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The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion

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Since September 2000, at the beginning of the latest phase in the Arab Muslim jihad against the Jewish people in Israel, I have done extensive reading on the history of Islam in a concerted effort to determine the cause. During my early months and years of research, I felt confounded by Islam, which scholars often described as a faith, at its core, moderate and peaceful. Lord knows, I long believed them.

Unfortunately, the more I read, the more discouraged I have become as to the true nature of Islam, and its founder.

Much, though hardly all, of my expanding base of knowledge, has come from Robert Spencer, whose books I have read both with pleasure and dismay--pleasure, because he writes and researches so well, and dismay, because his books so discourage one regarding the onerous tasks that now face Western civilization. Like it or not, we are increasingly imperiled by, and simultaneously, oblivious to the global political ambitions of resurgent Islam.

These dangers appear genuinely contemporary after one learns the details of Muhammad's dealings with the Jewish Banu Qurayzah tribe of Yathrub (Medina).

After sending a secret Muslim convert, Nu'aym bin Mas'ud, to sabotage a Qurayzah alliance with the pagan Quraysh, Muhammad debased the Jews as "brothers of monkeys." This language, as Spencer dutifully notes, "also made its way into the Qur'an"--in chapters 2 (verses 62-65), 5 (verses 59-60) and 7 (verse 166)--and is routinely invoked by current-day Muslim leaders.

Citing the famed A. Guillaume's 1955 translation of Ibn Ishaq's Life of Muhammad (Sirat Rasul Allah), Spencer notes that Muhammad's forces "laid siege to the Qurayzah strongholds for twenty-five days, until... 'they were sorely pressed' and, as Muhammad had warned, 'God cast terror into their hearts'." At this juncture, the leader of the Qurayzah offered his people three choices--to accept Muhammad and Islam, to kill their wives and children and fight Muhammad unencumbered, or to ambush Muhammad on the Sabbath.

The Qurayzah ignored their leader's counsel and, instead, surrendered to the Muslims. Muhammad asked Sa'd bin Mu'adh to determine their fate--and he in turn ruled that "their warriors should be killed and their children and women be taken as captives." Muhammad himself then went into the Medina market and dug trenches into which some the heads of at least 600 or 700 Qurayzah men (possibly, 800 or 900) would be struck. One boy who had not yet "begun to grow hair" later reputedly explained that this factor determined whether a boy was deemed a boy--and spared--or a man, and killed.

Every drop of non-Muslim blood Muhammad spilled, he deemed to have set "a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah" (Qur'an, chapter 33, verse 21).

It's all too clear, five years after 9/11, that most Americans lack the motivation to read the Koran--which is neither long, nor impregnable. If they had it, the public would soon discover that even the mildest of translations, which omit the most offensive verses and explicit terms, prove enlightening.

But Spencer's 224-page biography of Muhammad, based entirely on the most important and authentic of Muslim sources, is well-positioned to fill the deficit for even those readers most devoid of educational motivation.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Robert Spencer is one of the voices speaking clearly about where the Jihadists derive their core beliefs and patterns for their actions. The title of this book is not speaking against Islam or saying that Muslims are hiding some secret about their faith (although there are some difficult points they do not like to discuss much). What the title of the book is referring to is the false notion that the Western multi-culturalists like to peddle: that Islam is principally a religion of peace and that our conflict with them comes from not treating them as if they were another kind of Congregationalist sect.

Because of the centrality of Muhammad to Islam, Spencer takes us through what can be known about the life of Muhammad. However, the Qur'an alone is not enough for that task. The author also uses the Hadith (traditions about Muhammad), and the Sira (a biography of Muhammad written down 150 years after his death). Using these secondary sources helps illuminate what the Qur'an is saying to the believers through their Prophet.

As Spencer takes us through Muhammad's life and conquests, we learn the sources and traditions for what the Jihadists do today. Rather than twisting or hijacking the faith as some claim, there is a reason that so many within Islam feel proud and agree with the way the Jihadists act towards non-believers, what is preached against believers in their mosques, and the constant work to establish Sharia as a replacement for established law all over the world. This is what Muslims have done since their beginning and what they feel their mission is today. To them, all non-Muslim culture is inferior and all non-believers deserve second-class status at best. Tolerance and equality with non-believers is not possible according to Muhammad's teachings, even on his deathbed.

