The Sword of the Prophet: History, Theology, Impact on the World

This book's most important distinction is Trifkovic's insistencethat the "problem [for the West] is not prejudice about Islam, but folly in the face of its violence and cruelty," manifested today in such horrors as the ongoing slaughter of Sudanese Christians and the appalling anti-Semitism of the Islamic press and such Islamic legal authorities as the mufti of Jerusalem. Trifkovic doesn't endorse war against Islam. Instead, the West must defend itself against Islamic aggression (e.g., by restricting immigration and reducing dependence on Islamic-controlled oil) and help non-Muslims oppressed in Islamic societies. Powerful stuff powerfully presented.

Why I Am Not a Muslim

Outraged by Ayatollah Khomeini's assault on Salman Rushdie, Ibn Warraq (identified only as someone having grown up in a country now called an Islamic republic, who is now living and teaching in Ohio) was galvanized to write an attack on Islam. The result is a unique book; in contrast to Rushdie's airy magical realism, Ibn Warraq brings a scholarly sledge-hammer to the task of discrediting Islam. With few exceptions, he relies almost entirely on the Western tradition of Islamic studies for insights on such varied subjects as the person and career of Muhammad, the treatment of women, and Muslim emigration to the West. His conclusion is severe: "on balance, the effects of the teachings of the Koran have been a disaster for human reason and social, intellectual, and moral progress." From the beginning, Islam has been a fraud. Muhammad probably never existed, or if he did, had nothing to do with the Quran. Likewise, "The whole of Islamic law is but a fantastic creation founded on forgeries and pious fictions." Islam succeeded through aggression and intimidation. The early Islamic conquests, for example, were extremely aggressive: "Bowing toward Arabia five times a day must surely be the ultimate symbol of this cultural imperialism" Despite his anger, Ibn Warraq has written a serious and thought-provoking book that calls not for a wall of silence, much less a Rushdie-like fatwa on the author's life, but an equally compelling response from a believing Muslim. —Daniel Pipes

Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out

Eye opening stories of what "leaving" Islam means, and the true nature of that most destructive of superstitions.

The Quest for the Historical Muhammad

Ibn Warraq presents this important anthology of the best critical studies of Muhammad and early Islam ranging from the very beginnings of Islamic Studies in the nineteenth century to contemporary research. Both in his selection of essays and in his introduction, Warraq makes it clear that some very serious scholarly and scientific controversies lie at the heart of Islam. First, the Koran itself, the Muslim sacred scripture and the foundation of Islamic culture, is called into question as the basis for objective historical knowledge of Muhammad. Some scholars have also questioned the reliability of most of the other early Arabic documents that supposedly attest to events in the life of Muhammad and his followers. Was the Koran dictated by Muhammad at all? Was it actually compiled earlier than a hundred years after the Prophet's death? How much of Muslim sacred tradition, in the light of objective historical analysis, must be dismissed as unreliable hearsay? ! ! Were the motives of the first Muslim conquerors during the Jihad truly religious in nature or largely mercenary? These disturbing questions, long suppressed throughout the history of Islamic scholarship, are here raised in these erudite and thoroughly researched essays by noted scholars.

The Origins of the Koran: Classic Essays on Islam's Holy Book

Scholars of Islam are familiar with the Koran's many errors and contradictions, but these have rarely been revealed to a wider public. THE ORIGINS OF THE KORAN is an attempt to remedy this deficiency by bringing together classic critical essays which raise key issues surrounding Islam's holy book. Indispensable to scholars and all those interested in the textual underpinning of one of the fastest growing religions in the world.

Onward Muslim Soldiers

Brilliantly argued and meticulously documented,... contains a devastating exposé of the murderous deceit behind contemporary apologists for militant Islam.

Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith

To proclamations that Islam is a religion of peace, Spencer responds (in chapters entitled with questions such as "Is Islam Compatible with Liberal Democracy?" and "Is Islam Tolerant of Non-Muslims?") with evidence, historical and recent, of harsh treatment of women, other religionists, and social minorities in Islamic societies. Besides the facts Spencer presents, his citations of the Qur'an; the hadiths, or sayings and deeds of Muhammad; and Islamic authorities across the liberal-to-fundamentalist spectrum.