Ibn Warraq publishes his works under a pseudonym out of fear of his former coreligionists, and the fact that he has to do just that is one of the main reasons for him not to be a Muslim. Apostates or critics might face death under Shariah law. This is true not only with regard to radical Islam (the so called Islamism) but also for mainstream or moderate Islam. For Ibn Warraq that distinction doesn’t exist. He exemplifies this argument by referring to Islamic critics throughout history who either were banned or killed, up to the Rushdie Affair.
In his chapter about the origins of Islam he points out that, as everybody knows, there are not only the Jewish and Christian roots but also other faiths or belief systems like Zoroastrianism and Arabian idolatry, which he makes clear with the example of the worshipping of a meteorite in the so called Kaaba. A god called Hubal, worshipped at the Kaaba before Islam, was probably the one that emerged into Allah.
Warraq discusses the sources of Islam, meaning the Koran and the Hadith which probably emerged out of sectarian controversies over a long period of time, about 200 years. Then they were projected back onto an invented Arabian point of origin. Mohammed himself was molded on Rabbinic Jewish prototypes. However, Warraq falls short on questioning the existence of a prophet called Mohammed, whereas he cites authors who even doubt the existence of a historical figure called Jesus, and others have discussed this possibility for Mohammed as well.
The next chapter describes “Mohammed’s” message, including his political agenda by conquering the adjacent tribes and cities. Opponents to this message were brutally assassinated. The sources for the Koranic texts are presented in detail in chapter 5. One example of interpretation: Paradise is compared to a “cosmic bordello”. Chapter 6 is reserved for Islamic law which Warraq defines as totalitarian in nature and in chapter 7 he refutes the compatibility of Islam with democracy and human rights. Islamic colonialism and imperialism, the position of non-Muslims in Muslim ruled entities, the tolerance or better non-tolerance of heretics, atheists, and freethinkers are discussed in the following chapters, before he evaluates the influence of Greek philosophy and science on Islam in chapter 11. Here he tries to combat the myth of Islamic achievements in these fields. Most translaters of the Greek texts were Christians and in the end Warraq follows Renan who stated: “Science and philosophy flourished on Musalman soil during the first half of the middle ages; but it was not by reason of Islam, it was in spite of Islam.”
Chapter 14 is dedicated to the role of women in Islam, including the practice of female and male circumcision, the role of cleanliness that led to an anal complex in a whole society, the veil, stoning, and the negation of family planning which is considered as un-Islamic and a western conspiracy. A little later he questions the widely believed myth that women were better off under Islam than they were before. Chapter 15 is reserved for the Islamic taboos such as wine, pigs and homosexuality.
Finally Warraq criticizes multiculturalists who according to him are more racist than the people they claim to fight. He concludes by saying that we need a “liberal militancy”: “The final battle will be between those who value freedom and those who do not.”
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from other countries
Deepak Uniyal
Honest, rational and Fearless criticism of Islam.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2023
A dilettante from Osaka
MUST read for anyone who wants to understand Islam as it is
Reviewed in Japan on May 1, 2020