This paragraph of Spencer's sums up the core of the book:

"It is nothing short of staggering that the myth of Islamic tolerance could have gained such currency in the teeth of Muhammad's open contempt and hatred for Jews and Christians, incitements of violence against them, and calls that they be converted or subjugated. While human nature is everywhere the same and Muslims can, of course, act as tolerantly as anyone else, the example of Muhammad, the highest model for human behavior [according to Muslim belief - CSM], constantly pulls them in a different direction. The fact that Western analysts ignore all this demonstrates the ease with which people can be convinced of something they wish to believe, regardless of overwhelming evidence to the contrary." (pp. 182-183)

The author also provides a chapter showing how the examples from Muhammad's life are preached and lived today, including jihad, violence against unbelievers, death penalty for apostates, and the marriage of young (very young) girls in countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Spencer is quite clear that the marriage of young girls was not unusual in Muhammad's life and place, but despite the changes in the modern world it is the power of these traditions that keeps such practices alive.

This is a respectful book, but does not shy away from difficult examples or teachings. Spencer does not go out of his way to try and create a kinder and gentler Muhammad, but he doesn't create a negative caricature of the man a billion people regard as a great prophet. Spencer is also clear about the inferior status of Jews, Christians, and Pagans in the Muslim view of the world. He even shows how Muhammad "corrected" Christian teaching about Jesus in the Qur'an. Among other things, the Muslim scripture declares that Jesus was not the Son of God nor was he crucified.

This is a very interesting and informative book. Yes, it scares the heck out of the mainstream media, but that only shows the intolerance of Islam towards anyone who even raises difficult issues about the faith in even a respectful way. There are thousands of books on Christianity that are much harsher and are actually virulent and no one thinks twice about promoting them everywhere. But if you get the imams railing against you, well, like Spencer, Steve Emerson, and others, you need to live in "secure undisclosed locations". I don't know why you even need any more proof than that for the thesis of this book about the intolerance of Islam towards non-believers.

Recommended.

Mr. Spencer has written an excellent new biography of Mohammed based entirely on early Islamic sources. This is not a replacement for the classic "The Life and Times of Mohammad" by Sir John Glubb but rather supplements that book with a careful discussion of those themes in Mohammad's life that had greatest impact on Islam and have fomented controversy in modern times.

It is easy to see why Mr. Spencer was reluctant to write this book as the Jihadists recently honored him by elevating him to the list of the 5 people they most want to murder. He may just be reciting the facts as reported by Muslim sources, but giving English speaking Westerners additional information about the worlds most "perfect man" and exemplar for a major religion certainly does not help promote that religion to people with Western sensibilities. Westerners do not generally subscribe to the notion that anything that promotes Islam is "good" and anything that puts Islam in a less popular light is "bad."

The sayings and character of Mohammad are very important since fundamental Islam considers his revelation from Allah via Gabriel to be the final unchanging commandments of God to all the people on earth. They further consider Mohammed's life to be the perfect example of how people should live, and his sayings an essential addition to the revelation in the Qu'ran.

Mohammad's treatment of critics, his promotion of raiding and Jihad, his attitude toward women, his provisions for Jews and Christians, and his prescribed punishments for crime, are all treated at some length.

It's very apparent from Mr. Spencer's description that the invariance in fundamental Islam, coupled with Mohammad's extensive prescriptions, and the utter lack of a prescribed mechanism for adjustment and change, lead directly to his subtitle of Mohammad as "Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion."

I found this book quite a comprehensive book about Muhammad, of whom I remember reading only a very abridged and flattering version in the third grade. It covers most of his life, and focussed mainly on his preachings that promoted intolerance of unbelievers, and in at least one case, of rival Muslims. There were some other unflattering facets of Muhammad's life that weren't covered here, but given the risk that the author took in the first place by writing this book, I suppose it's not a major shortcoming.

My only suggestions by which this book could have been improved:
- Include a chart that showed Muhammad's family tree, highlighting the 'Rightly Guided Caliphs' and the Shia imams descended from Muhammad;
- Include a chapter about the aftermath of Muhammad's death, and how Caliph Umar ibn Khattib overran the entire Middle East, and also cover the schism between Umar and Ali that went on to split the ummah between the Sunni and Shia
- Include a map of Arabia that showed all the places in Muhammed's life - not just Mecca & Medina, but Khaybar, Nakla, Taif, Tabuk, et al

Despite these minor omissions, I highly recommend this book to anybody who is staring with a blank slate and wants to find out more about Muhammad to understand what Muslims mean when they make their public statements (as opposed to what we think they mean.

