5 comments about Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis.

1. I have never read such an exagerated propaganda in all my life's reading and academic studies. Bat Ye'or needs to repent and to apologize to the world especially to Jews, Christians and Muslims. Ye'or must have undergone some sort of trauma as a child with a bit of brainwashing by the zionist movement. I do not recommend anyone to invest in this unscholarly crap. The book trashes everyone except the zionist movements and its supporters. I wish I could rate this book a zero rather than 1 star. Ye'or and her followers need psychological and mental help. If you do not believe me read the book with a critical eye and you will question her credibility and dismiss her as a fanatical zionist for blood.



2. This is an important book that eveyone with an interest in Islam and politics must read. This book explains in detail how and why Europe is undergoing a process of Islamization. Not just allegations, the author fills the book to overflowing with references, citations, and ample evidence to prove her point. This is required reading.



3. Bat Ye'or writes intelligently about recent developments and changes in the world. Sixty years after the end of the Second World War and the Holocaust, it seems that we are once again facing a perilous situation in Europe. Through the ages, more people have been killed in the name of religion than for any other reason. Will we face that reality once again in the twenty-first century? Her book is definitely worth reading.



4. After reading negitive reviews of this book I decided to read it. And I am glad I did. Among other things, the book explains very thoroughly how anti-Semitic bigotry has been cultivated in Europe, mainly in France, during the last 30 plus years. The book's author did excellent job researching roots of European antipathy toward the U.S. and utmost hatred toward Israel. She shows how ridiculous and at the same time how wide-spread is joint Arab-European modern mythology about Islam's great contribution to world's science, art, and the cause of human rights, while in fact Islam remains the most backward, intolerant, and barbaric ideology ever created on this planet.
   
   The book includes a very impressive list of appedices (real documents), notes, and bibliography. I think it should be a required reading for anyone interested in the subject.



5. Great book! Bat Ye'or is right on target, and this should be a must on the reading list of every Senator in the USA. European political cats should also read it; but personally I think it is too late for them. They have been so in love with antisemitism and its new cousin anti-israelism; they have been so happy to embrace the Arabs and their oil; they have been so enchanted with the old game of hating the Jews that they completely lost the focus on the real thing and meanwhile,their friends were busy stealing Europe under their eyes. But they did not want to see, and therefore they did not see it coming....And if you want to know what I am talking about, well, you will have to read the book......

5 comments about The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century.

1. The Adventures of Ibn Battuta is a great novel for anyone who really wants to know a very detailed account of the Muslim world during the 15th century. The author not only describes everything that Ibn Battuta does and sees, but he also gives a very long description of the different cites' history that Ibn Battuta visits. However this description is very detailed and it normally doesn't pertain to what is happening whatsoever. These descriptions usually occur once Ibn Battuta enters a new city or town and they normally last a good couple of paragraphs, and contain more information than needed. For example, I personally didn't care what happened to Tangier in the 12th century and the author seemed to have put a good 5 pages describing every detail about it.
   Although the excessive amount of information put into everything did bother me, the author did a very good job describing all things Ibn Battuta. The author describes everything about Ibn Battuta along with how he traveled, who he stayed with, what he did, who he did it with, his different adventures, etc. For instance, the author often mentioned and described the different Sufi people that Ibn Battuta stayed with and spent his time with. Probably the best thing about this novel was how the author kept the reader very entertained by sharing the many dangerous adventures and troubles that Ibn Battuta gets in, including many run ins with bandits and robbers. Overall this is an excellent book if you want to learn all about the different Muslim territories and the adventures of Ibn Battuta. Another good thing about this novel is that even if you know nothing about the time period before hand, the author explains everything so well that you'll be alright.



2. Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan Qadi (Sunni legal scholar and judge) of the early to middle 14th century, was the consummate `globetrotter,' traveling something in the order of 75,000 miles across North Africa, south-central Asia, southern Russia, Turkey, Arabia, east Africa, southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, the South China Sea, China, Mediterranean Spain, and west Africa. Eventually his accounts were recorded by an acquaintance, Ibn Juzayy, appointed to the task by the Moroccan king, with the text probably completed late in 1355 AD.
   
   Dunn's important and fascinating book cites and records fragments of the Ibn Battuta/Ibn Juzayy text, but this volume is a studied commentary and historic amplification of IB's nearly larger than life journeys--by foot, by camel, by horseback, by ship--and his encounters with kings, scholars, merchants, rebels, bandits, and the black death. Any student of the Middle East, and any student of Islam and/or the cultural histories of Africa, Arabia, or India, will of necessity read this volume at some point. A reader with less serious interest in these topics will enjoy Dunn's unique and concise insights as well.



3. Ross Dunn, historian, has done a remarkable job of telling us about the travels and adventures of a man who traveled the world a half-century after Genoese adventurer Marco Polo taught Europe about the Orient. The difference between Polo and Ibn Battuta is that the latter simply left home as a young man to perform the Muslim religious duty of the hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina - and got caught up in other projects on the road for the next couple of decades.
   
