• Why Jihad Watch?
  • About Robert Spencer and Staff Writers
  • FAQ
  • Books
  • Muhammad
  • Islam 101
  • Privacy

Jihad Watch

Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

1,400 years of uninterrupted conflict laid on Islam’s doorstep

Jul 29, 2018 4:00 pm By Robert Spencer

Greg Corombos recounts the discussion we had on his radio show about my new book The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS, which you can preorder here.

“1,400 years of uninterrupted conflict laid on Islam’s doorstep,” by Greg Corombos, WND, July 27, 2018:

From the response to the 9/11 attacks to the confronting of ISIS, Americans and other Western leaders regularly refer to Islam as a “religion of peace,” but a new book contends the 1,400 years of Islam is a timeline awash in bloodshed and conflict.

Jihad Watch Director Robert Spencer is author of the new book “The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS.” He says there is a consistent pattern of carnage since the earliest days.

“What I found is that through 14 centuries, without any break, without any let-up, without any reformation or reconsideration, without any period of tolerance – although there are a lot of historical myths about that – Islam has been responsible for conflict between Muslims and non-Muslims for 14 uninterrupted centuries,” said Spencer, who is quick to point out that most Muslims are not jihadists.

“Obviously, not all Muslims are involved in this and not all of them approved of it. Nonetheless, in every century and in in every place in the world where there have been Muslims, there have been jihadis who thought that it was one of their responsibilities before Allah to wage war against and subjugate unbelievers,” said Spencer.

Islam was founded in A.D. 622, Muhammad died in 632, and by 732, at the Battle of Tours in modern-day France, Charles Martel led a decisive Frankish victory against Muslim invaders who had already swept through North Africa and Spain.

But how did those invaders get from the Arabian Peninsula to the Atlantic coast within 100 years? Spencer says it was accomplished through violent conquest, and he contends most people who deny the violence perpetrated in the early years of Islam are arguing from a position of ignorance.

“People aren’t really aware of this history. This is one of the reasons why I wrote this book. The Islamic advance was incredibly swift. And not only did they get all the way to the Atlantic and to Spain within 100 years of the death of Muhammad, but they also went in the other direction, conquered one of the great powers of the day in Persia and went into India,” said Spencer.

Spencer says his book is the first work in the English language to detail the jihad against India, which he calls “an extraordinary and bloody story.”

“I think a lot of people take for granted the idea that there was some kind of mass conversion to Islam, that people were converting to it because they were convinced that it was true and that this is what was responsible for the Islamization of the Middle East and North Africa. That’s actually not the case. It was all done by conquest,” he said.

Spencer further asserts that ISIS is not the exception or some radical departure from Islam over the centuries. He claims ISIS looks much like jihadists throughout the past 14 centuries.

“I show in the book there are movements like that all through Islamic history. Many of them were responsible for the conquest of Spain and its 700-year occupation by Islamic forces. Many of them have also been responsible for jihad warfare elsewhere. There was nothing new that ISIS did, nothing different. It was exactly the same in its beliefs as jihadis throughout history,” said Spencer.

Jihadists also played a key role in the first major military engagement of the United States when President Thomas Jefferson was forced to confront the Barbary Pirates off the coast of North Africa.

“They were jihadis, as I show in the book. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams wrote a report to Congress about how the Moroccan ambassador had explained that they were fighting them because it was explained in the Quran and they felt they had a divine responsibility to do so,” said Spencer.

That conflict is also how U.S. Marines became known as “leathernecks.”

“They’re leathernecks because they wore leather collars that would prevent them from being beheaded. The (Marine Corps) song with the ‘shores of Tripoli’ was all about them facing the jihadis,” said Spencer.

In multiple speeches, President Obama stated Muslims have been a vital fabric of the United States from our very beginning. Spencer says other than being our first opponent in war, Obama’s assertions do not hold up.

“In terms that Obama’s claim that Muslims were in the United States and were involved in it since the founding; that’s complete historical fiction and has no basis in fact whatsoever,” said Spencer.

Today, Spencer believes the U.S. and other Western nations make a habit of whitewashing the ugly history of jihadism.