I've always been confused by the many opposing views within Islam, and have always tried to find answers to these questions by reading commentary from all sides. Robert Spencer's biography of Islam's founder has finally given me solid, convincing answers to my questions. By the time I finished this biography, rather than feeling an increased sense of confusion, I felt an increased sense of clarity and understanding regarding the massive confusion occurring in Islam today.

Given that the subtitle of the book labels Muhammad "founder of the world's most intolerant religion," I knew the bias the author had and was skeptical of the sources he'd be using to show Muhammad isn't the icon of peace many think he is. However, Spencer does not rely on any sources Muslims themselves (for the most part) would deem heretical or even fictitious: the Quran, the Hadith, and Sirat Rasul Allah (Life of Allah's Messenger), the first comprehensive biography of Muhammad by ancient scholar Ibn Ishaq. So, if Spencer uses the same sources the Muslims themselves use and he interprets the religion as intolerant and violent, he must be taking the text out of context right? Wrong.

This is one problem I've consistently encountered when trying to understand the texts and teachings of Islam: what is the correct context? Spencer spends a great deal of time in the beginning of the book explaining this question in detail. He points out the briefness and vagueness of the Quran, and explains how the Hadith attempts to bring context to the holes and questions surrounding who Muhammad actually was. The Hadith is a collection of oral stories and explanations that were written down over one hundred years after Muhammad's death to explain the actions and customs established by him that aren't clearly outlined in the Quran. However, even the Hadith writings contradict each other, leading to much confusion in Islam. As time went on, Muslim scholars kept adding contradictory information to the Hadith to cover up some of the original history and heritage that was becoming, more or less, "uncomfortable" for many to accept. Therefore, what Spencer focuses on is not the many contradicting and often "heretical" Hadith additions conferred years leader, but rather the precise words of the supposed Gabriel, Muhammad, and those who knew him personally. He always notes when there are contradicting versions of one story and provides all the viewpoints that have been written. Spencer's most basic goal is to paint a picture of who Muhammad truly was, rather than what moderate Muslims want him to be.

I write extensively on this background into the way the Quran was written and is understood simply because Spencer does. It's necessary to understand the validity of his claims and the nature of Islam as a whole. His analysis is not only balanced from a Western view of scholarly inquiry, it is the conventional knowledge in Middle East countries today. The only reason Spencer needs to talk about this history with the care and implication of a revisionist is that Western Islamic scholars and apologists generally ignore the truth about Islamic history. The truth that is being taught in the Middle East about the "prophet" and his teachings is far more shocking than the West's watered down interpretations of the Quran's most blatant information.

Along with this, Spencer provides a comparative analysis of the stories of the Quran with relation to those similar in the Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian traditions. We find here that many of the portions of the Quran are often identical to writings in the Talmud, the heretical Gnostic gospels, and Zoroastrian fables of paradise. Spencer implies that Muhammad may have stolen these teachings from the lesser known writings of these other religions, but lets you make your mind up for yourself. While the objectivity Spencer takes in analyzing the history of Muhammad is probably more convincing than any other book on Islam I've ever read, it was also much more disturbing.

After discussing the issues surrounding context and authorship, Spencer moves on to simply provide a history of Muhammad's life from birth to death. Spencer focuses specifically on Muhammad's early interactions with "Gabriel" and how Muhammad himself often wondered if the angel was from God or Satan. His early confusion and torment on the nature of the angel resulted in multiple seizures and suicide attempts, which are recounted with detail by Muhammad himself as well as his wives and friends. Here Spencer highlights Muhammad's gradual conversion from a normal man conflicted by the voice of Gabriel, to a "prophet" submitting to Gabriel's wishes for him to use bloodshed to unite or destroy the tribes of Arabia (and later Africa, Europe and Asia).

Perhaps the most striking aspect of Spencer's work is his attention to chronological detail. He writes with an event/revelation analysis, meaning that he speculates on the events surrounding each "revelation" Muhammad received from Allah. For example, Muhammad supposedly received a revelation that Allah believed adoption was a hollow gesture. Immediately after this revelation Muhammad moved to marry his adopted son's wife--an action that would have been abhorred by the community before his "revelation." Such analysis is used to provide insight into how Muhammad provided laws regarding, and sometimes requiring, pedophilia, wife-beating, polygamy, looting, and murder or discrimination of the Jews and Christians. These revelations of convenience are shown throughout Muhammad's life, showing first his desire for something or some action, coinciding with the revelation from Gabriel that allowed Muhammad to follow these wants.