   Ross' narrative is informed - he's a scholar who knows Arabic and is familiar with the history of Islam - and also very funny. His dry humor permeates the narrative and adds much readability to what might be otherwise unremarkable material. Examples include his observations about Ibn Battuta's Sunday shouting down with Quranic verses of the Christian bells in an Anatolian town and the story of Ibn Battuta being stripped and left with a flourish by sea pirates.
   
   Ibn Battuta traveled in high Muslim circles throughout northern Africa, the Arabian neighborhood, ancient Turkey, Persia and India. Ross does a good job of qualifying the possible Chinese visit Ibn Battuta claims to have made. Later, near the end of his career, Ibn Battuta would penetrate the African heartland, ironically exploring his own continent last.
   
   Highly recommended for students of Islam, world history of the Middle Ages, and travel adventures in general. Ross, in my opinion, exalts the material to five stars.



4. I started reading the Rihla but got lost very quickly in the lingo, strange names, customs and happenings. This book is immensely helpful and a fantastic read as well, you can hardly put it down. Feels like a magic guided tour in the Medieval Orient. It was an eye opener, shedding light on how biased we are towards a distorted western perspective on history. If you are even slightly interested in Medieval times, exotic travelogues, Sufism or Islam in general, this is the book for you.



5. I hated this book. It is a long and boring story with no action. I do not recommend this book unless you are a history buff or are forced to read it.

5 comments about Why I Am Not a Muslim.

1. Zahra Maladan is an educated woman who edits a women's magazine in Lebanon. She is also a mother, who undoubtedly loves her son. She has ambitions for him, but they are different from those of most mothers in the West. She wants her son to become a suicide bomber.
   
   
   At the recent funeral for the assassinated Hezbollah terrorist Imad Moughnaya -- the mass murderer responsible for killing 241 marines in 1983 and more than 100 women, children and men in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994 -- Ms. Maladan was quoted in the New York Times giving the following warning to her son: "if you're not going to follow the steps of the Islamic resistance martyrs, then I don't want you."
   [Worshippers of Death]
   
   Zahra Maladan represents a dramatic shift in the way we must fight to protect our citizens against enemies who are sworn to kill them by killing themselves. The traditional paradigm was that mothers who love their children want them to live in peace, marry and produce grandchildren. Women in general, and mothers in particular, were seen as a counterweight to male belligerence. The picture of the mother weeping as her son is led off to battle -- even a just battle -- has been a constant and powerful image.
   
   Now there is a new image of mothers urging their children to die, and then celebrating the martyrdom of their suicidal sons and daughters by distributing sweets and singing wedding songs. More and more young women -- some married with infant children -- are strapping bombs to their (sometimes pregnant) bellies, because they have been taught to love death rather than life. Look at what is being preached by some influential Islamic leaders:
   
   "We are going to win, because they love life and we love death," said Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah. He has also said: "[E]ach of us lives his days and nights hoping more than anything to be killed for the sake of Allah." Shortly after 9/11, Osama bin Laden told a reporter: "We love death. The U.S. loves life. That is the big difference between us."
   
   "The Americans love Pepsi-Cola, we love death," explained Afghani al Qaeda operative Maulana Inyadullah. Sheik Feiz Mohammed, leader of the Global Islamic Youth Center in Sydney, Australia, preached: "We want to have children and offer them as soldiers defending Islam. Teach them this: There is nothing more beloved to me than wanting to die as a mujahid." Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech: "It is the zenith of honor for a man, a young person, boy or girl, to be prepared to sacrifice his life in order to serve the interests of his nation and his religion."
   
   How should Western democracies fight against an enemy whose leaders preach a preference for death?
   
   The two basic premises of conventional warfare have long been that soldiers and civilians prefer living to dying and can thus be deterred from killing by the fear of being killed; and that combatants (soldiers) can easily be distinguished from noncombatants (women, children, the elderly, the infirm and other ordinary citizens). These premises are being challenged by women like Zahra Maladan. Neither she nor her son -- if he listens to his mother -- can be deterred from killing by the fear of being killed. They must be prevented from succeeding in their ghoulish quest for martyrdom. Prevention, however, carries a high risk of error. The woman walking toward the group of soldiers or civilians might well be an innocent civilian. A moment's hesitation may cost innocent lives. But a failure to hesitate may also have a price.
   
   Late last month, a young female bomber was shot as she approached some shops in central Baghdad. The Iraqi soldier who drew his gun hesitated as the bomber, hands raised, insisted that she wasn't armed. The soldier and a shop owner finally opened fire as she dashed for the stores; she was knocked to the ground but still managed to detonate the bomb, killing three and wounding eight. Had the soldier and other bystanders not called out a warning to others -- and had they not shot her before she could enter the shops -- the death toll certainly would have been higher. Had he not hesitated, it might have been lower.
   
   As more women and children are recruited by their mothers and their religious leaders to become suicide bombers, more women and children will be shot at -- some mistakenly. That too is part of the grand plan of our enemies. They want us to kill their civilians, who they also consider martyrs, because when we accidentally kill a civilian, they win in the court of public opinion. One Western diplomat called this the "harsh arithmetic of pain," whereby civilian casualties on both sides "play in their favor." Democracies lose, both politically and emotionally, when they kill civilians, even inadvertently. As Golda Meir once put it: "We can perhaps someday forgive you for killing our children, but we cannot forgive you for making us kill your children."
   
