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Title: What the Koran Really Says: Language, Text, and Commentary by Ibn Warraq, Ibn Warraq ISBN: 1-57392-945-X Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: October, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $36.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.33 (12 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A wonderful inside account of Islam, great critique
Comment: A wonderful critique of Islam and the Koran. This is one of the only books by a Muslim that you will find that includes a vast breadth of essays describing the Koran. This is one of the only place you will find Muslims and former Muslims analyzing the birth of Islam and its Christian and Jewish roots as well as the truth behind such customs as the Veil and Female circumcision as the author shows these beliefs to be stolen from other cultures and only adopted by Islam as Islam quickly absorbed all that helped it crush human rights and women while at the same time adopting an intolerant view towards other cultures, races and religions. A very interesting account. The author explodes many myths about the Koran and delves deeply into Arabic scripture, which he is fluent in and was schooled in Egypt, to explain the profound implication o the early Koranic verses. This is a wonderful book, a great companion to anyone in the west who is studying the Koran or taking an Islamic civilization class. A very profound book, Talmudic in its insight, very eye opening for those interested in Islam and its rise and the implications of that rise for Western Civilization. A truly masterful account
Rating: 4
Summary: A Hot Potato
Comment: Anyone familiar with Ibn Warraq's books readily knows why he is pretty much universally reviled by Muslim polemicists (he has several death fatwas outstanding against him - hence his use of a pseudonym for publishing). This book is no different. In it, Ibn Warraq presents a large collection of articles from scholars who spent their lives investigating the Qur'an and its history. This, in and of itself, will cause most Muslims and "pro-Islam" people in the West to view this book as a "hostile" source. Any collection of articles that deconstruct the Qur'an and which demonstrate flaws, imperfections, and inconsistencies in the Qur'an will be viewed as such.
Bad point: Much of the information in the book is very dated. We're talking about information first presented by the likes of Noldeke, Wellhausen, and Goldhizer in the late 19th century.
Good point: Much of this information is still relevant today, if only because of the relative paucity of scholars who are actually willing to critically examine Islam without slavishly seeking to substantiate the Islamic party line. Many of the linguistic arguments still have not been satisfactorily answered by Muslims or Westerners to this day (i.e. rebuttals based on circular reasoning such as relying upon the traditional Islamic view of the Qur'an to SUBSTANTIATE the traditional Islamic view of the Qur'an don't count).
If Muslims think that the essays in Ibn Warraq's book are "hostile", then they should acquaint themselves with the works of more modern researchers from the last thirty years like Crone, Cook, Nevo, Wansbraugh, etc. These and other investigators are even more "hostile" if only because they have a greater base of archaeological, numismatic, epigraphic, etc. data from which to assess the traditional Islamic historiography.
As we can see from some of the previous reviewers, those who don't like this book are generally a bit biased themselves. One from March 20, 2003 (below) barely addresses the actual content of the book, and spends up who-knows how much bandwidth giving us a screed about the "peaceful" aspects of jihad and how the Qur'an really promotes peace, love, harmony, and all that other good stuff. Another review (Edgar Hopida, Nov. 16, 2002) complains about bias in this book, using such objective terminology as "this book represents the one-sided, misleading, and dishonest evidence about the Qur'an, Islam, and its rich history" and "Orientalism, has for centuries attempted to deconstruct Islam, trying to give biased proof that the Occident is superior over the Orient." Would Mr. Hopida care to explain why "Orientalists" have been inclined towards trying to do the exact same thing with the Bible? Perhaps they were trying to give biased proof that the Occident is superior over the *Occident*, too?
Basically, this is a book which the reader will either appreciate for its factual content, or else will despise for its factual content, depending on whether Islamic presuppositions are brought to the table before reading it.
Rating: 1
Summary: Laughable Scholarship
Comment: I came across this book while writing a research paper on the history of Qur'an. Ibn Warraq seems to have picked essays for inclusion based simply on how hostile they are to Islam. Most of the materials of the book are outdated, the rest are definitely not 'mainstream.' The only reason I can think of to even look at this book is if you are studying islamiphobia or hate literature, if you are looking to learn about Islam from a 'western' author, I would recommend Esposito or Armstrong.
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Title: Why I Am Not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq ISBN: 0879759844 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: August, 1995 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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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: 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: The Origins of the Koran: Classic Essays on Islam's Holy Book by Ibn Warraq ISBN: 157392198X Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: September, 1998 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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