We see the evolution of Muhammad's life shift from one that resists Gabriel (whom he sees as a Satanic presence) to one that bows in submission to the "angel". At the beginning he allies with Jews and Christians but, by the end, the primary goal of his army is to wipe them out of Arabia and the rest of the world. These types of transformations make it clear why those who build their lives following his true example are trapped in a society not only confounded by contradiction, but entrapped in rape, domestic abuse, sexual slavery, thievery, polygamy, pedophilia, discrimination, and murder. Muhammad received "revelations" from Allah throughout his life that condoned (and sometimes demanded) these "values" be put in place, and after seeing his life in its full context one is able to understand the true meaning of the "revelations from Allah." Spencer consistently reminds the reader that all of Muhammad's atrocious characteristics and actions are being told by either Muhammad or those who believed him to be the true prophet. The book is based in historical, biographical writings from those who thought Muhammad was the epitome of morality, or the "perfect man" as the Quran describes him.

Spencer spends the bulk of the book simply stating this history of Muhammad, but in the last section he describes the modern context--how Muslims continue to see Muhammad as a role model for good behavior. Spencer contrasts the religion of Islam with other cultures at the time, separating cultural norms from religious dogma. His analysis attempts to explain why societies in Europe or America have overcome much of their injustice while the societies in the Middle East remain intolerant and violent. Could it be, perhaps, that their role model for good behavior was a rapist pedophile who had 12 wives he was known to beat? Or was it that he led 27 unprovoked battles and believed Islam's role was to force infidels to submit through violence?

The Quran commands Muslims to follow Muhammad's life the closest they can, and many are still trying to live up to him to this day. Spencer outlines this problem and, rather than accusing Islam of not being a "religion of peace," he calls on the reader (and Westernized Muslims) to simply be honest with Islam's past rather than denying it and shoving it under the rug. The evidence is irrefutable and its history and doctrine, while sometimes confused and muddled in inconsistent texts, must be understood by the West in order to effectively respond to the violent threats being made in the name of the "prophet of peace."

Unlike some folks here, I actually read this book, front to back. I found the book very informative, but not perhaps the first step in understanding Islam. If you are just trying to find out how Islam differs from (assuming Western upbringing), a Christian background, I'd recommend Spencer's easier read "Inside Islam, a Guide for Catholics". Looking for books that will give you sound bites to deflate "experts" at a party? Then Spencer's "Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam..." will give you some real zingers. This current book was much more in depth and thought provoking. What was amazing was (in spite of what some of the negative reviews here say), this book used nothing but reliable sources from leading Muslim scholers. Don't like what Spencer says? He didn't say them, Muslims in authority did. There is something here for everyone, those that want to learn, and those that have already made up their mind, pro or con on the religion. This book provides some in depth knowledge beyond simple general statements you hear knocked around by both sides. Fair? You bet! Balanced? No way, and I doubt any right thinking person will be after reading the book. If someone doesn't agree with the author, don't call him names - rather tell him where he's wrong with FACTS - he's very easy to find online, and answers his e-mail on a daily basis.

Robert Spencer has done it again, producing another highly readable but scholarly treatise on the most important issue of our time - the struggle of the West against Islamofacism. If you read this book you will know more about the actual Muhammad than almost everyone, past or present, has known or does know. This includes Muslims themselves. Spencer carves away the layers of myth that have accumulated around the persona of the self-proclaimed prophet, using the double-bladed scalpel of "history" and "reason". Spencer's goal is to find out what Muhammad "was really like."

The idea persists in Western and Eastern minds that Muhammad was a man of peace who established a world-wide religion of peace. It is generally assumed that only in modern times has a small faction of religious radicals committed crimes in the name of Muhammad. The gentle Prophet himself, if he were alive, would certainly not approve of these deadly deeds committed in his name. But Spencer's research leads to the opposite conclusion: Muhammad was primarily a man of aggressive violence and irrationality. He was himself the prototype of the modern day Islamofascist Jihad terrorist.

