Going beyond the shallow distinction between a "true" peaceful Islam and the "hijacked" Islam of terrorist groups, Robert Spencer probes the Qur'an and other sacred documents, as well as Islamic traditions and history and the present-day situation of the Muslim world, to find out why the world's fastest-growing faith tends to arouse extremism.
A student of religion for the last 20 years, Spencer brings a knowledgeable and critical sensibility to this brave, searching work. Cutting through the touchy and sentimental relativism of so much current discussion about the subject, he rigorously interrogates Islam.
Were Osama bin Laden and his followers perverting Islam when they claimed to find sanction for their attacks against the United States in the Qur'an?What did Muslim leaders worldwide actually say about the September 11 terrorist attacks?Do the events surrounding the Crusades really justify Islamic hostitly toward the West?Does the explanation for the grim human rights record of the Islamic world lie in basic Muslim beliefs?Can Islam create successful secularized societies that will coexist peacefully with the liberal, multicultural world of the West?In this captivating, carefully researched book, Robert Spencer asks hard questions about Islam and gives hard answers, providing a profoundly needed antidote to the wishful thinking and willful distortions that have swamped the media since September 11. As a noted observer of the Arab world David Pryce-Jones says in his introduction, "In its own lively style, Islam Unveiled puts down a strong and significant marker to what lies ahead, as Islam and the rest of the world strive to come to terms."