   Civilian casualties also increase when terrorists operate from within civilian enclaves and hide behind human shields. This relatively new phenomenon undercuts the second basic premise of conventional warfare: Combatants can easily be distinguished from noncombatants. Has Zahra Maladan become a combatant by urging her son to blow himself up? Have the religious leaders who preach a culture of death lost their status as noncombatants? What about "civilians" who willingly allow themselves to be used as human shields? Or their homes as launching pads for terrorist rockets?
   
   The traditional sharp distinction between soldiers in uniform and civilians in nonmilitary garb has given way to a continuum. At the more civilian end are babies and true noncombatants; at the more military end are the religious leaders who incite mass murder; in the middle are ordinary citizens who facilitate, finance or encourage terrorism. There are no hard and fast lines of demarcation, and mistakes are inevitable -- as the terrorists well understand.
   
   We need new rules, strategies and tactics to deal effectively and fairly with these dangerous new realities. We cannot simply wait until the son of Zahra Maladan -- and the sons and daughters of hundreds of others like her -- decide to follow his mother's demand. We must stop them before they export their sick and dangerous culture of death to our shores.



2. Notice that most of the negative reviews for this book are someone who actually admits to either being a theist or a Muslim.
   The book is a good walk through Islamic belief and a history of scholarly questioning of Islam. A common complaint is that invalid arguments against the Quran or life of Mohammed by turn of the century orientalists taint the books scholarship; but on the contrary, it serves as a good history of the questioning of commonly accepted Islamic history.
   This vein of critical and skeptical thought is something stifled and criminal in most of the Muslim world; this is an important landmark in the rejection of Islam. Like Schweitzer and Russell, Warraq is leading the way in skeptic thought about the faith dominant in his culture.
   Besides the above sections that often raise objections from defensive theists, the book also discusses humanitarian, egalitarian, and democratic ideals in conflict with Islam, and discusses the historic shaping of the religion, from the influence of Arab pagan culture, to the insertion of Hadith in the faith.
   The book has been praised by the likes of Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, and is sure to present a new outlook of Islam to the critical, objective, and open minded reader.



3. Why I Am Not a Muslim
   
   A need to read book.



4. You know, sometimes I really hate writing these things, but some of them really deserve a bit of an enlightening oppinion. Okay Ibn Warraq it seems to me was a frustrated child who was never listened to, but that's neither here nor there since this is supposed to be a review on the work and not the creator of the work.
   
   I'll start with the first mistake that I noticed in this work. Warraq says in the Qur'an Surah 1 Verse 29 it states, On the day we shall unto hell, art thou full? And it shall reply, is there yet any more? Now any layman that is familiar with the Qur'an can see that this is ridiculous. For starters, the opening of the Qur'an mentions nothing about hell. Secondly, the opening chapter of the Qur'an is called the cure. Now why if this chapter is called a cure would it perscribe something like hell as a remedy. Thirdly, if you didn't already know, the opening chapter of the Qur'an which is the Fatihah has only and I repeat ONLY, seven verses. And he says Surah 1 verse 29. Check for yourself.
   
   Next he talks about the Trinity in the Qur'an and gives three proofs (so he says). And one of them is Surah 4 verse 169. In this verse it says, "Except the road of Hell, to abide therein forever; and that is easy for God." Now if you have read what I read, where do you see the trinity labeled in this surah. Nothing remotely points out a trinity. Warraq also points out two others in the Qur'an that talks about the trinity. They are Surah 5 and verses 77 and 116. They are too large to write in this review to show of warraq's incompetence on his "knowledge" of the Qur'an. I encourage all to go and look up these accusations for themselves.
   
   Lastly, Warraq talks about Zoroastrianism, which I will not go into in great detail for the sake of space, but in his explanation of Zoroastrianism he fails to introduce and inform the reader of what Zoroastrianism really is. Warraq makes the false claim that Islam origins can be found in Zoroastrianism, which is a totally false claim. Zoroastrianism is or was the end product of an evolutionary process which began with nature worship, passed through a more discrete polytheism, and finally concluded with a monotheistic deity. (Zepp Muslim Primer)
   
   I say all this to say that as readers we should be careful in the information we receive from writers like Warraq. He appears to be knowledgeable, because he was raised Muslim and taught the Qur'an at a young age until as he says "was able to think for himself." He seems not to either have not been taught correctly or he may have forgotten what he was taught, because this book is filled with numerous fallacies that can be taken to heart by the ignorant reader. Warraq needs a revised version of this book or needs to cease in writing about things he really has no idea of himself. To be so blatant in his claims, but yet so ignorant in his knowledge of the subject matter is absolutely perfidious.



5. You'll see right away why this book gets such a range of reviews. The man speaks his mind. After 9/11, when I set about clarifying my own beliefs about gods and religions, this and Bertrand Russell's Why I Am Not a Christian were the two most useful books I found. No great surprise of course that the have much the same things to say. I appreciated Warraq's going into some detail about Islamic history and culture. Shame on my ignorance. But of course Jewish/Christian/Muslim are shoots of a common seed. An Episcopal priest friend of mine describes himself as a rabbi, and Muslims acknowledge Moses and Jesus. The pond is small. I used to make Buddhism a benign exception to what goes wrong in other religions but not so much anymore after a glimpse of Sri Lankan history. Take Me With You When You Go Nutty to Meet You! Dr. Peanut Book #1

5 comments about Hezbollah: A Short History (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics).