This conclusion is based on an exhaustive study of all the available Islamic texts. There exists an enormous body of "sacred" Islamic writing about the life and revelations of Muhammad. Spencer has spent years closely examining all these holy texts of Islam, using comparative analysis to arrive at the core beliefs about Muhammad, his life and works.

First are the Suras of the Qur'an, piecemeal revelations that Muhammad (570-632 AD) claims to have received from the angel Gabriel over a twenty-three year prophetic career. The first of these are poetic ramblings bearing close resemblance to passages from the Old and New Testament, the Talmud, Zoroastrianism, and heretical Christian sects such as the Nestorians, Gnostics and Manicheans. All these sources were extant in Arabia at the time of Mohammad's life.

Due to the fragmentary quality of the Suras early Muslims elaborated additional sources to provide context for the Qur'an: tafsir (commentary) and hadith (traditions about the Prophet). In the ninth century one of the most respected scholars collected over 300,000 ahadith (plural for hadith). He finally chose two thousand as authentic. His collection fills nine volumes. This is just one of six collections, some of even greater length.

In addition to the above mass of information is the sira, which is the biography of Muhammad, the first of which did not appear until 150 years after his death. There arose in the eighth and ninth centuries a number of Muslim jurists and scholars who wrote contrary accounts of Muhammad's life and quarreled amongst themselves as to which account was authentic. On two matters they all agree: Muhammad was virulently anti-Jewish and anti-Christian.

The last half of the Qur'an is filled with "ex post facto" revelations. For instance after Muhammad married his daughter-in-law he received a convenient revelation with Allah's approval. Then in his later years the prophet became increasingly engaged in wars of expansion; slaughtering and beheading people, gouging out their eyes with nails, cutting off their limbs, and capturing their wives and daughters as slaves. After each successful campaign he would receive a revelation with Allah's stamp of approval.

By using only sources approved by Islamic law as authentic Spencer has invited a rebuttal by Muslim scholars on their own ground. No argument has come forward. There has not been, and will not be, such a rejoinder. Spencer has built an irrefutable description of the "real" Muhammad from within the Islamic canon.

We are profoundly indebted to Robert Spencer. Writing as an individual, unaffiliated with any academic institution, he is able to tell the truth as he finds it in his researches. It tells you something about the followers of Muhammad that Spencer has to remain in hiding for fear of his life. And in his "acknowledgements" he is unable to mention by name the many people who have helped him in his undertaking. They too live under the death threat of the Islamofacists.

There is a deep sickness lying at the heart of Islam, and it's source can be found in the darkness of Muhammad's own heart.

Mr. Spencer does a fine Job of exposing some of the misconceptions about the founder of the worlds most intolerant religion. Mr. Spencer will be accused of being biased in his understanding of this subect matter and I am sure that will be the basis for some to discredit his findings he shares and articulates so well in his book.
I have found in my own life that in order to find truth one must put aside his or hers own personal bias and just look at the facts and in being courageous enough to do so will find themselves in the unchartered waters of the sea of truth instead of an ocean of deception.
Many, expend their energy focusing on and trying understand "Good vs. Evil", but that approach is to lead one down a rabbit trail of confusion. The real issue is not "Good vs. Evil", but rather "Truth vs.deception.
Good and Evil are simply byproducts of "Truth or deception". We must first unravel the massive amount of deception that has been and still is being fed to us by a variety of sources. I really do not care where the facts come from as long as it is varifiable and incontrovertable then I am interested.
If Hitler where alive today, and he made the statement that 2 + 2 = 4, It would make no difference to me in discerning that that was a true statement despite the fact that it came out of the mouth of such an evil man.
I make this point because the majority of people I speak with these days and the many of the reviews I read even on this site to not uphold such a liberating approach to fleeing the deluge of deception that we encounter on a daily basis.

Mr. Spencer is simply doing his part to expose deception and help people find some truth in this matter of Muhammed and the Moslem religion.