“The West in general has had a drastically wrongheaded response to this threat and that’s primarily been characterized by simple denial. They just proclaim that Islam is a religion of peace and leave it at that. The most notorious example of that is George W. Bush right after 9/11,” said Spencer.

Read the rest here.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Follow me on Facebook

Filed Under: Featured, History of jihad, Robert Spencer Tagged With: The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS


Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Comments

  1. Alarmed Pig Farmer says

    Jul 29, 2018 at 4:06 pm

    You’d think the contents of this book would’ve been widely know by, say, within a month after 9/11. But a few things prevented that from happening:

    1) Religion is accorded reserve status, where it is above criticism.

    2) People, Westerners at least, are averse to learning uncomfortable facts and thus maintain willful ignorance to avoid trouble.

    3) The media, even including the medium of education, will not expose the facts of Islam. Doing that would not only ruin one’s career, it might end one’s life. Think Theo Van Gogh.

    • Lydia Church says

      Jul 29, 2018 at 9:38 pm

      Which is why I am thankful for every brave soul who helps keep us safe by getting this information out, which is the truth.

      If you are armed with the truth, you can’t be disarmed by the lies.

      And a big hug to Robert and all the others like him out there for doing this risky work!
      My love to you all.

      • infidel says

        Jul 30, 2018 at 7:00 am

        Agree

      • J D S says

        Jul 30, 2018 at 9:09 am

        “1,400 years of uninterrupted conflict laid at Islam’s doorstep”
        and….the west stands still!.
        Where is Thomas Jefferson and John Adams when they are needed?..In the grave..where it seems that most of the western leaders are presently stationed…..wouldn’t it be something to see our congressman and senators, along sith the Christian community, standing up and addressing Islam for what it really is….A so called religion that actually promote murder, rape, enslavement, lying, pedophilia, multiple wives, and many other atrocious acts …and…..the west continues to stand still!

    • Stephen says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 4:14 am

      You can add to that the total and wilful ignorance of the MP’s in the UK where the “religion of peace” much is still believed and disseminated.

      The simple fact is that you are dealing with and immigrating ignorant savages, most of whom contribute nothing to GDP and are a drain on the welfare state.

    • dhans says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 8:17 am

      Alarmed Pig Farmer The problem with the left actually exposing islam for what it truly is will destroy the entire concept of identity politics and multiculturalism. You simply cannot have people start to question the desirability of having muslims in a particular country. White people are the actual problem to the left, not minorities. Though identity politics they gain their political power.

  2. gravenimage says

    Jul 29, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    1,400 years of uninterrupted conflict laid on Islam’s doorstep
    ……………………………..

    Yes–Islam has been in conflict with all of its neighbors all over the world ever since its inception.

    Kudos to Greg Corombos for helping get the word out.

    • Michael Copeland says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 3:41 am

      “a state of permanent hostility”
      Karl Marx

    • Michael Copeland says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 4:19 am

      “It has always been about hate.
      It has always been about violence.
      … a militant cult that is based on violence.”

      Amil Imani
      https://libertygb.org.uk/news/it-has-always-been-about-hate

      • gravenimage says

        Jul 30, 2018 at 9:36 pm

        +1

  3. Jaladhi says

    Jul 29, 2018 at 5:11 pm

    Islam and Muslims will always be fighting the humanity – there is no resolution on this point. Muslims will be fighting, killing, raping,.. even if the entire world converts to Islam. All this talk about moderate Islam, moderate Muslims etc are the illusion that the West harbors. The sooner we face reality the sooner we will be better off!

  4. Papa Whiskey says

    Jul 29, 2018 at 5:33 pm

    In a world full of Muslim migrants, don’t leave home unarmed, period.

  5. mortimer says

    Jul 29, 2018 at 6:24 pm

    Greg Corombos said, ““Obviously, not all Muslims are involved in this and not all of them approved of it.”

    We cannot conclude what percentage of Muslims approved of terrorism. That is rather irrelevant, like asking whether Roman Catholics approve of Humane Vitae, an encyclical of the official birth control of the Church.