1. Norton says that Hezbollah came about as the result of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. And he quotes Prime Minister Rabin as asking what he was supposed to do about the threat to Israeli towns anywhere near the Lebanese border. Well, I would like to ask Norton the same question. He sure does not answer it in this book.
   
   Norton also challenges the idea that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, but I think this merely confuses the issue. Hezbollah clearly has a goal of getting rid of human rights for Levantine Jews, by violent means. And Norton says in his conclusion that he hopes that Hezbollah will play a constructive role in the future of Lebanon. But I think that is a little like saying that one hopes the National Socialists will play a constructive role in the future of Germany. I think we all ought to hope that they don't. We ought to be opposing counterproductive organizations, not hoping that they will fare well.
   
   This book has met with a very negative review from Jonathan Schanzer in the Jerusalem Post, and I think it is worthwhile to see if that review makes some valid points.
   
   Schanzer notes that Hezbollah "exists to further the violent aims of Iran, to demonize and attack the US and to destroy Israel." And he says that Norton "neglects to state this unequivocally and, for that reason, he should be publicly shamed." I agree. By the way, Shanzer has also pointed out that Norton and Sara Roy have written an article in which they say that there can be no Israeli peace process that excludes Hamas. Given that Hamas insists on destroying Israel, this seems to show more than a little bit of bias on Norton's (and Roy's) part as well.
   
   There are numerous places in the book where Norton does indeed give some rationalizations for Hezbollah's violent acts, and Shanzer names some of them. And I agree with Shanzer that it would show far more academic honesty, objectivity, and integrity on Norton's part were he to show how weak some of these excuses happen to be.
   
   There's some useful material in this book about the nature of Hezbollah, but I think we readers deserve a less biased accounting.



2. This book is entertaining, all too short and rather sloppily edited -- for example whether Israel destroyed 15000 homes (p.111) or 1500 homes (p.144) in the 2006 bombardment, as well as several typographical errors you wouldn't expect in few pages with large print. Moreover it is less about Hezbollah than about Shi'i politics in Lebanon since the 1970s. There are no interviews with Hezbollah officials and only a few quotations from public sources. This is understandable, however: I wanted a book, in 2007, that said _something_ about Hezbollah in the context of the 2006 war, and this provides it. Lebanese politics are intricate and this book doesn't seem to oversimplify matters. Plus there's a chapter that first appeared in a drama journal on the dramaturgy of Ashura. As others have implied here, the book probably assumes sympathy for the Shi'a in Lebanon, as against Israel in particular: that's fine with me, but it's obviously not fine with everyone.
   
   I would ask Mr Norton for more detailed information about Hezbollah's connections with Iran and for some characterization of the social or class position of Hezbollah among Lebanese Shi'a, as against AMAL's, say.



3. In this short, but revealing book, Norton has provided an excellent overview of the history and politics surrounding Hezbollah. The book contains chapters on the founding of the group, its internal dynamics, as well as how it operates in the regional context. Unlike some analysis of the group, Norton freely discusses both sides of the group: the side that operates and behaves like an organized and effective political party, and the side that can be characterized as a terrorist organization. Norton does this with relative ease and a clear and direct writing style. He demonstrates that the group has evolved at a rapid pace and that no one can say with absolute certainty how the group will continue to evolve.
   
   Unlike Harik's work on Hezbollah, Norton does a fine job of retaining some neutrality here and does not let a great deal of personal opinion seep into what should be a scholarly work. He has an impressive amount of experience working inside Lebanon and is thus very close to the subject he writes about, but this does not appear to have caused him to tilt one way or the other. His chapter on the July 2006 war with Israel is proof of that. His treatment of a highly controversial subject is remarkably balanced. He identifies what both sides were doing and thinking at the time and how it led to the outbreak of real hostilities.
   
   The book is relatively short, but it was not meant to be a sweeping and comprehensive history. He deals with all of the important aspects of the group and the finished product should be read by all those seeking a greater understanding of Hezbollah. Anything Norton produces in the future will be essential reading for the field.



4. Richard Norton has chronicled the origins and development of the Lebanese resistance party Hezbollah, which rose to prominence as one of the major political players during Israel's occupation of Lebanon during the 1980's. This account benefits from Norton's background in anthropology which enables him to analyze the cultural and ethnic complexity of Lebanon in his discussion. However, his historical background on the political history of Lebanon is somewhat meandering and also slim.
   
   At the same time, this book clears up some misconceptions about Hezbollah. The first of which is that Hezbollah should be regarded as a terrorist group with similar aims of other Islamic fundamentalists organizations like the Taliban and Islamic Jihad. Hezbollah is primarily a defensive organization, and it developed largely in response to Israel's aggression in Southern Lebanon. Norton also points out that the Western belief that Hezbollah was responsible for the death of over 30 U.S. Marines is false, and that that particular atrocity is probably the work of Shi militant agents working for Iran. However, Norton also clears up the misconception that Hezbollah is a "freedom-fighting" organization, and that it's tactics are legal, and that its aims are accomodationist and pluralistic. Hezbollah remains an Islamic theocratic party committed to the destruction of Israel, and it has often chosen poor military tactics with regard to Israel's borders.
   
