A direct correlation exists between Western ignorance of history and Western ignorance of Islam’s “troublesome” doctrines. It is this connection that allows Islam’s apologists to get away with so many distortions and outright lies meant to shield Islam.
Take Reza Aslan, CNN’s resident “cannibal”: he recently claimed that “Islamophobia” — defined by CAIR and others as “unfounded fear of and hostility towards Islam” — was created by a few “clowns” in 2014.
But Aslan’s lament is not that people were once ignorant but now are wise to Islam. Rather, he accuses a number of writers and activists — the aforementioned “clowns” — of manufacturing a menacing image of Islam, which, in turn, has prompted Western people to develop an “unfounded fear of and hostility towards Islam” — or, in a word, “Islamophobia.”
Such a claim relies on an obscene amount of historical ignorance. The fact is, Western peoples, including some of their luminaries, have portrayed Islam as a hostile and violent force from the very start — often in terms that would make today’s “Islamophobe” blush. And that wasn’t because Europeans were “recasting the other” to “validate their imperial aspirations” (to use the tired terminology of Edward Said that has long dominated academia’s treatment of Western-Muslim interactions). Rather, it was because, from the very start, Islam treated the “infidel” the same way ISIS treats the infidel: atrociously.
According to Muslim history, in 628, Muhammad summoned the Roman (or “Byzantine”) emperor, Heraclius — the symbolic head of “the West,” then known as “Christendom” — to submit to Islam; when the emperor refused, a virulent jihad was unleashed against the Western world. Less than 100 years later, Islam had conquered more than two-thirds of Christendom, and was raiding deep into France. While these far-reaching conquests are often allotted a sentence, if that, in today’s textbooks, the chroniclers of the time, including Muslim ones, make clear that these were cataclysmic events that had a traumatic effect on, and played no small part in forming, the unconquered portion of Christendom, which became Europe proper. As Ibn Khaldun famously put it after describing incessant Muslim raids for booty and slaves all along Europe’s Mediterranean coasts during the ninth and tenth centuries, “the Christians could no longer float a plank on the sea.” They took to the inlands, and the Dark Ages began.
But it wasn’t just what they personally experienced at the hands of Muslims that developed this ancient “phobia” to Islam. As far back as the eighth century, Islam’s scriptures and histories — the Koran, hadith, sira and maghazi literature — became available to those Christian communities living adjacent to, or even under the authority of, the caliphates. Based solely on these primary sources of Islam, Christians concluded that Muhammad was a (possibly demon possessed) false prophet who had very obviously concocted a creed to justify the worst depravities of man — for dominion, plunder, cruelty and carnality. This view prevailed for well over a millennium all over Europe (and till this day among “Islamophobes”); and it was augmented by the fact that Muslims were still, well over a millennium, invading Christian territories, plundering them, and abducting their women and children. The United States’ first brush with Islam — the early nineteenth century Barbary Wars — came by way of Muslim raids on American ships for booty and slaves in the name of Allah.
Here is a minuscule sampling of what Europeans thought of Islam throughout the centuries:
Theophanes, the Byzantine chronicler (d.818):
He [Muhammad] taught those who gave ear to him that the one slaying the enemy — or being slain by the enemy — entered into paradise [see Koran 9:111]. And he said paradise was carnal and sensual — orgies of eating, drinking, and women. Also, there was a river of wine … and the women were of another sort, and the duration of sex greatly prolonged and its pleasure long-enduring [e.g., Koran 56: 7-40, 78:31, 55:70-77]. And all sorts of other nonsense.
Thomas Aquinas, one of Christendom’s most influential philosophers (d. 1274):
He [Muhammad] seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh urges us …. and he gave free rein to carnal pleasure. In all this, as is not unexpected, he was obeyed by carnal men. As for proofs of the truth of his doctrine…. Muhammad said that he was sent in the power of his arms — which are signs not lacking even to robbers and tyrants [i.e., his “proof” that God was with him is that he was able to conquer and plunder others]…. Muhammad forced others to become his followers by the violence of his arms.
