Customer Reviews

The 'Wahhabi' Myth: Dispelling Prevalent Fallacies and the Fictitious Link

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Since the 'Wahhbi' term is used so frequently by the Western Media and associated with bin Laden, I wanted to get a another perspective of this commonly used word. I was impressed that Oliver did not blindly editorialize or state his own opinions about this subject. He clearly backed each point with a resource and explained thoroughly in the footnotes. I believe the author did an extraordinary job in trying to simplify the immense subject by stating what is being portrayed by the 'Western Media'and pointing out the fallacies of these so-called experts.

Who should read this book:

Anyone who wants to gain an insightful information about 'Wahhabism' and what it really is.

Anyone who is interested in another point-of-view about 'Wahhabism' and will not see it on CNN or FoxNews.

Anyone who has read about 'Wahhabism' from other authors and so-called experts such as Gold, Delong-Bas, Schwartz, etc. should read this book.

Most of the comments posted regarding this book is filled with ignorance and lack of insight in the Islamic faith. This book dispells many lies and stereotypes surrounding the salafis. Any muslim should know that the wests feeble attempt to cover up the true Islam is founded by their foolish attacks via ignorance. Another book I would recommend is "Muhammad Ibn AbdulWahhab" by Jalal Abu al-Rub. Muhammad Ibn AbdulWahhab was an excellent scholar and reviver of the Islamic faith of his time. If one were to read his books, then he would know this.

Excellent book, I highly recommend it for the one who has an open mind and a zeal to learn the truth. I would not recommend it for those who have hatred in their hearts for the truth.

Any person who has come across the term "Wahhabi" needs to read this book. Even among the Muslims, this term is used to destroy and put down the call of those who call towards tawheed (affirming the sole right of Allah in His Lordship, worship, and His Names and Attributes) and the authentic Sunnah (narrations of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him).

It will make things very clear for both the Muslim and non-Muslim reader. This book makes it clear that the Straigh Path, which is one and not a multitude of paths, will bring with it many trials and tribulations to distinguish the true believers from those who merely affirm belief without acting upon it. And no doubt about it, Bin Laden is from those trials that has afflicted not just this da'wah (call to Islaam) but all of the Muslims.

This is an extremely informative book. Anybody who thinks they know about Islam and what is happening in the Muslim world should read this book, as they are bound to be surprised by the insight that this publication contains.

There is no way to describe this book precisely, because it fits into many different subject categories. At the same time, it has a nice flow, changing themes as it goes along. Most of all, the book seems to challenge the reader to ponder over certain matters in a way that they probably have never been made to consider. It's a very challenging book. This is what seemed apparent to me.

Before reading this book I, with too many people in the Western countries, thought that 'Wahabism' was the religious source of every Muslim extremism today - except, perhaps, the prevalent in Shiite Iran. This book has fully convinced me that such a belief was a serious mistake. It provides the reader with intellectual evidence that not only are bin Laden and his followers alien to 'Wahabism', but also that it is precisely their dismissal of 'Wahabism' what induces them to make use of terrorism in order to impose their political aims. These Muslim activists are nationalistic revolutionaries fighting for either a non-Saudi Arabia or for a united Arab nation or for a united pan-Islamic nation, or for all of them together. And they make use of a distorted Islam just as a plausible banner to rally the Arab-Muslim masses - much like Lenin and Stalin made use of Communism to rally the Russian masses in order to transform the Soviet Union into a great power. This is absolutely alien to Saudi Arabia, and I think it is rather clear from a dispassionate, unprejudiced reading of the book.

I am a Muslim myself and I learned a lot about the differences between Bin Laden's ideas and the religion of Islaam from reading this book. This book is a real eye-opener! It is great to have wahhabism and salafism and other often used terms finally defined in a way that I can understand. Thanks Mr. Haneef for a job well done!

-Restores the truth

-Establishes firm evidence against the ignorance in our times

-A Must read for every Muslim and non-Muslim

Anyone who has objections to this book are the ignorant ones in our times who make their desires as their compass and their emotions as their roadmap. They follow fabrications and mere whims that lead them far astray from correct guidance. This is due to arrogance. To intellects, it is clearly a case of the lack of understanding due to unwillingness to seek the truth beyond what they have already been comfortable with, even though what they follow are mere lies.

Truth stands out clear from falsehood.

Great Book

Oliver mounts a spirited defense of Wahhabism: (1) carefully distinguishing its belief system from that of bin Laden, (2) arguing that it is not a radical sect and (3) citing Wahhabi scholars who rule against suicide bombing. Along the way he provides copious footnotes that provide useful context.

His arguments will likely leave you unconvinced. To the non-moslem, the distinction between 'Salafist' and 'Qutbist' beliefs seems a bit thin - OBL isn't a real Wahhabi just because he likes to declare fellow moslems to be infidels? Moreover its not very satisfying to be told that Wahhabism is the only legitimate form of Islam, because if you interpret the Koran as they do, you end up with Wahhabism. And while its gratifying to learn of rulings against suicide-bombings by Wahhabi scholars, its disingenuous to omit fatwas by the same scholars supporting jihad (al-Uthaymeen being a case in point).

'The Wahhabi Myth' is everything you'd expect from a book written by a sincerely religious man who wishes to persuade the world at large to see things as he does. After finishing this book, you probably won't, but you'll be grateful for his clear explanations of terminology and frank description of his belief system.

James Oliver's book lacks any scholarly rigorousnesses. He seems not to have grasped much about the discipline of history eventhough he has majored in history.

The book is a amoebic analysis of what he thinks wahhabism is about, periodically punctuated quotes from Quran or ahadith, in an attempt to bolster his feeble defence of the wahhabi movement. Much like the approach of how the wahhabis justified their stances 200 years ago.

Like most books/articles written by today's salafis on the subject, it lack any historical analysis of the life and times of 18th century Arabia, nor does the book take on head on the charges against the wahhabi movement by muslim theologians since the 18th century. Rather the books tries to dissociate the present day salafis of the saudi ilk from the like of Bin Ladin, who are just an far more extreme expression of the manichean world-view of themselves. But even this attempt of dissociation is poor by trying to link Bin Ladin non-salafi movements to somehow explain that Bin Ladin and his terrorists are not really salafis/wahhabis but sufis or Deobandis or Qutubis etc. I mean James Oliver's statement that because Bin Ladin's family 2 generations back are from a Sufi centre in Yemen and so how makes him predesposed to Sufism is absolutely laughable! :-).
James Oliver hasn't really grasped the fracturous nature of the wahhabi/salafi movement to see that it is now a spectrum of groupings calling themselves salafis and by its very nature it will schism more and more.

Best just to read the book online [...] and save your money. The books is absolute rubbish.

If you want to know teh truth about the Wahhabis , you avoid reading a book that is commissioned by their money. This book is written from a defence attorney's point of view and a weak non-credible one. I recommend "Terror's source" to serious and sincere readers.