Radical Eye for the Infidel Guy: Inside the Strange World of Militant Islam (Hardcover)

by Kevin J. Ryan (Author)
Key Phrases: unchanging word, Saudi Arabia, United States, Ottoman Empire (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
For those who prefer their global threat analysis laugh-free, this treatise on the dangers of Islam-punctuated with lists like "The Crusades vs. the Jihad: Battle of the Holy Wars"-might be worth skipping. Ryan's cultural study attacks the notion that Islam is "a religion of peace and tolerance," making a bold case outlining Islam's direct threat to Western culture and democracy. Ryan characterizes the Muslim world as "ruled by hatred, casual murder, medieval-style torture, and a nearly pathological misogyny," and his study of it "heartbreaking, infuriating, tragic and almost comical in its extremism and contradictions"; as such, his tone of beleagured outrage works perfectly. Though Ryan's pointedly inflammatory rhetoric can grate, he covers plenty of ground, including the honor killing of Muslim women by their own fathers and brothers, state-sanctioned execution for those who convert from Islam and, of course, suicide bombing. Ryan can undermine his own arguments with simplistic answers to complicated questions (Did 9/11 happen "because we let our women wear shorts, go to school, drive a car, and go to work? I think it was a large part of it"), but his fearless look at the troubling aspects of Islam is informative and provocative.
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Product Description

Are you tired of hearing that Islam is really a religion of peace while beheadings of prisoners are broadcast on the Internet, fiendishly clever terrorist plots are continuously uncovered, and carnage in Iraq has become a routine occurrence? This book is for everyone who is fed up with the grotesque exercise of whitewashing the obviously grim realities of radical Islam with political correctness. Author Kevin J. Ryan uses sardonic humor and a streak of radical irreverence to expose Islamist ideology for what it really is: fascism masquerading as religion. Like Chaplin taking on the Nazis in The Great Dictator, Ryan has a field day lampooning the patent absurdities espoused by Muslim extremists.

Not afraid of caricature, he bluntly outlines his topics with chapter headings such as:

· How to Found a Religion of Peace and Declare War on the Rest of the World


· Women s Rights, or What Size Stick to Use to Beat Your Wife


· Europe on Five Massacres a Day


· Tolerance and Diversity, or the Right to Practice Any Religion as Long as It s Islam


· Education, or What s That about Allah Turning Jews and Christians into Pigs and Monkeys?


· Back to the Future, or Forward to the Seventh Century

Other topics include radical Islam s amputation-friendly criminal justice system, the reason why slavery is still considered a holy institution by fundamentalist Muslims, the important distinction between a raving mad radical and a barking mad one, and a detailed description of what the average American Joe and Jane would look like after a radical Islamic makeover.

Combining the debunking zeal of Thomas Paine s Age of Reason with Mad magazine s wacky view of history and politics, Ryan has written the most politically incorrect and funniest book on radical Islam that you re ever likely to read.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (April 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591025079
• ISBN-13: 978-1591025078
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #395,112 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When a Jihadist says Islam is a Religion of Peace, what does he mean?, November 21, 2007

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

As you can tell from the title, this book is a satirical look at the idea that the roots of the War on Terror are rooted outside of Islam. Well, maybe disdainful or sarcastic is a better word than satirical. Kevin J. Ryan isn't buying into any of the politically correct claims that Islam is all about Peace or that the radical Islamofascists would leave us alone if we would just be nicer people. Look around the world at most of the strife and conflict and you will likely be amazed at how much of it is Muslims not working and playing well with the majority culture where they are the minority or are brutally suppressing minority cultures (and religious dissidents) where they are the majority.

The book's ten chapters take us through various aspects of Islam then and now. It begins by demonstrating how Islam has been rooted in War since Mohammed rode out of the desert in the 7th Century. Women's (non) rights are examined next and you will shudder with what you read. But of course the recent news story of the Saudi girl being sentenced to 200 lashes because she was gang raped should prepare you well.

The Muslim approach to crime and punishment is a logical next step and its brutality will seem like something out of the dark ages, well, because it is. The fourth chapter looks at the Wars of Islam on Europe throughout the history of the Ottoman Empire. Ryan then examines the Islamic notion or religious tolerance. It is completely one way. Their claim is that you must allow Muslims to practice their religion (and laws) as they wish, regardless of where they live. However, no Muslim has the right to freedom of conscience if it means they would convert to any other faith. I once gave a religious book to a Muslim friend and his religious leader called me and told me that I couldn't do that. I explained to him that this was the United States and I certainly could. We talked for awhile and I ended up sending him a copy of the same book while he sent me a copy of a nice Saudi edition of the Qu'ran.

Chapter six looks at war and terror by Muslims since the fall of the Ottoman Empire. I very much enjoyed the chapter about how the Muslims use claims of peace to foster war. It is all about deception, carefully wording phrases that are heard differently than they mean to the speaker. Read chapter seven carefully.

Ryan takes us into the Madras style of education and what is being taught to the children in Muslim countries about you, me, Jews, and all other non-Muslims. Let's just say it isn't much like the multi-cultural Western Enlightenment education you might wish in the 21st Century. It isn't about how we can all hold hands and sing together.

Chapters nine and ten look at the movement among Muslims to build a worldwide caliphate and the role of Sharia Law in that process (beware of the movements of Muslims trying to build parallel legal systems in Europe, Canada, the United States and elsewhere). We also get to see what life would be like in a Muslim dominated world per the lights of the author.

I am sure that the critics of this book will claim that it doesn't represent the views of all Muslims and lacks nuance. Hey, that may well be true. However, let's get the "moderate" Muslims to police and control and suppress the hundred million or so Muslims who are in sympathy with the Jihadists. Until that happens, Kevin Ryan wisely advises you to get informed and be on guard. He provides little quizzes throughout the book to help you see how sharp your understanding of the Jihadist Muslim view is.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Funny, incisive look at a difficult subject, September 10, 2007

By	Belinda B. (New York) - See all my reviews

"Radical Eye for the Infidel Guy" manages admirably to achieve the difficult task of being both a serious look at historical and current Islam and laugh-out-loud satire. While it handily explores the history of Islam over the centuries, covering topics such as TOLERANCE AND DIVERSITY, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, and WAR PART ONE, it also lightens the load with sections like FUN FACTS ABOUT MOHAMMED and HOLY LAW FOR DUMMIES: AN INTRODUCTION TO RADICAL JURISPRUDENCE.
The last chapter, THE RADICAL MAKEOVER, is brilliant--in a humorous way laying out for you how you and your family can convert to Islam, a sort of spiritual redecorating of your messy infidel house. It's ingenious, but more important, it's funny with a point. The book asks you not to read and ignore, but to read and examine--examine your own beliefs and opinions. It asks you to participate in the dialogue about Islam, at the very least in your own head. The book is thought-provoking and compelling. It is one of the funniest, most intelligent books I've read last year.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opening look at the Islamic world!, June 26, 2007

By	Arthur S. (TX) - See all my reviews

Don't let the title fool you, as well as being quite humorous, this book delves into the beliefs, customs, and history of radical Islam. The information is extremely well-researched and presented in a way that's easy to understand and very entertaining.

In our politically correct society, many topics are glossed over and myths created about the Islamic religion. However, this book sheds light on what Muslims really believe and how it affects everyone (and I do mean everyone). This is the book that Muslims DON'T want you to read!

Because of our changing world, I would highly recommend owning a copy of this book. It's also an excellent first book for anyone beginning to research Islam.