    Sharia law is what it is and it doesn’t matter a bit whether or not individual Muslims approve or not.

    Sharia law commands the Islamic state to conduct a jihad TWO TIMES EVERY YEAR. That is the law of Islam.

    If Muslims disagree with Sharia, they should leave Islam. Pick-and-choose or CAFETERIA ISLAM is not a possibility.

  6. OP says

    Jul 29, 2018 at 8:34 pm

    FIRES RIGHT NOW RAGING IN SWEDEN, GREECE, DENMARK – SPREADING EVERYWHERE. GREEKS FINALLY CAUGHT MUSLIM MIGRANT IN ACT OF ARSON:
    https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/07/pakistani-migrant-arrested-for-trying-to-set-fire-in-greece/

    • Lydia Church says

      Jul 29, 2018 at 9:36 pm

      Thanks for the info.

      • Cicero says

        Jul 30, 2018 at 10:32 am

        Yes. There never used to be so many “spontaneous “ fires in the Western nations. Anyone with some knowledge o& Islamic Jihad would be inclined to think that it is not just arson but Fire Jihad.
        How come. There are no raging fires in the Muslim countries How come we hav3 fires in Greece but not in Turkey which lies adjacent and shares similar geography and climatic conditions with Greece

        • gravenimage says

          Jul 30, 2018 at 9:39 pm

          Yes–this is very concerning.

  7. dannyboy9 says

    Jul 29, 2018 at 10:16 pm

    14 centuries of experts on Islam stating not all Muslims are terrorist.

    That one constant statement fuels the fire of Islam.

    We are to believe all is well and nothing to worry about when Islam is Islam/ Mohammad is Mohammad/ and Sharia is Sharia but.

    Not all Muslims are terrorist so all is well for another 1400 years, nothing to see here move along.

    Islam still remains united and all unbelievers must die or convert including experts that believe they are exempt.

    If only experts would focus on Mohammad and not all Muslims some of whom are not terrorist perhaps we can get reality into the discussion.

    • duh swami says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 5:31 am

      Not all Muslims are terrorists, but they are all ‘obligated’ to jihad as a ‘duty’ to Allah…

  8. duh swami says

    Jul 30, 2018 at 5:39 am

    Those who walk with the demon Gabriel have created 1400 years of bad karma for themselves…
    …

    • FYI says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 6:56 am

      In fairness there are TWO Gabriels.

      Two versions:one christian,the other islamic

      In the Christian version of the Angel Gabriel..

      Luke 1..Gabriel is sent by God to Mary,a JEWISH woman in Nazareth.
      Mary, a JEWISH woman sings a song of praise to God;you might say its a young JEWISH woman singing the song of a songstress.

      BUT..

      In the islamic version of the “angel” jibreel we have..

      A violently anti-semitic “angel” ,because islam defines jibreel

      “the angel gabriel is the ENEMY OF THE JEWS”
      bukhari 4:60:3329

      And as for anyone caught listening to a woman singing,which is upsetting to allah because ..

      “On the day of resurrection,allah will pour molten lead into the ears
      of whoever sits listening to a songstress”
      Reliance of the Traveller umdat al salik section r40.1

      And that’s if you are caught by allah {the deceiver]listening to a woman singing.
      How enraged would allah be if it was a JEWISH woman..singing?

      Even if one is an atheist and thinks all this stuff is nonsense[fair enough],you cannot fail to laugh at the insanity of an innocuous angel Gabriel being turned,in islam,into a weird anti semitic entity who hates the Jews.

      It is obvious that the Christian version of Gabriel is perfectly happy engaging with Jews and clearly God is happy to hear a Jewish woman singing a song.
      That Gabriel would be an angel.

      It is equally obvious that the islamic version of Gabriel becomes “jibreel”,an antisemitic “angel”:such an angel of course couldn’t possibly belong to God.
      And that god flies into a rage when anyone is caught listening to a woman singing
      That jibreel would be a demon.