Marco Polo, world famous traveler (d. 1324):
According to their [Muslims’] doctrine, whatever is stolen or plundered from others of a different faith, is properly taken, and the theft is no crime; whilst those who suffer death or injury by the hands of Christians, are considered as martyrs. If, therefore, they were not prohibited and restrained by the [Mongol] powers who now govern them, they would commit many outrages. These principles are common to all Saracens.
When the Mongol Khan later discovered the depraved criminality of Achmath (or Ahmed), one of his Muslim governors, Polo writes that that the Khan’s
attention [went] to the doctrines of the Sect of the Saracens [i.e., Islam], which excuse every crime, yea, even murder itself, when committed on such as are not of their religion. And seeing that this doctrine had led the accursed Achmath and his sons to act as they did without any sense of guilt, the Khan was led to entertain the greatest disgust and abomination for it. So he summoned the Saracens and prohibited their doing many things which their religion enjoined.
Alexis de Tocqueville, French political thinker and philosopher, best known for Democracy in America (d. 1859):
I studied the Quran a great deal. I came away from that study with the conviction that by and large there have been few religions in the world as deadly to men as that of Muhammad. As far as I can see, it is the principal cause of the decadence so visible today in the Muslim world and, though less absurd than the polytheism of old, its social and political tendencies are in my opinion more to be feared, and I therefore regard it as a form of decadence rather than a form of progress in relation to paganism itself.
Winston Churchill, a leader of the Allied war effort against Hitler during WWII (d. 1965):
How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism [Islam] lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.
Lest it seem that these and other historic charges against Islam are simply products of Christian/Western xenophobia that cannot tolerate the “other,” it should be noted that many of Islam’s Western critics regularly praised other non-Muslim civilizations, as well as what is called today “moderate Muslims.” Thus Marco Polo hailed the Brahmins of India as being “most honorable,” possessing a “hatred for cheating or of taking the goods of other persons.” And despite his criticisms of the “sect of the Saracens,” that is, Islam, he referred to one Muslim leader as governing “with justice,” and another who “showed himself [to be] a very good lord, and made himself beloved by everybody.”
Winston Churchill summed up the matter as follows: “Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities — but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.”
Apologists such as Reza Aslan can say whatever they want; they can claim that Islam is forever and perpetually “misunderstood,” and can bank on Western ignorance of its own history to get away with it. But fear and dislike of Islam has been the mainstream position among Christian/Western people for nearly 1,400 years — ever since Muhammad started raiding, plundering, massacring, and enslaving non-Muslims (“infidels”) in the name of his god; and it is because his followers, Muslims, continue raiding, plundering, massacring, and enslaving “infidels” that fear and dislike of Islam — what is called “Islamophobia” — exists to this day.
JawsV says
“To be sure, Western fear of Islam is something of a recent phenomenon in modern times. Because the world was a much bigger place a few decades ago, and Islam was oceans away, the average American hardly knew anything about Muhammad’s creed.”
Exactly right. I knew nothing about Islam until September 11, 2001. It’s 9/11 that brought Islam our way in modern times.
Shmooviyet says
Agreed.
During jr high school we saw the movie “Reds”, in which there is a scene where John Reed is addressing a crowd of muslims who begin cheering him and chanting. He is (at least portrayed as) shocked upon being told that the translation has been edited and that ‘they are cheering your call for a ‘holy war’ against the Western infidels’ (paraphrasing).
That was the first and last time friends and I heard the phrase until 9/11.
Shmooviyet says
@JawsV: agreed.
During jr high school we saw the movie “Reds”, in which there is a scene where John Reed is addressing a crowd of muslims who begin cheering him and chanting. He is (at least portrayed as) shocked upon being told that the translation has been edited and that ‘they are cheering your call for a ‘holy war’ against the Western infidels’ (paraphrasing).
That was the first and last time friends and I heard the phrase until 9/11.
