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Title: Why I Am Not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq ISBN: 0-87975-984-4 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: August, 1995 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.19 (165 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Corageous but short of the mark
Comment: There are many books written to refute Christianity but only a handful to refute Islam. The reasons behind this to me are the following
1- There is a large number of people who have converted from Christianity to other religions or just plain Atheism but same is not true for Muslims. Mainly because not many Muslims are into reading and listening things against their faith. Another reason can be that a converted from Islam is downright isolated in his/her respective society. So even if someone loses his/her faith in Islam, he/she is unlikely to announce it.
2- Muslims have a very low tolerance to opposing point of view. For example, Muslims freely preach in countries where Christianity is a dominant religion but a Christian cannot preach in an Islamic country e.g. Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates. Muslims tend to settle their dispute rather violently. For example, if you write a book against Islam in a Muslim country, you are most likely to receive death threats but it's highly unlikely that anyone would take the pain of contradicting your book with a book.
In this backdrop, the book "Why I Am Not A Muslim" is a courageous act. Although the author has taken the precaution of not revealing his real name, it still is a valiant effort. As for the contents of the book, they are lacking in many respects and I don't expect that author would be successful in convincing many Muslims. This is why I feel that
1- Most of the times, author is relying heavily on Traditions called Riwayat in Islam. I think he knows that the traditions are compiled in most haphazard manner and therefore you can find many contradictive versions pertaining to any single issue. For instance, the whole episode on the collection of Quran is based on traditions and I can quote many traditions, which would refute what the author is implying. Beside that, there is a whole section of Muslims who do not accept the validity of traditions at all. They will be least bothered with author's assertions.
2- The second reason why Muslims will not be affected by this book is that the Muslim set of belief is not based on reason, it's based on faith. You can refute reason with reason but that's not possible with faith.
3- After finishing the book, I had an impression that it is not an organized effort. I mean author drifts from one topic to another without establishing any visible and logical link. It's feels more like an emotional tirade than a research work.
4- And the most important reason is that Muslims are not going to read it. The title is repulsive to a Muslim. The book is written in a way that a hard-core Muslim would be aggravated. When you want to convince someone, you have to use a tone more reconciliatory than accusatory.
5- Some of the stuff in the initial part of the book is totally irrelevant. I mean looking at historical accounts of Abraham, did he ever come to the place now known as Mecca or not, where Islam has retain pagan practices of Arabia, what is the origin of the word "Allah" etc. The author knows very well that when a Muslim has to judge between the validity of history or validity of Quran, he will definitely chose Quran.
On the whole, the work is way short of the mark. The only strong element of the book is the part on the role of women in Islam. Otherwise, the book is not totally convincing. It fails to challenge the basic premise of Islamic faith and places where Muslim faith draws energy from like the scientific facts in Quran etc.
Another thing which the author has totally ignored is the point of view of Muslim apologetics. They might totally agree with author on many facts but disagree with him on the conclusion he is drawing.
All in all, I have to say that it was a halfhearted attempt and author could do much better than that.
Rating: 5
Summary: Why I Am Not a Muslim.
Comment: Outraged by Ayatollah Khomeini's assault on Salman Rushdie, 'Ibn Warraq' (identified only as someone having grown up in a country now called an Islamic republic, who is now living and teaching in Ohio) was galvanized to write an attack on Islam. The result is a unique book; in contrast to Rushdie's airy magical realism, 'Ibn Warraq' brings a scholarly sledge-hammer to the task of discrediting Islam.
With few exceptions, he relies almost entirely on the Western tradition of Islamic studies for insights on such varied subjects as the person and career of Muhammad, the treatment of women, and Muslim emigration to the West. His conclusion is severe: 'on balance, the effects of the teachings of the Koran have been a disaster for human reason and social, intellectual, and moral progress.' From the beginning, Islam has been a fraud. Muhammad probably never existed, or if he did, had nothing to do with the Qur'an. Likewise, 'The whole of Islamic law is but a fantastic creation founded on forgeries and pious fictions.' Islam succeeded through aggression and intimidation. The early Islamic conquests, for example, were extremely aggressive: 'Bowing toward Arabia five times a day must surely be the ultimate symbol of this cultural imperialism' Despite his anger, 'Ibn Warraq' has written a serious and thought-provoking book that calls not for a wall of silence, much less a Rushdie-like fatwa on the author's life, but an equally compelling response from a believing Muslim.
Middle East Quarterly, March 1996
Rating: 1
Summary: This book is horrible
Comment: This book was a sheer waste of time. I don't recommend it to anyone who actually is out on a quest to learn something. It is filled with lies and defaming accusations that do nothing but feather the nest of this non-Muslim who clearly has lost his sense of life and self. Definitely not a worth while bet.
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Title: Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out by Ibn Warraq, Ibn Warraq ISBN: 1591020689 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: What the Koran Really Says: Language, Text, and Commentary by Ibn Warraq, Ibn Warraq ISBN: 157392945X Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: October, 2002 List Price(USD): $36.00 |
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Title: Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith by Robert Spencer, David Pryce-Jones ISBN: 1893554589 Publisher: Encounter Books Pub. Date: August, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Quest for the Historical Muhammad by Ibn Warraq, Ibn Warraq ISBN: 1573927872 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: March, 2000 List Price(USD): $37.00 |
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Title: The Sword of the Prophet: History, Theology, Impact on the World by Srdja Trifkovic, Serge Trifkovic ISBN: 1928653111 Publisher: BHB International, Inc. Pub. Date: 11 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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