   This is a worthwhile, though incomplete account of a rising political force in the Middle East.



5. This book is terribly concerned with the idea most people seem to have with Hezbollah, that it is a terrorist organization. The fact that Hezbollah commits murders, kidnappings and launches random rocket attacks at civilians may have led to this unfortunate perception. The author attempts to correct this by pointing out that Hezbollah (with Iranian money) builds hospitals, educational facilities and gives aid to those Shi'a in Lebanon who are in poverty. What the author does not discuss of course is if Hezbollah did not make a habit of kidnapping and killing people who get in its way, many NGOs and the Lebanese government might be able to operate in the areas they control. Better yet, the absence of Hezbollah might go far to relieving the fear, uncertainty and poverty in South Lebanon.
   
   And as far as Hezbollah's "good works" are concerned, the Nazis operated soup kitchens during the Great Depression. That did not make them in less the thug.

5 comments about The Road to Mecca.

1. M. Asad has written a truly inspiring work with "The Road to Mecca". As a foreign journalist in the Middle East, he was in a unique position to truly experience the culture and religion of the area and express his experiences in a way in which only a journalist could. What caught my eye was what happened when he returned to Europe where he suddenly felt like an outsider who was surrounded by people simply sleepwalking through their lives. It was after this revelation that he truly grasped the draw that so many feel towards Islam awakening within himself. As a muslim convert myself, I felt that this was something that I could closely relate to. Nonetheless, I believe that M. Asad's novel was not only inspiring but also a useful, insightful resource into understanding the countries and cultures of the Middle East; something which is useful to muslims & non-muslims alike. I would highly recommend this book to all.



2. I read this book a while ago and can still remember some of the most thrilling parts of the book. Even thought the book is an autobiography it almost reads like a thriller. I reccomment this book to all Muslims. MUhammad Asad is truly an example for all.



3. I have always felt a longing for the desert. This is the first time I have ever read someone putting these feelings into words. Simply awsome!



4. This book is a very enjoyable read. Asad's stories of adventure and his search for personal fulfillment provide constant historical, cultural, and religious lessons for the reader. A wonderful way to learn and understand other people and their ideas, which may or may not be different from your own.



5. A beautiful book written by a former Jewish Journalist of Austrian origin who travels to the middle east and stands in admiration at the lifestyle of the Muslims in the Arabian peninsula.
   
   Although his embrace of Islam is not immediate he comes to understand the beauty of this religion and finally embraces it while in Europe. He later decides to move to live in Arabia by giving up completely his western lifestyle and past, the story focuses on many various events and I found it quiet impressive as to the amount of famous persons Mr. Asad has come accross in his journey in the middle east, some of which are: King Ibn Saud (founder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), the president of the world Zionist organisation (who is later to become the first president of Israel), the Shah of Iran, the famous Lybian Mujahidin Omar Al Mukthar, the King of Jordan Abdullah and many other.
   
   Although the book is quiet old, as it recounts of events which occur in the 1920's, it is very well written and beautifuly explains the beauty of the life in Arabia in those times, it gave me a nice image and picture of the life of the beduins, their hospitality and gratitude from life and it's simplicity but how the people live it full of happyness. I was quiet impressed as well with the many events which have occured during the travel of Mr. Asad, in his attempt to help the King Ibn Saud to understand how the rebels operated against the King in order to prevent the Kingdom from successful establishment, to his travel to Lybia to meet Omar Al Muhtkar for possible assistance on providing additional support to continue the rebellion against the Italians.
   
   In overall, the story is quiet beautiful, gives us a nice feeling of the Arabian desert and most of all the discovery to Islam of Mr. Asad is an impressive story to read.

5 comments about Salonica, City of Ghosts: Christians, Muslims and Jews 1430-1950.

1. I enjoyed this book. It is informative not only about Thessaloníki but also the overall region, including the Balkans and Ottoman empire. The author concentrates on the Ottoman period, but the primary focus of the book is how the relationship and conflict between the three religions shaped this dynamic region over time. It was interesting to read how these three groups, that are now antagonistic, lived somewhat peaceably through most of the city's history. In addition, this book gave a fair representation of the agonizing effects from the forced migrations of much of the population and also the Holocaust.
   
   The style of the book is a little different than most histories in that it is not purely chronological. The author discusses a particular group over time, then within the same section, will "rewind" to cover another group that existed around the same period. In retrospect, I think this style makes sense as it allows a thorough analysis of each group; however, it would have been beneficial to have been warned in the introduction or forward that this style would be employed.
   
   Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to understand more about this city, Greece, and the Ottoman and Byzantine empires, as well as the history of these three religions.



2. Just started reading this book. It is still a good promise...



3. The book has a couple of slow passages, but overall Mazower offers a very lively account of Salonica since Ottoman times. You're not just reading about Salonica, but also the organization of the Ottoman empire, the history of the Sefardim Jews, diplomatic customs and modern Balkan history.



