BOOK REVIEW OF IBN WARRAQ’S

WHY I AM NOT A MUSLIM

This separate review of Warraq’s book is included because it has come to be a profound learning experience for me. In the strongest terms possible I recommend you read this book. It would be worthwhile even if Islamic hostility were not an issue because Warraq is also giving us an incredibly articulate and reasoned defense of western style democracy and its accompanying traditions of reasoning and logic.
The author is a former Pakistani Muslim true believer who necessarily writes under a pseudonym to protect his identity. This book makes him, in Muslim eyes, the worst of the worst amongst apostates and subjects him to the death penalty at the hand of whatever zealous Muslim assassin can get to him first. He now lives and teaches at the University level in the US and must be a very brave man. Warraq is an atheist but not a combative one although his pointed and totally secular logical analyses of various beliefs are incisive. He is a thorough, exhaustive researcher and uses countless references and quotes within his book to reinforce his points. Because of the pseudonym I was not able to make contact with him as I did with Professor Karsh.
A very impressive thing about Warraq’s book is the depth of his references going back several hundred years to the very founding of Islam. How he got this much into one book is amazing. Many of his citations were double checked on the web and they are all verifiable, including obscure scholars and researchers from the 16th century to the present. This book seems to be the essence of thorough and unbiased scholarship and yet is never boring to read.
Why I Am Not A Muslim impressed me so much that I set out to write a more thorough book review rather than be satisfied with references in my paper on Islam. I quickly uncovered many existing reviews by Googling on Book Reviews, Why I Am Not a Muslim, so continuing initially seemed a waste of time. Although I do have a few points to make I will stop here to say you owe it to yourself to read the book cover to cover and then read the Googled reviews by Daniel Pipes, Ibn al-Rawandi, Curt Van den Heuvel and Dr. Ali Sina.
The book presents a scathing indictment of Islam and reveals the creation of the Koran as contrived and self serving by Mohammad. The violence embedded in the depths of Islam is, when fully absorbed, disgusting and repetitive. This book documents a total lack of tolerance for anything but Islamic doctrine. Hate is inherent in everything they describe about non-believers. The best non-believers can hope for is 2nd class citizenship called Dhimmitude. The very use of terms like non-believer and infidel to describe non Muslims is in itself insulting and is meant to be demeaning. It literally amounts to fighting words. But this is how we are described in their language and how they actually think of us.
As a Christian it is impossible to really study Islam in depth without coming to regard this religion with anything but fear and distrust. The fear should come more from knowing, while never understanding that, at its very roots, Islam as an unreasoning, hateful and vengeful religion bent on your eventual destruction. This should not be the fear of cowardice because that is self defeating and exactly what they want from us as a result of their implacable doctrine. Increasingly, more and more publications as well as long established analyses of Islam are consistently revealing of this sinister and threatening side of this religion. This would lead to a much needed awakening if the popular, main stream media would report Islam analytically and factually, but this has not been the case to date.
The early sections of the book are broken down into logical and historical sequences. It all comes together strongly enough to yield a basis for understanding Islam came about. The philosophy behind Islam, though it is there in words, will probably remain incomprehensible to us westerners much as we could not have understood German acquiescence to Hitler’s murder of 6,000,000 Jews or Japan’s WWII military code of Bushido that led to such appalling death and destruction. These monstrous things happened and were just dealt with reluctantly and out of necessity. The west is now faced with an equal or greater danger and we are pretending that all is well.
Warraq offers another way to look at this seemingly incomprehensible chasm through the words of Bernard Lewis. “In my view, since Muslims still take the Koran explicitly and literally, there is no difference between Islam and Islamic fundamentalism. Islam is deeply embedded in every Muslim society and ‘fundamentalism’ is simply an excess of this culture”. Lewis also says, “Their creed and their politics are inseparable and are not compatible with liberal democracy.”
Beginning with Chapter 14 on Women and Islam, Warraq begins relating modern Islamic practices to us. To actually read about Islamic doctrine and then some modern day practices is eye popping. We have all heard some of it but it probably didn’t register too deeply. Warraq’s citations will get your attention. Any conclusion of westerners has to be that, on the treatment of women alone, we should never accommodate Islam within our culture. Never, until they have made women full partners with men. Any compromise on this issue would be a gross betrayal of our humanity.
Chapter 17, Islam in the West, is the book’s logical capstone. Warraq does a convincing job of explaining how politically correct multi-culturism is working toward its own destruction because of its blind support and incomprehensible tolerance of Muslim excesses in our very midst. He forcefully illustrates that if we don’t awaken soon to the need to defend and cherish our cultures and values from those who would destroy us, then we will be gradually defeated. He describes the west, whose culture and values he loves, as dominated by craven and weak self haters who are afraid to appear judgmental or racist at all costs. He clearly portrays a race between our self destruction and that which Islam promises. This statement certainly rings true because of so much that is actually going on in the west right in front of us. Muslims themselves openly recognize and take advantage of this cultural cowardice on our part. Warraq shows scorn and pity for this self-destructive behavior of the liberal elites and their hate and contempt for the culture and values that have so demonstrably enriched civilization and the common man.
The overall impact of this book is that it does the best job possible of giving a clear, comparative analysis of Islam vis a vis western values and culture. Second, his assessment of the traditions and the educational and governing systems of the west are important lessons on the great treasure of a civilization we westerners have from one who grew up in a repressive system.
Do yourself a very large favor. Obtain this book and read it.