      And of course who was it that gave the antisemitic koran to that antisemitic “prophet” muhammed on behalf of allah the antisemitic god of islam in a cave with conveniently no witnesses?

      jibreel,the Enemy of the Jews{who obviously,for logical and theological reasons cannot possibly be the Angel Gabriel of the Christian New Testament!}

      • gravenimage says

        Jul 30, 2018 at 9:49 pm

        Yes–“Jibreel” is not Gabriel, just as “Isa” is not Jesus.

  9. FYI says

    Jul 30, 2018 at 6:29 am

    islam 101 for Leftard students
    ***********************************

    So, what does islam’s koran,muhammed and muslims actually say about islam being such a “peaceful” religion?

    “Strike TERROR into the hearts of the disbelievers” koran 8:12

    “I have been made victorious through TERROR”
    muhammed
    bukhari 4:52:220

    “Violence is the heart of islam”
    ayatollah yazidi

    “I spit* on those who say islam is a religion of peace”
    ayatollah khomeini

    *{people who have said islam is a religion of peace;pope francis,Tony Blair [see article on JW about Tony & the Saudis],the dalai lama…..almost all political leaders….}

    It would appear that allah “the best of deceivers”,his “perfect” koran,his mass-murdering “prophet” muhammed[see Abu Dawud 4390 for details..}and senior islamic “holy” men agree on thi.islam is not a peaceful,tolerant,non-violent creed.

    For over 1,400 years, the “religion of peace” has being terrorizing the planet on behalf of allah the deceiver and the self-confessed terrorist, “prophet” muhammed

    islam is NOT a religion of peace.

  10. infidel says

    Jul 30, 2018 at 7:02 am

    I have NO DOUBTS whatsoever that somewhere in the future Robert will be feted all over the RIGHT -LEFT spectrum as one of the most courageous voices of truth,

    • Cicero says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 10:33 am

      History will prove Robert Spencer very right indeed
      He is our Hero!

    • gravenimage says

      Jul 30, 2018 at 11:35 pm

      I hope so!

FacebookYoutubeTwitterLog in

Subscribe to the Jihad Watch Daily Digest

You will receive a daily mailing containing links to the stories posted at Jihad Watch in the last 24 hours.
Enter your email address to subscribe.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!
If you are forwarding to a friend, please remove the unsubscribe buttons first, as they my accidentally click it.

Subscribe to all Jihad Watch posts

You will receive immediate notification.
Enter your email address to subscribe.
Note: This may be up to 15 emails a day.

Donate to JihadWatch
FrontPage Mag

Search Site

Translate

The Team

Robert Spencer in FrontPageMag
Robert Spencer in PJ Media

Articles at Jihad Watch by
Robert Spencer
Hugh Fitzgerald
Christine Douglass-Williams
Andrew Harrod
Jamie Glazov
Daniel Greenfield

Contact Us

Terror Attacks Since 9/11

Archives

  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2005
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2004
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2003
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • March

All Categories

You Might Like

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Recent Comments

  • Lion heart on Iranian Kurdistan: Muslim brothers behead their sister in honor killing over her romantic relationship
  • Graham Bryant on Canadian Mental Health Association studies Muslim women’s mental health due to ‘discrimination’ and ‘hate crimes’
  • Sabri S. on Iranian Kurdistan: Muslim brothers behead their sister in honor killing over her romantic relationship
  • Hoi Polloi on EU Parliament members call for firing of border agency director for preventing illegal migrants from entering Europe
  • OLD GUY on Why so many Muslims can’t wait for Biden to get inaugurated

Popular Categories

dhimmitude Sharia Jihad in the U.S ISIS / Islamic State / ISIL Iran Free Speech

Robert Spencer FaceBook Page

Robert Spencer Twitter

Robert Spencer twitter

Robert Spencer YouTube Channel

Books by Robert Spencer

Jihad Watch® is a registered trademark of Robert Spencer in the United States and/or other countries - Site Developed and Managed by Free Speech Defense

Content copyright Jihad Watch, Jihad Watch claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to their respective owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Our mailing address is: David Horowitz Freedom Center, P.O. Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, CA 91499-1964

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.