Steve Gruber is a conservative talk show host with 25 affiliates in Michigan. I am grateful to him for this superb review of my book The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS. This book is the first and only comprehensive narrative history of the entire phenomenon of jihad, from Spain to India and many, many other places — with massive implications for public policy, both foreign and domestic. Order it here now.
“‘The History of Jihad’ an Epic Account the World Needs to Know,” by Steve Gruber, Newsmax, August 15, 2018:
Robert Spencer’s “The History of Jihad: From Muhammad to ISIS” contains a wealth of information that Americans (and perhaps especially those entrusted with our foreign and domestic policies) do not know, and need to know. At the same time, it is a sweeping historical epic of an astonishingly broad scope, comprehensive and meticulously documented, yet readable and vivid in its retelling of triumph and conquest, defeat and loss, cowardice and collaboration. This book not only makes clear how it came to be that the United States is faced with the internal and external challenge that threaten the world’s lone superpower today, but illustrates the human cost of ideas. “The History of Jihad” demonstrates just how important it is that we approach what has been known as the war on terror not just as a military or national security matter, but as an ideological struggle against an enemy that challenges our most basic premises as a free society and a free people.
What is “The History of Jihad’s” most astonishing lesson is that, for all the confusion and denial surrounding that ideological antagonist today, we face the same ideological adversary that has threatened non-Muslim societies around the world for fourteen centuries. One would think by now, we would know exactly whom and what we are dealing with, and how best to do so. Instead, the willful almost gleeful ignorance is more pervasive than ever, which only shows all the more why Americans today need to read and understand “The History of Jihad.”
It’s all here: the story of how the Arab armies swept out of Arabia in the 630s with amazing force, and how the Islamic jihadis were from the earliest days of the global jihad emboldened by a religious doctrine that created for them a situation in which they could not lose: if they defeated their enemies on their battlefield, they would receive the possessions and the women of the vanquished; and if they were killed, they would be greeted by the fabled virgins of Paradise.
It was as potent an impetus for military conflict as has ever been devised, and it worked magnificently. Spencer uses the words of people who were on the scene as the jihadis advanced to tell the story of how, within 100 years of the traditional date for the Prophet Muhammad’s death, Muslims controlled an empire that stretched from Spain to India. Not only had they conquered, but the straitened conditions they forced upon the conquered peoples would be removed immediately if they simply converted to Islam. This made for the rapid Islamization of the lands they overran. The Roman civilization of North Africa was entirely obliterated; the ancient and proud people of Egypt almost entirely Arabized, and generations of Iranians, an equally proud people, taught to despise and disparage their native pre-Islamic civilization.
“The History of Jihad” contains much more as well. Spencer goes into immense detail about the jihad against India, which was waged for centuries in a manner even more brutal and bloody than it was waged elsewhere. Drawing on the accounts of contemporary court historians, who enthusiastically recorded the brutality of the Muslim rulers in whose courts they resided as if it were a magnificent achievement, Spencer provides an unparalleled tale of oppression and destruction, resulting in the deaths of millions of Hindus and the razing of tens of thousands of Hindu temples. Amid this unremitting story of inhumanity and barbarism, the Hindus only find respite when Muslim rulers, for whatever reason, set aside the restrictions upon them required by Islamic law. Akbar the Great, for example, the Mughal emperor in the latter half of the sixteenth century, grew disenchanted with Islam, and accordingly set Islamic law aside and granted relative freedom to the Hindus; his son and successor Jahangir, on the other hand, a Muslim hardliner, looked upon his father’s magnanimity with contempt, had the scholar who led him away from Islam beheaded, and reinstated many of the oppressive measures upon the Hindus.
The pages of “The History of Jihad” are full of such stories, demonstrating again and again that the ideology of jihad leads human beings to think that when they are brutal and inhumane to other human beings, they are serving the creator of all. This is the harsh lesson put forth by Spencer that all policymakers should heed, and ponder.

eduardo odraude says
I’ve been reading it. A truly great book. It relies on the original Islamic sources themselves and fearlessly documents what went on.
One of its virtues is that it may persuade Muslims previously unfamiliar with their own history to abandon Islam. Many Muslims, at least in the West, know their own history for the most part only in whitewashed forms offered up by Islamic leadership. The Muslim leadership in the West for the most part is aware of Islam’s expansionist totalitarian core, but is quiet about it, even with Muslims. This is prudent imitation of Muhammad’s strategic caution: when weak in Mecca, he preached religious tolerance. Only when he gained political power in Medina did his aggressive totalitarianism manifest. Likewise, today Islam and Islamic law cautiously keep a relatively low profile in the US, which after all has only a few million Muslims, which means prudence is strategically obligatory for Muslims. But let the percentage rise sufficiently, and Islam’s totalitarian drive will come increasingly out into the open — the leadership, most of which understands Islam’s true history very well, will start working harder and more openly to inculcate expansionist totalitarian Islam in Western Muslims.
mortimer says
DEAD ON TARGET from Steve Gruber: The History of Jihad by Robert Spencer contains information “those entrusted with our foreign and domestic policies) do not know, and need to know”.
THEY WILL BE INCOMPETENT IN THEIR JOBS in the matter of Islam if they DO NOT read The History of Jihad by Robert Spencer.
