Customer Reviews

Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law

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Darwish's unique background enables her to clearly explain Islam to the Western reader. Although I read a few books on Islam after 9/11, this was the first description that enabled me to understand why there was not more outrage from moderate Muslims and religious leaders when thousands of American civilians were murdered in Islam's name.

An important part of the understanding began with Darwish's explanation that Islam is not just a religion -- It is also a political and legal system. Darwish supports this assertion with scriptural statistics as well as concrete examples. Identifying political Islam helped this reader to consider it more objectively. Like many others, it is difficult for me to criticize another's religion (even silently in my own mind), but it is not hard to criticize a political or legal system that oppresses people. Thus, I could not reconcile 9/11 or dehumanization with religious Islam, but I can easily see how political Islam encourages such abuses.

Darwish spent her first thirty years in Egypt and understands that "Most Muslims judge Islam by their kind, tolerant Muslim grandparents who prayed five times every day." But this did not prevent her from seeing extreme human rights abuses enforced through Sharia - which is now declared by forty-five Muslim countries to override the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

She points out that while Westerners generally assume all religions encourage a respect for the dignity of each individual, Islamic law (Sharia) teaches that non-Muslims should be subjugated or killed in this world. Peace and prosperity for one's children is not as important as assuring that Islamic law rules everywhere in the Middle East and eventually in the world.

While Westerners tend to think that all religions encourage some form of the golden rule, Sharia teaches two systems of ethics - one for Muslims and another for non-Muslims. Building on tribal practices of the seventh century, Sharia encourages the side of humanity that wants to take from and subjugate others.

While Westerners tend to think in terms of religious people developing a personal understanding of and relationship with God, Sharia advocates executing people who ask difficult questions that could be interpreted as criticism. It's hard to imagine, that in this day and age, Islamic scholars agree that those who criticize Islam or choose to stop being Muslim should be executed. Sadly, while talk of an Islamic reformation is common and even assumed by many in the West, such murmurings in the Middle East are silenced through intimidation.

While Westerners are accustomed to an increase in religious tolerance over time, Darwish explains how petrodollars are being used to grow an extremely intolerant form of political Islam in her native Egypt and elsewhere. The statistics she cites are chilling.

In addition to describing Sharia, Darwish warns of the threat to the west and offers policy prescriptions for political leaders and voters. Nonie Darwish is clearly an immigrant whose unusual perspective enriches our culture. This reader is grateful that she risks her life to publicly speak in defense of her adopted country.

The sympathy and genuine love that Ms. Darwish possesses for her people of origin, drives her to expose how they have been shackled by a 7th century religious zealotry which may ultimately lead to their own demise and that of the entire civilized world. Ms. Darwish, with much scholarly research, applies the yeoman's work to expose Islam as a skewed ideology which advocates pedophilia , slavery, subjugation of women, murder of homosexuals, and mayhem upon all infidels; fear, loathing and hate are sown and cultivated in the Koran, Hadith and Sharia, containing over 35,200 calls for death, decapitation, murder, and perpetrating fear and chaos upon non-Muslims.

The intolerable supremacist nature of Islam must be universally acknowledged both in the Muslim world as well as the Western world. No one will be safe until there is a total revolution calling for the absolute reformation of Islam. It is imperative for the victims who live under the ummah of Islam (women, children, dhimmis, homosexuals, and slaves) as well as the entire world and until such time there can be no conceivable way to transcend the violence that pursues the destruction of all beliefs outside of Islam.

I finally understood what Sharia Islamic law is and its horrific impact in oppressing human rights, especially women. Darwish connected the dots between the Laws of Islam, jihad and the disconnect between Muslim and non-Muslim society. An easy to read book that is a warning to the West. A must read.

This is not a politically correct book, it is not a feel good book, it is a wake up book.
The author spent thirty years as a "virtual slave" to Sharia law. The book explains in detail what Sharia is and also does an excellent job of describing Islam, its roots, its founder and its current purpose.
A quote from the author does far better job of describing this book and why you should read it than I can:
"" The purpose of this book is not to spread hatred of a people, but to tell the truth about the wickedness of Islamic Sharia law. Islam is at the gates. Western democracies are underestimating a major threat that will push their futures to the point of no return. The West must either wake up to the danger today or submit unconditionally tomorrow.""

Nonie Darwish's rhapsody of truth entitled "Cruel and Usual Punishment: The Terrifying Global Implications of Islamic Law" is the most ardent explanation of Sharia law, and its horrors, that I have read yet. What a brave soul Ms. Darwish must be: to know so very well from her own life experiences as a Muslim, what a hostile and difficult road she has placed herself. But the attacks on her only exemplify her message of dire concern to the western world. That to orthodox Muslims, criticism of Islam is unacceptable; that questioning Sharia cannot be tolerated; that being different, gay, feminist, progressive, or simply tolerant of other faiths is punishable by imprisonment or death.

