, one of them) is to deride and undermine the CJ movement as being flawed and to try to pass off as the only viable alternative (which is kind of how cult leaders work), but it seems you’ve lost all notion of boundaries and are now in full deranged mode.
Angemon says
Also:
“All Muslims follow an Islam that is essentially the same as ISIS, and the only reason any given Muslims are not behaving like ISIS at any given moment is not because they don’t want to or that their Islam does not fervently embody such goals & behavior – but only because temporary circumstances of weakness force them to behave in ways that seem more moderate.”
And this coming from someone who berated others for making “sweeping assumptions without ever offering any evidence”…
Krishan Bhattacharya says
– il miglior fabbro
“the best blacksmith”
a reference to TS ELiot?
Semeru says
The image above is from Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir’s branch in Malaysia promoted its July 26, 2009 conference for a global Islamic Caliphate with an image of a “beheaded” Statue of Liberty and NYC in smoking ruins.
http://goo.gl/1bMf5G
gravenimage says
Semeru knows his Islamic references…
Angemon says
You mean, the knock-off of the poster for “Cloverfield”?
http://www.gstatic.com/tv/thumb/movieposters/172484/p172484_p_v7_aa.jpg
Originality was always in short supply among muslims. “Arabic numerals” my ass…
Matthieu Baudin says
“… Contrary to the claims that ISIS is hijacking Islam, the Islamic State is actually trying to realize it. The frame of reference of its leaders is the Koran. Their geopolitics is neither the modern frame of conservatives nor the post-modern one of liberals, but a retroactive mythical history of the Koran…”
Well said. It’s a highly reactionary year zero movement; the Kymer Rouge, in particular the Pol Pot faction, in a similar vein also built their political ideals upon a mythical conception of past glory – that of the ancient Kymer Civilisation which left us the vast Angkor ruins.
The review by Greenfield is excellent; must now go and purchase the book.
gravenimage says
Excellent review from Daniel Greenfield.
By the way, he blogs as Sultan Knish. His fine site is here:
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/
Mark says
https://youtu.be/t_Qpy0mXg8Y
Please share this video.
Ron Barak says
To Robert Spencer:
have you plans to translate “The Complete Infidel’s Guide to ISIS” to Hebrew?
May I offer my services as translator?
Ron Barak.
Peter Charles says
This most recent war started with thr EgyptAir flight 990 killing 100 Americans as the co-pilot flew it into the Atlantic off Nantuckett. The co-pilot was saying I put my trust in allah. Allahu akbar (allah is greatest ) not yet the battle cry. The infection spread from there, and we have yet to apply the necessary anti-biotic to kill the infection.
gravenimage says
Yeah–we could date the latest round of JIhad from this atrocity. But we could also make a case for the attack on the Cole in 2000, or from the Africa Embassy bombings in 1998,or the first bombing attack on the WTC in 1993, or the bomb attack on US barracks in Beirut in 1983.
There was a lot of violence from Muslims against Americans pre-9/11–its just that most of us (myself included) were not really paying enough attention to put it all together.
.