''The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims'' is a collection of 63 essays edited by Robert Spencer. It deals with the history of non-

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

populations during and after the conquest of their lands by Muslims.

Overview

The book contains 17 chapters by

Bat Ye'or ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt , death_date= , death_place= , occupation = Writer , nationality = British , signature= , alma_mater = University College LondonUniversity of Geneva , genre= , notableworks = ''The Decline ...

, as well as essays by

Ibn Warraq Ibn Warraq is the pen name of an anonymous author critical of Islam. He is the founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society and used to be a senior research fellow at the Center for Inquiry, focusing on Quranic criticis ...

Walid Phares Walid Phares ( ar, وليد فارس, ; born December 24, 1957) is a Lebanon, Lebanese-born American scholar and conservative political pundit. He worked for the Republican presidential campaigns of Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012, Mitt R ...

, David Littman,

Patrick Sookhdeo Patrick Sookhdeo (born 20 March 1947) is the director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity and was for 22 years International Director of the Barnabas Fund. Sookhdeo is an outspoken spokesman for persecuted Christian minorit ...

, and

Mark Durie Mark Durie (born 1958) is an Australian Anglican priest and a scholar in linguistics and theology. He is the founding director of the Institute for Spiritual Awareness, a Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a senior research fellow of the Art ...

."The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims
by Robert Spencer, Prometheus Books (2005) The writers opine that attitudes of Muslims today are informed by the tenets of Islam. It covers topics including

sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...

law and

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

Chapters

* I. Islamic tolerance: myth and reality * II. Islamic law regarding non-Muslims * III. Islamic practice regarding non-Muslims * IV. The myth and contemporary geopolitics * V. Human Rights and Human Wrongs at the United Nations * VI. The Myth in contemporary academic and public discourse

Reviews and reception

A November 2004 review of the book in ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' said the book's theme "merits exploration", but that the book does not explain why Islam is "inherently intolerant". An August 2005 review of the book in ''

Asia Times ''Asia Times'' (), formerly known as ''Asia Times Online'', is a Hong Kong-based English language news media publishing group, covering politics, economics, business, and culture from an Asian perspective. ''Asia Times'' publishes in English and ...

'' opined that:

... ''The Myth of Islamic Tolerance'' warrants our attention. Any study of contemporary Islam would be incomplete without it. Collectively, the essays expose an unsettling fact: that Islam's famed tolerance of non-Muslims has over the centuries fallen well short of an embrace ... However, the book is full of flagrant distortions and glaring omissions.

The book was reviewed in the September 2005 issue of ''

The Middle East Journal ''The Middle East Journal'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Middle East Institute (Washington, D.C.). It was established in 1947 and covers research on the modern Middle East, including political, economic, and social ...

''. A review in the June 2006 issue of ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...

'' said that the book "might be described as an extended bill of indictment against Islam and a debunking of the still commonly heard claim that Islam has been and is tolerant of minorities." Writing in ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...

'' in March 2007,

Dinesh D'Souza Dinesh Joseph D'Souza (; born April 25, 1961) is an Indian-American right-wing political commentator, author, filmmaker, and conspiracy theorist. He has written over a dozen books, several of them ''New York Times'' best-sellers. In 2012, D' ...

described ''The Myth of Islamic Tolerance'' as being attractive to those who would like to criticize Muslims at large for 9/11. He suggested that the book uses a strategy of selective quotations from the Koran, which he calls "history for dummies". Dr.

Akbar Ahmed Akbar Salahuddin Ahmed, is a Pakistani-American academic, author, poet, playwright, filmmaker and former diplomat. He currently is a professor of International Relations and holds the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at the American Universi ...

, professor of Islamic studies at

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

, described the book as an example of one of the most humane religions in the world being misrepresented as a violent one. In his book ''Beyond the Veneer'', Ioannis Gatsiounis says that the book "struggles to find an enlightened balance", as it sometimes overlooks complexities while at the same time avoiding a trend in many circles of viewing the issue it addresses solely as a non-religious one.

References

External links

Table of contents for The myth of Islamic tolerance : how Islamic law treats non-Muslims / edited by Robert Spencer.

Google Books

by ''

Midwest Book Review Midwest Book Review, established in 1976, produces nine book-review publications per month. Organization Midwest Book Review was established in 1976. The editor-in-chief of the organization is James A. Cox. The review puts out nine publications on ...

'', April 1, 2005
Book review
by

Bruce Thornton Bruce S. Thornton (born August 2, 1953) is an American classicist at California State University, Fresno, and research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Biography Thornton received a Bachelor of Arts in Latin from the Univers ...

, August 6, 2005
Book review
on ''

'', August 27, 2005 {{DEFAULTSORT:Myth of Islamic Tolerance 2005 non-fiction books Books critical of Islam Counter-jihad

Overview

Chapters

Reviews and reception

See also

References

External links