I don't know that I have ever read a book and highlighted information on every single page...but this was exactly the case with "Cruel and Usual Punishment". From the preface... "About 60 million Christians, 80 million Hindus and 10 million Buddhists were killed during the jihad conquest." to the last chapter (Getting Away with Murder)..."If Muslim governments and citizens have access to build mosques in America, then they must give the U.S. government and citizens the same access in their countries." there is not one page that didn't have a point worth marking. Although, as is the case with that last quote, hell will freeze over before Muslim countries ruled by Sharia Law will tolerate such nonsense as accepting any measure of equality. They would, in fact, have to break their own law by exhibiting such tolerance. Sharia, by definition, demands complete intolerance of any other socio-religious system and Nonie Darwish does a masterful and heartfelt job of proving it.

After comparing 30 of the many books currently out on the subject of Islam, "Cruel and Usual Punishment" stands as the most poignant in everyday cultural terms, "America Alone" has the best global/demographic perspective and "Bleeding for Allah, Why Islam will Conquer the Free World" is the most informative from a historical and Biblical/Koranic scripture standpoint.

Several readers have left reviews saying that Ms. Darwish is not reflecting the truth of the Koran. I have read the Koran several times and Ms. Darwish does not stray from its violent and intolerant message. She is completely on the mark. The misinformation campaign by Islamists is ceaseless....

A friend with a doctorate in Islamic studies (from Oxford, no less) sent a link to an interview of author Nonie Darwish. Since the book was just released, I have not yet read it, but I certainly intend to. Her background is fascinating, and perfect for authoring a book on this subject. You can find it here:
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.2207/pub_detail.asp

In the interview, Darwish says: "My book is the first book ever to explain Shariah. Shariah books themselves are rarely translated into English and very few people want to go into the legal terminologies. I studied for one year to be able to explain Shariah in a way that it is understandable. I did a lot of quotations from Shariah and explained them. It is all documented. The West must wake up and start understanding because Shariah law says that for Muslims it is obligatory to lie if the purpose of the lie is the furtherance of Islam. Many Muslims don't even know what Shariah law is exactly. They have lived under it for so many years." That's a pretty compelling argument to buy and read this book.

Nonie Darwish knows a fair amount about Islam. She was an Egyptian Muslim for the first 30 years of her life. Then she fled to America and she is now a Christian. She has told her story earlier, in her 2007 volume, Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror.

In this book she continues her important story, but she does so by highlighting two crucial themes: what sharia law means, and how women are treated in Islam. In 270 pages she spells out in chilling detail what the implications are of Islamic law, and how the West must be very careful indeed about the spread of sharia.

The first half of this important book looks at how women are treated in the world of sharia. The treatment of women in Islam alone should serve as a warning for anyone who thinks sharia is compatible with Western democracy and freedom.

Consider marriage. Muslim women are prohibited under sharia from marrying non-Muslim men. But Muslim men can marry Christian or Jewish women. And the sharia marriage contract "is essentially a document granting sexual intercourse rights to the male and giving him total control over his four wives".

There are even temporary marriages purely for the purposes of sexual pleasure for the male, called mutaa, or pleasure marriage. This "marriage" can last as little as an hour. Then there is misyar, or traveller's marriage, which is "designed to accommodate the male sexual appetite while travelling".

Divorce is of course also all one way traffic in Islam. Men can divorce their wives instantly, simply by saying "I divorce you" three times. A Muslim woman cannot initiate a divorce. In custody cases, children after the age of seven (or sometimes nine) belong to the father.

And a male can beat his wife and sexually abandon her. Under sharia a husband deserves total submission and gratitude. As one revered Muslim scholar, Imam Ghazali has said, "Marriage is a form of slavery. The woman is man's slave, and her duty therefore is absolute obedience".

Polygamy is also the right of Muslim men. But even more abhorrent is the practice of sexual gratification with children. There is no legal age for marriage under sharia. Thus the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, for example, said in an official statement, "A man can quench his sexual lusts with a child as young as a baby."

Of course Muhammad himself had a six-year-old wife, whom he consummated relations with when she was just nine. And Islamic leaders argue that his life serves as an example and pattern for all Muslims. This is all codified in surah 65:4 in the Koran.

There are plenty of other misogynist elements to sharia law. Women adulterers are to be stoned to death; girls who fornicate are to be flogged; a woman's testimony in a court of law is only worth half that of a man's; women cannot be in the company of men who are not her relatives; female genital mutilation is rife; a Muslim wife needs her husband's permission to travel; and so on.

Then there is the issue of honour killing. While there is no sharia law that expressly gives men the right to kill their women to protect their family honour, there are existing laws which protect men who do commit such killings. Indeed, sharia states that a killer of an apostate, a robber or an adulterer cannot be punished for murder.