4. I lived in Thessaloniki as an exchange student in 1980. I wish that this book had bee available for me to realize the historic gems around every corner of my favorite city at that time. Mazower's book opens up the reasons for its (the city's) being and why it was and is so important. People of every religion, or none, will be fascinated by its political turmoil and intrigues, and visitors today can walk the same roads and shop in the same marketplaces as those who went before them, thousands of years ago.
   I have purchased this book several times and keep giving it away to other Thessalonians and people who love Thessaloniki as much as I.



5. The writer is living out quite a lot of important information.
   Book is biased and incorrect.
   Should check historical documents, especially New York Times archives about who exactly lived in Salonica in that time.
   It is correct that after the Balkan wars, a large Greek population moved in into this region, but what happened to the people that use to live there before the Balkan Wars?

5 comments about Islamic Imperialism: A History.

1. ...and I still only gave it three stars because it is one heck of a read. Maybe history is that dry but I had to really force myself through the pages.
   
   On the other hand this book has changed the way I look at Islam and Arabism. It is profound and hard to refute. Even one of my most appreciated scholars, Edward Said, has found some well-documented criticism that I eventually succumbed to.
   
   Many of my friends or acquaintances are Arabs and Muslims. I have always perceived their history through the eyes of apologist Karen Armstrong or the more serious thinkers of Said's caliber. But there is another side to the story and as empires go, it is ugly.
   
   I find it hard to comment on all the details but eventually a picture emerges that is substantially critical without being slanderously Islamophobic. Maybe it is the dry presentation, devoid of much emotion which respected me as a reader to form my own opinion. Sometimes it reminded me of Noam Chomsky's writing style in works such as the Fateful Triangle which demands much of the reader. If you are looking for some entertaining quips and quotes or ravaging drama you probably will be disappointed.
   
   Karsh should be taken with a grain of salt. His other works have received much criticism and his pro-Israeli bias leaves a bitter aftertaste. However, since this review is about this particular book I can only recommend it as a must-read, a far cry from the polemics that permeate the current discourse.



2. I have seldom read such a blatantly one-sided piece of history writing. It is filled with small inaccuracies which make me question the truth of other small things I don't know from other sources. For example, the author asserts that the Janissaries were never defeated, that all challenges to their para-military authority were "nipped in the bud." Not so, they were famously crushed by the reigning Sultan in 1826.
   
   The errors of omission are more egregious. The author gradually begs the question, which he never asks, "what's so different about this particular brand of imperialism besides its basis in Islam?" The answer is nowhere to be found in this book, despite the misdirection of focusing on Crusader princes as examplars of the total character of European imperialism. I am quite ready to accept that Islam contains a major strand of military conquest. But the mixing of religion and rapid, ruthless, exterminatory seizure of land has a long and ethnically varied history, beginning well before Islam, and extending to at least the conquest of North America (a drive that was explicitly tied to religion throughout, or does this somehow not count?)
   
   The need to present only one side of an argument borders on hilarity (were the events concerned not so tragic in all directions) when the author turns his attention to modern day Iraq and its alleged connection to radical Islam. The existence of American foreign policy is acknowledged only very obliquely, and mostly as a way of casting Carter as a sort of Neville Chamberlain figure - is Bush supposed to be Churchill here?... we'll never know, because he is, staggeringly, HARDLY MENTIONED, nor are most of the neocon architects of post-realist middle East policy in Washington. It's one thing to say that Islam is more violent than not (it would take a better book, more of a social history than a military one, to delve thoughtfully into that question). It's quite another to assert that the role of European commerce and military adventurism is utterly irrelevant to the character of Arabic life today.
   The simplest way to refute this argument is to reverse the roles. If the United States or Europe had been invaded and carved up, its economic assets divvied up to the highest bidders in unbreachable contracts, at terms highly unfavorable to citizens... well, we'd look at this a little differently, wouldn't we?
   
   The early passages about Muhammed's undoubted anti-Semitism (or his pragmatic use of it, an unprovable distinction given the available sources) are compelling and disturbing, but they can be matched with countless incidents of unspeakable cruelty in the Western world, including those directed against Jews. There is nothing exceptional in the least about the Islamic use of state terror. Read accounts of executions and pogroms, through the Indian wars and slavery,
   all the way up to the Holocaust and napalm and Pol Pot and Central African genocide. You can talk to actual living survivors if you try, and we seem to be in the business as a country now of creating more. Europe and the US, and many others, have just as much blood on our hands.
   
   So one must ask... what's the goal here? It is clearly to misdirect us from any discussion of our own mistakes as a nation and a government and a culture. It is a long, relentless attempt to change the subject, and from the looks of some posts, it has succeeded for many.



3. Islamic Imperialism by Efraim Karsh is a sweeping history of Islamic imperialism from Muhammad to Osama bin Laden. The book shows how non-Muslims, and even Muslims, have been subjected to the ambitions of an endless stream of brutal tyrants who appealed to Muhammad as justification for their own narcissistic, imperialist dreams.
   
   The book is well documented and exceptionally well written by an expert on the subject. Every presidential candidate, every congressperson, and indeed, every American should place this book high on their reading list.