I took notice to a person reviewing this book (BS Abbas) and he certainly typifies a person who holds to the erroneous approach to truth that I previously mentioned. BS Abbas states in his review that Mr. Spencer is not willing to look at the good in Muhammad, but isn't BS not guilty of the same thing he accuses Mr. Spencer of...that is, he is not willing to accept any of the FACTS that Mr. Spencer presents regarding the evil about Muhammad??
BS also uses a very interesting word in his review that might have summed up the Moslem religion with and that word is "Impose". BS says that Muhammad imposed prayer and other things as well on his people. If one really studies the Moslem relgion they will find that it is all about impsoition and inotlerance.
Now, before I go any further let me say that I am not a Christian, however I am a follower of Yahshua (some call him Jesus). I never find Yahshua imosing His will on people, in fact if you read the story of the rich man who came to Yahshua and asked "what must I do to be saved"? Take notice that Yahshua did not force Himself on the rich man. He gave him a CHOICE, (something not very popular amongst the Moslems) He said "sell what you have and follow me". Then Yahshua walked away and left the rich man to make his CHOICE.
There was no sword, no convincing, just words of truth left on the door of that mans heart.
It is not force which will change the heart of a person, rather it is the truth spoken in and demonstrated in love which will take even the hardest heart and turn it into clay.
BS also holds to the "Majortiy must be right theory". He states that more peope convert to Islam than other religions. Well, Yahshua had something to say about that as well... "Wide is the gate to destruction and narrow is the gate to truth, life and very few will find it"
Maybe some who read this review might be thinking Yahshua (Jesus)? what about the crusades? Yahshua had nothing to do with the crusades. He did not win people by force, He won them by love. Read about His life if you will and make the distinction between Him and His flawed followers. Then read and study the FACTS about Mohammad and hopefully you wll make the right choice as to who you follow, that is if you choose to follow anyone at all.

It is interesting how often those who are negative to Spencer's book cite Karen Armstrong's book as a much better source. It may interest you to know that Karen Armstrong's book is sold on all the Islamist websites I recently visited. That should tell you something. Things are very polarized these days and its hard to figure out as an outsider, who is telling the truth. I have read both books as well as all the early Muslim biographies of Muhammad, Ibn Ishak in Hisham's recension, Al Tabari, Al-Waqidi, Ibn Kathir. Armstrong is writing Islamist propaganda and Spencer is telling you the truth, pure and simple. Now you don't have to believe me, just read the Muslim books! Ibn Ishak's Life of Muhammad is available for $22 postage paid from Oxford University Press Pakistan. It is an 800 page medieval tome, not an easy read. But you owe it to yourself to read it. Remember, it is a work of Islamic propaganda circa 750 C.E. It is not history but a santized version of history. What is astonishing is that Karen Armstrong, Dr. Esposito and numerous other "scholars" sanitize this sanitized version of history. In other words they write Islamic propaganda. I have no doubt that when you finish reading the book you will KNOW that Armstrong, Esposito and the entire politically correct crowd in academia have lied to you. And they are paid to do so. Esposito's Georgetown University recently received a $20 million dollar gift from a Saudi financier to further Esposito's organization at the college. There are big bucks to be made if you play the politically correct game. Spencer is risking his life to tell you the truth. He is on hit-lists. Now go buy the MUSLIM book, read it and "witness the greatest cover-up in world history". My apologies to the DaVinci Code for stealing their line.

THere is a lot of apolagetic

the Koran (the revelations) the Hadith (the traditions of Muhammad) and the Sira (the biography of Muhammad.) There is a lot of apologetic literature on Muhammed and Islam including texts from people like Armstrong and Said and many modern works. It is difficult to find any good analysis of the subjects based purely on the oldest historical writings though some writers including Warraq and Ye'or have done similar research for their texts.

As one less objective commenter below points out, it is easy to find more modern writings that that allow "knowledge of Prophet Muhammed (to only) come from Islamic sources that depict him a compassionate, forgiving, and fair man," but the truth is easier to find in the earliest materials available. Mr. Spencer uses the Koran, the Hadith (considered by many to be equal to the Koran) and the Sira for his source material and instead of an approach based on criticism uses the sources to explain why Islam has changed little from those earlier days.

The purpose of the book is to explain why things are as they really are, rather than what the apologists and obscurants want people to believe. It also explains why the recent events and actions from adherents of the "Religion of Peace," as some call Islam, have been ones of violence and intolerance. It is in no way a blanket criticism of Muslims and Mr. Spencer does agree that tolerant Muslims do exist and should be encouraged and supported. I encourage Mr. Senturk and others like him to continue with their non-aggressive beliefs but to say that "book is full of hatred" is to agree that the original sources have the same base.

If you are wondering why there is violence and hatred from Muslims when you kept being told that all Muslims are tolerant and Islam is a "Religion of Peace" this book gives an excellent historical and unbiased set of reasons why it is so.