In the rest of the book Darwish looks at life "behind the Muslim curtain" - what life is like for non-Muslims under sharia law. Non-Muslims are treated almost as poorly as women in Muslim-majority countries. Jews and Christians are under dhimmitude, or second-class citizenship. Darwish chronicles the many ways in which non-Muslims are oppressed, discriminated against, and denied basic human rights.

And ordinary Muslims who dare to think independently of sharia are also subject to tremendous opposition and oppression. Criticism of Islam is of course punishable by death. Muhammad himself ordered the killing of those who dared to criticise him.

All the various schools of Islam agree that blasphemy or criticism of Islam is a capital offence. And Muslim imams do not expect to be questioned or challenged in any way. In such a world there is "no intellectual honesty, no dialogue, and no respect".

Muslim preachers regard Westerners and Jews as the embodiment of evil, the personification of Satan. Therefore they can be cursed, deceived and killed. Indeed, according to sharia, lying and deception are obligatory at times when dealing with the enemies of Islam. This is part of the overall jihad being waged against infidels.

After reading so much detail about what sharia teaches and commands, one is left overwhelmed. As Darwish says, "The West should be clear on the nature of Sharia. It is nothing more than legal tyranny, a terminal disease that destroys the healthy functioning of society where everything is sacrificed for the sake of total control".

Indeed, say Darwish, Islam is not really a religion as much as it is a system of complete control and social order. It is an intolerant worldview which allows no opposition or questioning. Thus the West should resolutely oppose what she calls "Islamo-Facism". We should not tolerate intolerance.

She concludes her book with practical suggestions for the West, including keeping sharia illegal, restricting immigration, and monitoring Muslim clerics on what they are preaching and teaching. And the West must rediscover and celebrate its Judeo-Christian heritage and values, and resist the inroads of secularism.

If it does not, the vacuum caused by secularism will be quickly filled by a totalising Islam which seeks absolute control and the global extension of sharia. The aims of the Islamists are the very opposite of those who champion freedom and democracy. We must choose which system we wish to live under.

Darwish has nicely laid out the implications of life under sharia. It is up to us how we respond.

I had a chance to talk to Nonie during a dinner in which she was the guest speaker at an event in Bakersfield CA. Not only is she a wonderful person and great communicator, her perspective regarding global jihad, radical Islam and Sharia Law needs to be taken extremely seriously by all who read this book. Coming from Egyptian background and being raised as a Muslim, Nonie know what she is talking about. Sharia Law has and is enslaving millions of people, while creating an environment that fosters extreme hatred towards non-Muslims. Nonie covers just about any topic you've ever wondered about, from honor killings, the beating of wives, brainwashing of children, Islamic victimization and much much more. She takes you on a journey that reveals the history of Islam and the Bedouin culture that gave birth to this religion. Once you open this book, you will be hard pressed to put it down.

Darwish points out that the goal of radical Islam is to bring Sharia law to the entire world. According to Sharia, women can be beaten for talking to men who are not their relatives and flogged for not wearing a headdress, daughters, sisters, and wives can be legally killed by the men in their family, and non-Muslims can be beheaded and their Muslim killers not penalized. While men fare far better than women, they risk having their hands chopped off for stealing, being whipped for not growing a sufficient beard, etc. Then there's the ban on movies, alcohol, TV, yoga, education for females, etc.

Don't doubt the intensity of Muslim religious proponents - about 60 million Christians, 80 million Hindus, and 10 million Buddhists have been killed in prior jihads. Africa has especially suffered - 120 million deaths. For Muslims, the wages of reformation is death - thus, don't wait for it to mellow.

There are four Sharia sects. Most Muslims follow Hanafi law, the most liberal. Hanbali law is the strictest version, and followed only by Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia provides most of the funds for "growing" the Muslim religion.

One criticism: Darwish focuses on the extreme form of Muslimism, however, and little explanation of the mildest form is provided.

I came away from reading this with a better understanding of Islam, it's history, mentality and social structure. There are plenty of books available that deal with the issues of modern day muslims and violent acts. This book dug a little deeper into how did all this hatred and violence get started in the first place. I have always wondered how in the heck do you convince someone that strapping a bomb to themselves is a good idea. It is all so foreign to the western way of thinking it's hard to wrap your mind around it. Now that I can see from the muslim history and social structure what drives these people I actually feel rather sorry for them, in a pity sense. The book did leave me feeling there seems to be little chance that the muslim agenda is going to stop any time soon and the western world had better wake up. The book dragged a bit here and there with the author repeating things, still a worth while read. I think this book is one everyone could benefit from reading. If for no other reason, know your enemy. And make no mistake, as far as they are concerned, we in the western world are the enemy.