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Islam: What the West Needs to Know

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A couple of years ago I decided I needed to become informed regarding Islam, so began. All told I guess I've read about 40 books and now have a pretty good idea about what it is. The first book I went out and bought and read, was the Koran, because I thought l may as well go to the source and get the info straight.

Contra earlier reviewers to the other listing of the DVD - `Ehab M. Omar "Newman"', `Dr Saleem Ahmed', `Sky Lion "SkyLion"' - reading the Koran did not convert me, nor was it a magic bullet, knock over evidence in favour of Islam. In fact, to quote Thomas Carlyle as quoted in the excellent book `Secrets of the Koran' by Don Richardson, the Koran is "A wearisome jumble, crude, incondite [with] endless iterations [and] longwindedness...Nothing but a sense of duty could carry any European through the Koran.' And so it was with me. I slogged through it, not because it was brilliant, gripping, diverse literature - it most certainly is not, rather drab and uniform from beginning to end - nor because despite its hell fire and damnation on virtually every page, it had the ring of truth and the divine about it - it most certainly did not. It is the most turgid, boring, incomprehensible writing I have ever read. And according to Richardson, it is even more incomprehensible in Arabic! It is more comprehensible in translation because at least in a translation, the translator tries to make what is being translated comprehensible! But then of course, a translation is not THE Koran, as only the Koran in Arabic - the holy tongue - is the Koran, so I never really read the Koran did I, and no one who does not know Arabic can do so!

(Saleem; where did you get that ridiculous statistic that 3 out of 4 people who read the Koran accept Islam? I'm sure that huge numbers of Westerners have read the Koran in the last few years, though have not been converted but repulsed by it. I imagine like me they read it so as to become informed.)

Well...in my reading I came to cut through all the baloney being put out by idiot PC Western leaders who to this day keep assuring us that Islam is a `religion of peace', and that it is only a few disaffected Moslems who have hijacked the `great religion' who are a threat to the West. It became abundantly clear, that it is Islam itself, built on the explicit teachings of the Koran and Hadith's, and on the example of the Islamic `perfect man', Mohammed, which is the threat. 1400 years of these explicit teachings and example being followed has wreaked death, destruction, and slavery on an mind numbing scale, over vast areas. And today the same is occurring all around the world. When a bomb goes off somewhere, you can almost guarantee, 99 times out of 100, Moslems planted it.

The talk today about moderate/peaceful Moslems and radical/jihadist/terrorist Moslems, is I think a false dichotomy. Rather what you have are inconsistent Moslems and consistent Moslems - and the consistent, orthodox ones are the radicals/jihadists because they follow the Koran and example of Mohammed, and the others, for whatever reason, don't. The only place it appears you can have `reformist' Muslims is in the West because in Islamic countries, reformists end up dead as heretics. But then in the West you have the out-working of `taqiyya' - Muslim lying to further the Islamic cause. At the end of the day, can any Muslim in the West be trusted? With taqiyya as a Mohammed established/authorised doctrine, I don't see how they can be.

So...when I heard that `Islam: What the West Needs to Know', was available, I purchased it immediately, and it confirmed what I had already discovered. It is not entertainment, nor can be called a nice dvd, but never the less should be required viewing. It has no razzamatazz or glitz whatever, but is solid information from beginning to end. The jutaposition of Western leaders making their starry-eyed public statements, with blunt statements of Islamic authorties contradicting them was most enlightening. (Where do Western leaders get their information from? Muslims practising taqiyya?) The technical quality could be improved, but that should not get in the way, nor be allowed to. The content is clear and unemotional, coming from people who know the subject inside out. And, with it simply examining the actual words of Islamic authorities, and avoiding secondhand or adversarial sources, it plays the strongest hand possible. I highly recommended it.

(I would suggest to the makers of it - perhaps they are already planning or working on this - that they put out a second version with upgraded illustrations and more of them. When anything can be illustrated it should be. This would make it more accessible for more people and be more visually interesting.)

This film portrays the problem with Islam extremely well and puts it in an accurate historical and theological setting. It bases its information on primary sources including the Bukhari ahadith which are considered by Muslims themselves to be the most reliable accounts of the life of Muhammad.

Importantly we hear the religion described by its own texts and followers - or previous followers - and the viewer then makes up their own mind on the issues (one quote of Muhammad's that I wish had been included are his last words from his death bed: "I have been made victorious through terror", which explains a huge amount in a nutshell). It is most definitely not "Islamophobic" and further research of the contributors will back this up - they have a genuine concern for Muslims.

Through this film I have been introduced to the works of Hillaire Belloc (early 20th C. Catholic historian) & Bat Ye'or (a contemporary Jewish Egyptian/French scholar), which I have found most illuminating, and to the jihadwatch website which is now essential daily reading for me.

We really do stand at the dawn of a new age and it is no exageration to compare the rise of "fundamentalist" Islam with the threat of Nazism & Communism. Given the fact that the most respected American historian in Islam has said that Europe will be subsumed as part of a "western Islamic bloc within this century" we all need to see this documentary in order to understand what that will probably look like.