4. Prof. Karsh'e history of Islamic "imperialism" is an agenda-driven history of Islam with a single-minded focus on Muslim conquests described as flowing from Islamic religious teachings. At times, it reads like a political propoganda rather than objective history. Following Bernard Lewis, the author seeks to undersytand the current politics of the Muslim societies in the light of both Islamic theology and Islamic history, neglecting totally the realities of the modern period -- colonialism, nationalism, cold war, and global economic forces. A bad history and a worse politics!



5. A religion of peace, my eye! This book carefully and methodically disabuses one of the notion that this "religion" is based on anything but greed and avarice. It is clear that from its beginning fourteen centuries ago the sole intent is to conquer the world, causing everyone to convert, submit, or die. Those who claim otherwise are blind to reality.

5 comments about The Quran - A Pure and Literal Translation.

1. This is a required translation for those seeking one that is solid and true to the book itself. It's closer to what is actually there as opposed to many "classic" translations that brought in all manners of biases and were mostly interpreting according to what was "external", rather than focusing on the "internal" (text).



2. I was looking for a literal translation of the Quran in contemporary, plain English that is easier to understand. I was also looking for a translation that does not include any side notes or footnotes because I wholeheartedly believe that God's words do not need any man-made footnotes or explanation.
   
   This literal translation of the Quran is the best resource to study the Quran and understand the true Islam. It also has a brief introduction that shows the methodology used for translation and a guide to study the Quran.
   
   ** Highly recommended for Kindle owners!!
   
   Also recommended for Kindle users:
   The Natural Republic - Reclaiming Islam from Within



3. I was looking for a literal translation of the Quran in contemporary, plain English that is easier to understand. I was also looking for a translation that does not include any side notes or footnotes because I wholeheartedly believe that God's words do not need any man-made footnotes or explanation.
   
   This literal translation of the Quran is the best resource to study the Quran and understand the true Islam. It also has a brief introduction that shows the methodology used for translation and a guide to study the Quran.
   
   FOR AMAZON KINDLE USERS:
   The latest Kindle Edition of this translation is available on Amazon.com through this link below:
   The Quran - A Pure and Literal Translation
   
   Also recommended is the title below:
   The Natural Republic - Reclaiming Islam from Within



4. I have read numerous translations of the Quran from Muhammed Marmaduke Pickthall to Yusuf Ali to Muhammed Asad.
   
   This by far has been the most clear and lucid translation.
   
   It is in clear English and free from all the forced interpretations that are inserted via parantheses.
   
   No sectarian bias or influence either.
   
   A beautiful translation that will inspire.



5. This is in the Bible category. The Quran is not the Bible. I went to Religion & Spirituality>Christianity>Bibles and Ouila! The Quran. Not a problem if I was looking for it. I also noticed some other miscategorized ebooks as well. I suggest someone take a closer look at what goes where...thanks.

5 comments about More Than a Prophet: An Insider's Response to Muslim Beliefs About Jesus & Christianity.

1. When I first learned about their book "unveiling Islam", it surprised me, not because it was promoted as a methodological and balanced attempt to compare the Islam and Christianity from a textual perspective, but because it was done by authors who described themselves as Ex-Muslims. I expected evidence based insider comparison on the superiority of the Christian faith to its Muslim counterpart. It took me twenty pages to learn the book was nothing but another sensational attempt to score a timely hit in church propaganda.
   
   The misquotations and translational mistakes were so ridiculous that they couldn't come from anyone with basic knowledge in Arabic, let alone original Islamic texts. For example, their interpretations of the concepts of love, hate, despise, inspiration, speaking to the dead, and many others.
   
   The authors provided a strong argument for Muhammed's delusions, which they based on a historically discredited text that was mentioned in another widely disputed book, "Satanic Verses". In another argument, they mention a story about a man who defected from Islam, fled Medina back to Mecca, and claimed that he used to write the Quran in words other than those dictated by Muhammad, without him knowing. What the authors failed to report was the rest of this man's story, in which he later admitted that he was lying, converted back to Islam, and actually died while praying in Tunisia in which he served as one of the great military leaders in Muslim history.
   
   Dozens of such obvious mistakes made me suspect they were not innocent misinterpretations. This last book confirmed my suspicions. It's a plain old church pamphlet. Looks like the authors finally gave up their claim of scientific analysis in their approach to compare Islam to Christianity and reverted to the old: you should come to us because Jesus loves you, while Muhammad doesn't. For those who love this kind of talk, fine. For those who want serious comparative religion studies, try somewhere else. My personal favorite in this regards is J. F. Dirks' "The Ibrahamic Faiths" and "The Cross and The Crescent".



2. Well written and documented! It is the best book I've read on the subject so far and I have read over twenty books.



3. The Caner Brothers expose the spiritual poverty of Islam and their antagonistic detractors only reinforce their argument. If Islam is superior on its own merit, why are Christians so feared? Perhaps Islam provides no answers to the yearnings of the human soul, i.e. Does God love me? Like all totalitarian systems, Islam thrives through force, represssion, exclusion and fear. Jesus Christ and his message of love appeals to every seeking human heart and it is this truth that Islam cannot abide.