Andy says
Our Final Stand for The West
James Lincoln says
Katie Hopkins at her best – all Jihad Watch readers should view.
mortimer says
Every member of Congress and every Senator should receive a copy of The History of Jihad by Robert Spencer.
Is there a millionaire reader of JW who can accomplish this? We should start a fund to send copies of The History of Jihad by Robert Spencer to influential leaders.
Terry Gain says
Good idea. I would contribute to such an effort.
James Lincoln says
Mortimer, I have an idea…
Perhaps Jihad Watch could set up a dedicated donation link so that loyal JW readers could contribute to this most worthy effort. We could all donate $10 or $20. Then Jihad Watch could ship the books via Amazon or Barnes & Noble to all members of Congress.
Let’s all get the word out to CONGRESS !!!
Indiana Tom says
The History of Jihad contains information that those entrusted with our foreign and domestic policies need to know”
Some. Yes.
Some. I am not buying it. These clowns are usually well educated in political and historical materials. They put on a populist act for the rubes. Not that way behind closed doors.
I have had conversations with one of those of the State Department Embassy Staff in the Middle East. He was much better versed on history than what you think he was.
Anjuli Pandavar says
Beyond informing its readers, which it does most credibly and comprehensively, the six greatest benefits to flow from The History of Jihad from Muhammad to ISIS are that it:
1. builds pressure for policy changes
2. shocks many out of their complacency and certainty
3. drives Islamic apologists into silence
4. places general public disquiet onto a sound footing
5. encourages open debate
6. emboldens would-be apostates to take that final step
Although these are not in any particular order of importance, I tend to think that numbers 1 and 6 are jointly in the top position. I recently read in a German book the assertion that the study of Islam has only just begun. With The History of Jihad, it’s well and truly underway. The Gates of Fitna have been blown wide open.
FYI says
“those entrusted with our foreign and domestic policies”
NOTE:
10th-11th December 2018 at Marrakesh … the Global compact on migration occurs.
“criticism of migration WILL become a criminal offense”
For those nations that subscribe to this….{Australia,Hungary and the USA will not sign it..wise nations!}
“It will become impossible to criticize Merkel’s migrant policy without the risk to be jailed for hate speech”
MEP Marcel de Graaf
WOW!!
If anyone needs proof that many of those organisations like the UN,the EU, “entrusted with our foreign and domestic policies” have a very different agenda…you have the evidence.let’s see what nations sign-up:they will be FORCED to legislate against “hate speech”{i.e criticism of mass migration}
The EU{-SSR}with its undemocratic soviet-style politburo the European Parliament…appears to be in operation!Soros will be delighted…
Terry Gain says
Categorizing as hate speech objections to your country becoming Muslim defines the people pushing this policy as officially nuts
gravenimage says
“The History of Jihad contains information that those entrusted with our foreign and domestic policies need to know”
………………………
Good stuff from Steve Gruber!
Nini says
@ Rober Spencer: Bonjour, est-ce que votre livre va être publié en français? Merci.
Forgive me English is not my first language: @ Rober Spencer: Hello, will your book be published in French? Thank you.
Tom Cox says
Three years ago I had no interest in Islam. But I did have an unanswered curiosity about the Dark Ages.
In my schooling I enjoyed World History, and remember in High school the teacher taught us about the Holy Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire and the Gothic Germans and then she skipped to the medieval History. When asked if there was any history in the skipped 1000 year peroid. She stated that there wasn’t any history that advanced humanity, the Mongrels came in and destroyed everything and there really wasn’t any history.. I thought that is strange.
I wasn’t a good enough student to go to the library to check it out. There was no internet then, I’m 80, there wasn’t even a computer.
And low and behold in college World History the professor did the same thing. It was really strange, a 1000 year period with no history, Again I wasn’t a great student so I didn’t go research it. There was still no.computers or internet.
Three years ago my wife had to have extended stays in the hospital and I would take an IPAD to occupy time. One day as I was looking at a Youtube video, the doctor came in and I set the IPAD aside When the doctors visit concluded, I returned to the IPAD. The advancement of videos had taken it to a video and a professor talking about the Dark Ages. He began showing me 548 Invasion conquests where the Muslims had taken over an empire that was even larger than the Holy Roman empire..I guess that was what no history looks like.
Once I began to study Islamic doctrine and Islam I realized that the reason that we know so little about Islam is our education system skipped it. Had we been taught the history of Islam and its growth through slaughter and conquest We would have known today it is a cult and we would not have been so naive to believe that it is a religion of peace.
Dr Spencer’s book should be taught in every high school and university in the country. The book is a master piece in its use of sources, every statement is basically sourced to its Islamic source. They have not been able to refute it.
From the beginning when Mohammad sent his followers to raid caravans, take the goods and make slaves out of the captured people, it has supported itself by plunder.
They have never created anything, that I can point to, that has advanced mankind, The history teachers were right from that point of view. If it had not been for western minds harvesting their oil they would still be riding camels and living in tents,
James McCrudden says
Your story is my story, Tom. Congratulations on telling it, it saved me a lot of trouble.
(I am 80 as well, Ah, the men of 1938, iron men, one and all.)
Jim