Shmooviyet says
Apologies for twice posting of same comment!?!
jihad3tracker says
THIS SUPERB POST BY MR. IBRAHIM IS A RELEVANT PLACE TO MENTION A VIDEO BY ONE OF OUR BEST ALLIES IN THE STRUGGLE, DR. DAVID WOOD, TITLED “THREE STAGES OF JIHAD”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPLqVL4GHVU
It runs a longish 24:50, is worth every minute, and you can watch each of the segments separately if really short of spare time.
As typical, he includes many citations from the Qur’an and Hadith to establish his assertions, along with impish sarcasm. There are appearances by our former Traitor-in-Chief, Hussein Obama, showing how assiduously he endeavored to lie about Islam.
The video was made a bit over 5 years ago. Watch it up to the very end, because he includes a fourth stage reflecting the operative reality zooming around the noggins of our fellow citizens — although since worshippers of bloodthirsty Allah are doing such a terrific job of widespread slaughter currently, American cluelessness seems to be shrinking.
gravenimage says
I was becoming increasingly concerned about Islam pre-9/11–with all the plane hijackings, bombings in Israel, the horrific attack on the Achile Lauro, and the bombing of the US Cole–but like many, it was 9/11 that finally woke me up.
God's Warrior says
The numbers are enough. But the sad words explain the psychosis. Can they be saved?
They are approaching a stage never before anticipated. I give it 50 years max.
Kay says
Thanks for more history.
I was personally overwrought in June after the attack in Florida and the rape in Idaho, and an Israeli friend gave me a one sentence history lesson: this has been going on for 1400 years. What kind of “religion” allows the leader to marry a six year old?
balam says
Mustafa Kemal Ata Turk of TURKEY rightly called ISLAM AS THE ABSURD THEOLOGY OF AN IMMORAL BEDOUIN{MOHAMMAD}. Ref ;holy terror by Amer Taheri page 187.
Michael Copeland says
One of the requirements of Islam is that non-muslims have fear of it.
“Quran 8:12 – “I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve.”
Shmooviyet says
Thank you for including the Churchill quote; one of his best.
Manny says
I guess Reza Aslan is so right about misunderstanding Islam that we Christian westerners have nothing to fear. There is peace everywhere Islam exists. It is all a delusion that they are bombing, cutting off heads, and raping women. It’s all a misimpression. NOT! Asslan is a liar.
Katnis says
Reza Aslan has a show on CNN called “Believe.” It’s a shame that this man, who twists truth so well, has been given such a large platform.
Let’s see what trick he pulls to gloss over his religion with talk of love and peace.
gravenimage says
Yes, Katnis–very ugly stuff.
Manny says
By the way, I failed to mention what an excellent article this is. A great future resource.
Katnis says
+1 on that
gravenimage says
Raymond Ibrahim is a treasure.
mortimer says
Agree with the wise assessment of Raymond Ibrahim:
“… Western ignorance of history and Western ignorance of Islam’s “troublesome” doctrines…allow(s) Islam’s apologists to get away with so many distortions…and lies … to shield Islam” … from criticism.
Western elites are willfully uninformed about Islam, because if they ACTUALLY READ the primary, Islamic source texts, they could no longer believe the fairy tales about Islam being a religion of peace.
Islam is a religion of bigotry, intolerance and genocide.
mortimer says
ISLAM’S APARTHEID TEACHING:
WHILE ‘ISLAMOPHOBIA’ IS AN UNDEFINED, THEORETICAL, NEBULOUS’,UNOFFICIAL IDEA that is ascribed to Westerners who merely question Islam… ironically, Islam contains an intolerant, DISCRIMINATORY doctrine that is ‘ESSENTIAL’, DEFINED, LEGALLY BINDING, PRECISE and OFFICIAL.
• ‘Al Walaa wal Baraa’ – (Allegiance and Disassociation) is an Islamic doctrine that is very similar to apartheid, but more severe.
• ‘Al Walaa wal Baraa’ is an ‘essential doctrine’ (usul ud-deen). ‘Essential’ means that all Muslims must believe and practice al Walaa wal Baraa as a condition of being admitted to paradise.
