― Winston Churchill, The River War
| Submit your comments on this article |
| Olde Tyme Religion |
| The Deleted History of Islam |
| 2022-11-02 |
| [PJ] The following Q&A was conducted by Davide Cavaliere for the Italian website L’informale: Born and raised in the U.S. to Egyptian parents who lived in the Middle East, Raymond Ibrahim is an author and a highly regarded lecturer specializing in the Middle East and Islam. Currently a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, and the Judith Friedman Rosen Fellow at the Middle East Forum. Along with Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer, and Bruce Bawer, he is one of the freest voices on Islamic history. Italian publishers are disinclined to translate and publish books critical of Islam. You recently published Defenders of the West. Can you expose to our readers the content of the text? Ibrahim: Yes, it’s a follow-up to my previous book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West. Whereas that book focused on eight decisive battles between Islam and Europe that shaped the course of history, Defenders of the West focuses on eight decisive men. It looks at that same long war between Islam and Europe, but through the lens and lives of these eight warriors, whose lives and exploits are more dramatic than most fiction movies can capture. Ironically, whereas all eight of these men were once heralded as great exemplars and heroes, most of them are today either completely unknown or else vilified, and their defensive wars against Islam presented as intolerant or unprovoked attacks by "Islamophobes" and xenophobes who were incapable of "celebrating diversity." I should add that I managed to delve into several arcane and little-known sources, in different languages, to offer the most accurate and riveting account of their struggles against the jihad. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has made Europe more dependent on Turkey, Azerbaijan, Algeria, and the Muslim countries of the Caspian Sea. In the future, how will these Muslim nations exploit our dependence on their energy resources? Ibrahim: Well, if history is any indicator, these Muslim nations will exploit our dependence on their energy resources in a manner that bolsters Islam, including on the world community. For example, Saudi petrodollars are well-known to fund and disseminate the most radical form of Islamic teaching in mosques and madrasas all throughout the world, including if not especially in the West — so-called "Wahhabism" (which is really another way of saying literal and purist Islam). Furthermore, trying to strengthen Islam and weaken Infidels is a Muslim imperative, one which can be achieved in many ways, jihad only being the most famous. In this scenario, Muslims will use the infidels’ own money and dependence on Muslim resources to radicalize fellow Muslims against the West. Muslims have conquered and subjugated vast territories all over the world, from Europe to Asia to Africa. How is it possible that a warrior and slave-holding civilization is, now, considered a "victim" of supposed Western oppression? Ibrahim: Yes, it’s quite the amazing turn of events, no? The reason such a topsy-turvy history has managed to prevail is twofold: First, the bulk of the real historical interaction between Islam in the West — centuries’ worth of war, conquest, bloodshed, and mass slavery — has been suppressed; here I am discussing the ongoing, violent, jihadist onslaught perpetrated by Muslim caliphates, sultanate, emirates, from a variety of nations, including Arabs, Berbers, Turks, and Tatars. As discussed in both books, Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, for well over a thousand years, these diverse peoples, operating under a distinctly Islamic logic — the sort championed by ISIS, the sort we were told has "nothing to do with Islam" — waged a relentless jihad on every corner of Europe, going as far as Iceland in their slave raids. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #9 Let's face it. We have crippled and emasculated ourselves in the face of the i-slam with our progressive ideas about 'human rights', 'due process' and equality. Only by making exceptions and compromising our newfound faux godlike ness can we accomplish what King Saul was originally commanded to do. Kill kill kill them all. Maybe we stop at a remnant that agrees to convert. Atheism, Buddhism, rosicrucian, star wars larper... whatever. But to deal with them we need what timid people call brutality. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2022-11-02 14:11 |
| #8 “How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property – either as a child, a wife, or a concubine – must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the faith: all know how to die but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome.” ― Winston Churchill, The River War |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2022-11-02 13:58 |
| #7 I have both Sword and Scimitar and Defenders Of The West on my reference shelf. His dedication to rpimary sources and honest scholarship are impressive. VDH is a huge supporter of his academic rigor and candor. The failure to deal honestly with the Islam that lurks in the shadows that are not translated for taqqiya-based Western consumption is stunning. Religion of Peace is a sop to those who shy from hard truths about history and who has been the aggressor for centuries. |
| Posted by: NoMoreBS 2022-11-02 13:55 |
| #6 And right next to it is A Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2022-11-02 12:39 |
| #5 WTH! I have his sword and scimitar up there in front of on the bookshelf. Amid all those books I borrowed to look smart to visitors. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2022-11-02 12:13 |
| #4 Oh ok. My cold hatred and absolute ignorance gets the better of me. 🥳 |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2022-11-02 12:11 |
| #3 Raymond Ibrahim was born into a Coptic Christian family. Professor Victor Davis Hanson was his master’s thesis advisor. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2022-11-02 11:40 |
| #2 All believing moslems who project modernity and a moderate stance are actually just apologists. They're the ones who wag their heads and say 'terrible shame' after their cousins have lopped your head off. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2022-11-02 11:00 |
| #1 Read this guy on Islam 20 years ago - he was very much an apologist at that time. |
| Posted by: Galactic Coordinator Big Foot1341 2022-11-02 10:42 |