Be warned, the film is quite slow, however I believe this is done in an effort to avoid emotionalism and I vouch that the film, nevertheless, will hit home as hard as anything most of us have seen.

I honestly cannot think of a more important film available today. If you can rouse yourself from the activity and fatigue of modern life for long enough to watch this documentary on those who have declared war on us you will never be the same again.

This movie needs to be seen by EVERYONE EVERYWHERE! What people need to understand is that the reason there are no 'moderate' Muslims speaking out against terrorism and atrocities committed world wide by those who follow Islam is because if they are not also committing these acts of jihad or supporting those that do, they are not truly 'good' Muslims as defined in the Quran. The people everyone wants to call 'radicals' or 'extremists' are in fact, just practicing the true words of Muhammed in the Quran. The Quran is a confusing book and once you understand how it is to be read (oldest passages are completely superceded by all later passages), then one comes to understand that any peaceful writings in the Quran were all very early and have since been replaced with the later chapters which are all entirely violent, preach intolerance and killing of all kaffur or infidels (those who are non-Muslim) and that the whole purpose of Islam is to be the one and only religion. This is the ONLY religion in the world which has a penalty of death for leaving! Does this sound peaceful? Did anyone stop to think how, why and what kind of person would willingly 'martyr' their children, sending them out to die just to kill others they deem unworthy? For most of us it is inconceivable. This film will show you how they come to be so passionate about death to the infidels that it is worth killing their own children. This is NOT biggotry. Islam is truly not a religion. It is a military organization with a political ideology and until the western world stops allowing it protection under our laws of freedom of religion, they will continue to infiltrate every aspect of our life, using our own laws protecting freedom, at the same time, using these laws to restrict our own freedoms, whilst they gain more and more. Already, one cannot say 'merry Christmas' but tax payers are now financing footbaths and special rooms for prayer at public schools! The Muslims are demanding not just 'rights' but being allowed to trample ours (and I'm not a Christian, but I clearly see this as WRONG). It is time to stop bending over backwards to be politically correct and wake up and see that these people who are true followers of Muhammed want us dead. No matter how much we try to give them what they want - until we DIE, they won't be happy!

I rarely review things on Amazon, but this DVD practically inspired me to run to my computer. I've read several books and articles on Islam. I've seen a couple of documentaries. But this DVD blew me away.

The format is excellent. Throughout the video you are shown clips by world leaders, politicians, etc., who chant the "Islam as a religion of peace" mantra. Then you are shown interviews by leading authorities in the study of Islam (men and women whose credentials are unassailable). These interview clips clearly and convincingly refute what the cultural elites and media are saying. The interviews are punctuated with quotes from the Koran and Haddith. Occasionally they also show clips from Muslim sermons, rallies, etc., that are quite disturbing.

I can't imagine someone watching this DVD and not coming away convinced that Islam is inherently a political ideology akin to Communism--i.e., not a "personal religion" like us Westerners view every other religion--, with clearly distinguishable dogmas that advocate physical jihad (not "spiritual jihad against one's passions") against unbelievers, the goal of which is to usher in a global theocracy of Shariah Law.

This movie should be watched by every sober-minded Westerner. Our politicians need to wake up, study these issues, and become intellectually honest in their portrayal of Islam. We have for too long been led astray by the "Islam is a religion of peace" propaganda. It is not too late for America, though it is probably too late for Europe (which Bat Ye'or has rightly dubbed "Eurabia").

See the trailers and other clips at [...].

Watching Islam: What the West Needs to Know without any previous knowledge of Muslims or the Koran is akin to going deep sea diving for the first time with no formal training, or, more realistically, like watching Michael Moore's Sicko without ever experiencing the American healthcare system first hand. A lot of information is thrown around and without the proper education to either agree with or dispute any of it, it all must be digested as factual. Depending on who you ask, this is the proper way to view this unbiased and revealing documentary or you are being tricked by this xenophobic and hateful piece of anti-muslim propaganda.

It's not surprising that a film whose sole purpose is to answer the question "Is Islam itself a violent religion?" with a resounding "Hell Yes!" should be just a tad controversial. Featuring interviews with several noted experts on Islam and indepth examinations of the Koran and other Islamic texts, the case against a peaceful Islam is slowly and methodically built throughout the film. Islam is presented as an intolerant and destructive ideology rather than the peaceful, yet misrepresented, religion that both Eastern and Western leaders purport it to be. "Like Nazism and Communism, in Islamism the end justifies the means... the whole idea is to promote their way of thinking and to promote their way of life throughout the world." says author and former terrorist Walid Shoebat. Candidly discussing his involvement in bombings and terroristic attacks, Shoebat provides a chilling description of life as a Muslim both in the Middle East and in the United States.

The film is split into six parts, with each part explaining a bit more about Islam. There is a section on the exclusiveness and intolerance of Islam ("There is No God But Allah..."), a section on what "jihad" really means (like "mein kampf" it means, "my struggle"), a section on the expansion of Islam through violence, a section on the mistakes and misrepresentations of Islamist apologists, a section on the totality of Islam ("More Than a Religion"), and a final section entitled "The House of War" that establishes that violence is and always has been a part of Islam. Whether or not all of the information can be taken at face value, first time filmmakers Bryan Daly and Gregory M. Davis present a very compelling argument. It's cut together more like an educational film than most of the flashy documentaries that come out today, and that only serves to boost the feeling of truth behind their central idea.