• ‘Al Walaa wal Baraa’ is a highly developed, well-supported and canonical part of Islam approved by the consensus of Islamic jurists.
• ‘Al Walaa wal Baraa’ is legally binding and obligatory upon all Muslims.
• ‘Al Walaa wal Baraa’ is precisely defined by Islamic jurists and is not a nebulous idea
• ‘Al Walaa wal Baraa’ is an official Islamic doctrine and considered the second most important doctrine in Islam.
Definition of ‘Al Walaa wal Baraa’ from Islamic sources:
• from “The Islaamic Concept of al-Walaa’ wal-Baraa’” by Khalid El-Gharib: …“[iv] to show enmity to those who show enmity to Allaah and His Messenger” (i.e. Muslims are to visibly demonstrate their enmity or towards the kufaar – non-Muslims)
• from a lecture given by Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal (H.A.): “The implication of al-Baraa is that one HATES for the sake of Allah (SWT)…Al-Baraa means to recognize who your enemies are and to HATE them and EXTERMINATE them in their Endeavour to get rid of your Deen, al-Islam…Al-Baraa is to HATE the people who propagate Baatil (falsehood)—the Muslim should HATE them and (at least desire to) KILL them when the time comes.” (i.e. the hatred of Muslims toward the kufaar is for the purpose of ethnic cleansing)
Examples of Baraa from Historic Islamic Leaders:
• from Ahmad Sirhindi (1564-1624): “The honour of Islam lies in insulting kufr and kafirs. One who respects the kafirs dishonours the Muslims… The real purpose of levying jiziya on them is to humiliate them to such an extent that they may not be able to dress well and to live in grandeur. They should constantly remain terrified and trembling. It is intended to hold them under contempt and to uphold the honour and might of Islam.”
• from ibn Taymiyya, “Book of Emaan”: “… true believers show animosity and hatred towards disbelievers and never support them.”
• from Umar Sulayman ‘Abd-Allaah al-Ashqar, “Belief in Allah”: “The Muslim should regard the Kuffaar as enemies and hate them because of their kufr, just as he hates their kufr (disbelief) itself.”
jihad3tracker says
FOR NEW COMERS TO JIHAD WATCH — Mortimer is one of our premier “resident scholars” (I mean that seriously and sincerely) who has hundreds of superb posted comments over the years he has contributed.
gravenimage says
Agreed, jihade3tracker–fine stuff from Mortimer.
marina says
It’s not just the Westerners but majority of the moderate muslims believe that Mo was the perfect man that ever lived. They don’t know the violent history of Islam and have been exposed to the whitewashed version of Islam only. They have no clue that Islam is fake and evil despite the fact that a google search would reveal everything .
Benedict says
Elucidating article!
Winston Churchill summed up the matter as follows: “Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities — but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.” —
Islam may “paralyze the social development of those who follow it” but our main problem in the West today is, that Islam through its canon also has the potential of activating a corresponding heinous potential in those who follow it, expressed – not in old fashioned “honorable” fights – but in repulsive acts of terror, sexual harassment and violence.
Ocean-blue says
Why We Are Afraid, A 1400 Year Secret, by Dr Bill Warner
jihad3tracker says
Hello Ocean-blue —- [lovely name, by the way]
Dr. Bill Warner is among the finest counter-jihad experts in our United States. He has many other videos up at his website, www [dot] politicalislam [dot] com.
One of his quotes: “There are no lone wolves in Islam. Every Muslim travels with two companions — Muhammad and Allah.”
jihad3tracker says
IF WE HAVE ONLY 15 MINUTES — NOT 44 MINUTES FOR THE WHOLE VIDEO:
Go from exactly 7:00 to 20:57 to get the most important part of his message about how completely Islam shredded classic Western civilization.
Ocean-blue says
This is a resourceful article. There is a very good video about Islamic conquest on youtube by Bill warner. This article and the video must be preserved for future.
here is the video link …..