4. This book is excellent and should be read by anyone concerned by the intentions of Islam. The format focuses on the fundamentals of how and why the Muslim and Christian think and act as they do, based on the stark differences in religion and thought.
   The authors have impeccable credentials to know both Islam and Christianity intimately. Their scholarship is not only first class but is easily understood.
   The book is set out so that future reference to specific topics is easy.
   Presentation of the material is factual and unemotional, showing the situation exactly as it is, largely based on thorough familiarity with the writings of both religions.



5. If you have any questions on Islam in relation to Christianity, this is your BOOK!

5 comments about Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ.

1. I found this book to be an excellent read and very hard to put down. It chronicles the intertwining lives of several Muslims who converted from Islam to Christianity. All of their stories were different; but, very inspiring to read about. The book takes you back and forth into their lives as each life story unfolds and several become connected to each other. I was touched deeply by this book. It was very well written and you feel as if you are right there living through the persecution with them. Those who practice religion freely need to be there in a much stronger showing of support for the persecuted. This I am certain of.



2. This book does an excellent job telling the story of the commitment and sacrifice of Muslim-background believers, and the pressures that they face daily from their families and friends and cultures when they choose to follow Jesus, the One who loves them. Well worth reading...



3. This book offers something different from many of the books written about the present state of Islam vs. the world. Brother Andrew, while advocating the spread of genuine Christian faith, ends up completely loving Muslims. This is not a hateful or disrespectful book.
   
   I particularly enjoyed seeing how ex-Muslim Christians can move around in a Muslim country, work, marry and have their lives. Islam does not seem to be as completely pervasive in the so-called "Islamic World" as I once thought. I was also interested to see that sometimes the most devout and loving Christians started out as hate filled members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Go figure.
   
   I don't want to overstate it either. Many of these former Muslims pay for their new faith with the ultimate price: a bloody and violent death. But as was once said about the early church "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith" so too do we find a deep vein of Muslims looking for a way out of the hatred.
   
   This book shows that everywhere there are opportunities for Christian belief. I was particularly impressed with the ex Muslim who instead of lamenting that his passport still described him as "Muslim" sees in it rather an opportunity to go to Mecca on the hajj so he can tell people about Jesus Christ!
   
   One gets the impression that much more of this kind of "underground" conversion is going on in the Islamic world than we were once led to believe.



4. What an enlightening book. Everyone in the free world should read this and appreciate the freedom of religion that we have. We live here in this culture and never give a thought to how people in other parts of the world live and what they have to deal with, especially if they are Christians in Muslim countries. I have added the Muslim countries to my daily prayer list. I only wish I could do more.



5. Brother Andrew, author of the classic GOD'S SMUGGLER, and veteran author Al Janssen open this insightful look into the plight of Christians in Muslim cultures with the Arabic translation of Paul's words in 2 Timothy 4:7. We know that verse as "I have fought the good fight." The authors inform us that the last three words of that verse are rendered in Arabic as "the good jihad."
   
   The "good jihad"? As Andrew and Janssen point out, to Western ears that sounds like an oxymoron; we associate jihad with a holy war waged against those who radical Muslims call "infidels" --- meaning Christians, as well as members of other faiths and secularists and anyone else who has committed an offense against Islam. But the very purpose of SECRET BELIEVERS is to call Christians everywhere to join in the good jihad --- a prayer effort to bring Muslims to faith in Jesus Christ.
   
   Instead of telling us about the persecution of Christians in Muslim countries --- specifically, Muslims who profess faith in Christ --- the authors wisely show us what that persecution actually looks like through a fictional account that comprises more than three-quarters of the book. The story they present focuses on the lives of a number of MBBs --- Muslim Background Believers --- based on real people who have converted to Christ and have chosen to remain in hostile Islamic countries in order to bring God's love to other Muslims.
   
   Among the people we meet are Butros, Brother Andrew's contact in an unnamed Islamic country where the story unfolds; Ahmed, who comes to faith in Christ through the influence of his MBB friend Zaki; Father Abuna Alexander, a Christian priest who has to come to terms with Muslims-turned-Christians whose presence threatens the safety of his congregation; Salima, a young woman whose family isolates her when they discover a Bible in her room; and Mustafa and Hassan, who become the target of radical Muslim extremists.
   
   Through the stories of those believers and others, the authors reveal both the hunger for Christ's love and forgiveness that exists among Muslims and the hatred for Christians that exists among extremists. As has been his approach since he first began smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain in the 1950s, Brother Andrew emphasizes compassion over fear and hostility toward those who persecute Christians. In the nonfiction portion of the book that follows the fictional story, he and Janssen --- who serves as communications director for Open Doors International, which Brother Andrew founded --- offer a four-pronged response to the growth of Islam and the threat posed by Muslim extremists. Not surprisingly, the challenges focus on love, forgiveness, the imitation of Christ, and prayer and sacrifice --- which to Andrew and Janssen are anything but nice-sounding Christian words. They're calling for a good jihad, remember. They're in a fight, and they know it.
   
   For whatever reason, I didn't expect the fictional portion to be as absorbing as it was. I was pleasantly surprised when I found myself caught up in the stories of the people and the hardships faced by Christians --- former Muslims as well as others --- in Islamic nations, in this case in the Middle East. And the call to jihad, with its focus on loving Muslims into the kingdom of God, is a message Western Christians can't hear often enough.
   
   --- Reviewed by Marcia Ford