One of the interviewees states resolutely that "there are peaceful and moderate Muslims, but no peaceful and moderate Islam." After watching Islam: What the West Needs to Know and witnessing this subject thoroughly dissected for 98 minutes, audience members will find themselves struggling to disagree with the statement. Some viewers will walk away from the film shaking their heads in wonderment at what a terribly violent and unforgiveable religion Islam really is. Some may actively disagree with the film's main thesis, positing that the verses used were misinterpreted and the interviewees biased. Hopefully, though, most viewers will see the film as impetus to do research of their own into the subject, realizing that this isn't a passing topic that can be quickly swept under the rug. If nothing else, this film serves as a strong warning sign to keep yourself educated on difficult matters because some subjects are too dangerous to ignore.

This film is by far the most interesting presentation of Islam that I have yet to see. I recommend viewers be fully awake before attempting to watch it, as some amount of concentration is required to reap the full benefits of this documentary. Packed with direct quotes from the Koran and other reliable sources, along with compelling visuals and tasteful interviews, it will challenge even the experts. Is violence built into the Moslem ideology? "Islam: What the West Needs to Know" addresses this question and I believe answers it. Even my 14-year son enjoyed the film "for its shock value," as he put it.

This film (somewhat biased against Islam) teaches from the Koran and from former Muslims how Islam began and what it stands for. Americans will be surprised to find out that Islam is not only a religion, but a system of government which is focused on spreading its system throughout the whole world (which apparently belongs to Muhammad), converting people to the religion of Islam or making them second class individuals, and killing any Jews or Christians that they come accross along the way. The experts explain this from the Koran itself.

I highly recomend this item to all who are sincerely interested in what is happening in Iran and the middle east. I believe it is time that the raw truth be known about these peoples and their religion and its impact on the world. This compilation of facts is well thought out and speaks the truth.

I have just watched this DVD for the second time. It is loaded with pithy, essential material that should knock your socks off. It presents brilliant speakers discussing Islam, and their statements are interwoven with television footage from the Middle East, the U.K., and the United States. Relevant quotations from the Qur'an and from the canonical Islamic traditions appear on screen at just the right moments to illustrate points.

The speakers possess an extraordinarily in-depth knowledge of Islam's documents, its history, and its modus operandi, and discuss questions on the minds of increasing numbers of Westerners today: how do Muslims resolve the contradictions between peaceful and violent verses in the Qur'an? What is the Qur'an's famous verse of the sword? Is it true that, while there are moderate Muslims, there is no moderate Islam? What does the Qur'an say about Muslims deceiving non-Muslims? Does the Qur'an forbid Muslims to befriend Jews and Christians except deceptively? Is there a clash of civilizations? Is Europe going to be Islamized in a generation, as the Muslim population of Europe continues to grow by leaps and bounds through rapid immigration and high reproductive rates, while non-Muslims reproduce below replacement rates? Is Islamic law in any way compatible with Western social systems? Is it the case that Islamic law forbids Muslims to compel non-Muslims to convert to Islam, but commands Muslims to fight until all humankind submits to rule by Islamic law? These and a number of other questions critical to understanding what the future may hold are illuminated.

One of the speakers is Walid Shoebat, a former Muslim and a former PLO terrorist. Another is Robert Spencer, author of many books about Islam. He is also the head of jihadwatch.org, appears on numerous television news shows and radio shows, has been studying Islam for decades, and has recently begun a brilliant weekly internet Qur'an class, where he has been explaining the Qur'an verse by verse, and then answering questions about the Qur'an from commenters. Like others who have dared to reflect critically on Islam, Spencer receives numerous death threats and must conceal where he lives. Bat Ye'or is another scholar featured in this DVD. She is famous for several books that virtually created a new field of research: the study of "dhimmitude." Dhimmitude refers to the varying forms of second class status of non-Muslims living under Islamic law in various parts of the world during the course of history. The other two speakers on this DVD, Abdullah Al-Araby and Serge Trifkovic, also have fascinating things to say.

In this DVD there is no nudity, no obscenity, and no violence. But some of the television footage showing what some Middle Easterners say when they think Westerners are not listening will stand your hair on end. For example check out the Muslim preacher who brings an Iraqi crowd to its feet as he draws a long scimitar from its sheath and screams with a diabolically charismatic fury, all while quoting early Islamic traditions about killing Jews. The sound quality of his voice is distinctly reminiscent of Hitler's diabolically furious rants to huge crowds. This and some of the other footage is astounding, and provides a powerful counterpoint to the very clear statements by the speakers.

I can't recommend this DVD highly enough as a way to learn a number essential facts about Islam's past, present and possible future.

I was spellbound, watching this DVD. Perhaps the most moving contribution is from Whalid Shoebat, a former terrorist with the PLO, but all the contributors have an unsurpassed knowledge of Islam. The presentation is simple, but elegant and professional. Highly recommended.