Wellington says
This much I know: Reza Aslan is an enabler of evil and ignorance. Actually, he’s quite good at both of these “enablings.” He’s certainly made a lot of money from these enablings, which should tell anyone of sense and knowledge what Reza Aslan’s true worth is.
Benedict says
Don’t forget to read the devastating review of his book ZEALOT:
https://jewishreviewofbooks.com/articles/449/reza-aslan-what-jesus-wasnt/
Wellington says
Thanks for the link to that article, Benedict, though I didn’t really need to read it (though I did) since I had already forced myself to read Aslan’s “Zealot” in its entirety. As a former history teacher, I found it to be one of the sloppiest, most ill researched and, in general, stupidest attempts at re-creating the past accurately which I have ever read.
In brief, Aslan argues that Jesus was some kind of political and military deliverer for the Jewish people, Indeed, this was one interpretation of what the Messiah would be, but it is so crystal clear that Jesus was not this type of Messiah, if indeed he ever claimed to be any kind of Messiah at all (which true scholars like Michael Grant have addressed in their works), that Aslan’s main thesis is so rooted in nonsense that one can and should only read his superficial tome as a fine example of what historical reconstruction should never be.
It’s a truly ridiculous work, “complementing” Aslan as a person to be sure, and it should only be read, as I already noted, for the purposes of studying historical writing at its worst—–and never what it is at its best. But then, Aslan, who is an ass to be sure, is very good at “worst.” “Zealot” serves as a case in point.
And here’s a “bonus” about this stupid book of Aslan’s——– whether Christian or not, whether religious at all or not, Aslan’s “Zealot” is such a piss-poor excuse of anything scholarly that those from a myriad of ideological backgrounds can dismiss it as something appalling and stunningly superficial, which it surely is. It serves as a testimony to Aslan himself.
Oh yeah. No doubt.
gravenimage says
Basically, Aslan was saying that Jesus was *a Jihadist*. Ugly, ugly stuff.
Eric Jones says
Excellent article. I always learn a great deal from Raymond Ibrahim. A very concise description of the West encounter with islam is from Tommy Robinson, ‘ There are only two kinds of infidels. Those that have been effected by islam, and those who have not been effected by islam yet.’
Eric
gravenimage says
Raymond Ibrahim: A 1,389 Year-Old ‘Phobia’?
……………………
Yes–Islam has been feared–and justly hated–by its victims for almost 1400 years now.
But Reza Aslan and the rest of the Muslim supremacists don’t want you to know that.
mortimer says
ONE DEATH FROM JIHAD EVERY THREE MINUTES SINCE MOHAMMED IS REAL DANGER!
270 millions of lives were snuffed out by Islam:
-120 million black Africans killed by the Islamic slave trade
-80 million Hindus killed in the Hindu genocides committed by Muslim invaders
-60 million Christians killed in jihads
-10 million Buddhists killed in jihads
-270 million total deaths due to jihad
-29,800 deadly jihad attacks have occurred since 9-11 … 10 deaths EVERY day since 9-11
-IN THE LAST MONTH: 443 killed in jihad attacks, 454 wounded
-Islam has killed an average of 19,300 people every year since Mohammed
-Islam has killed an average of 500 people every day since Mohammed.
-Islam has killed an average of 20 people every hour and killed 1 EVERY THREE MINUTES since Mohammed.
Do the math. A religion that kills one person every three minutes is the definition of a ‘Death Cult’.
Linnte says
Good to hear quotes from actual historical people. This article is a keeper! Thanks Mr. Ibrahim.
ECAW says
Here are some more Linnte:
http://wikiislam.net/wiki/Quotations_on_Islam_from_Notable_Non-Muslims
Charles Martel says
It appears that Reza Aslan may have been inbred and Nicolai Sennels is correct in his assessment of the Ummah being mentally challenged.
RK says
Reality in our todays in fact relies on an obscene amount of historical ignorance to the honest truth of this backward culture hidden under the heading of a so-called religion.