The Myth of Islamic Tolerance

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The Myth of Islamic Tolerance
File:TheMythOfIslamicTolerance.jpg
Book cover
Author Robert Spencer (editor)
Language English
Subject Islamic Studies
Publisher Prometheus Books
Publication date
 January 31, 2005
Media type Hardcover
Pages 594
ISBN 978-1-59102-249-7
OCLC 55982393
297.2/8 22
LC Class KBP2449 .M98 2005

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 populations during and after the conquest of their lands by Muslims.[1][2]

Overview

The book contains 17 chapters by Bat Ye'or, as well as essays by Ibn Warraq, Walid Phares, David Littman, Patrick Sookhdeo, and Mark Durie.[3] The writers opine that attitudes of Muslims today are informed by the tenets of Islam.[2] It covers topics including sharia law and antisemitism.[4]

Reviews and reception

A November 2004 review of the book in Publishers Weekly said the book's theme "merits exploration", but that the book does not explain why Islam is "inherently intolerant".[5] An August 2005 review of the book in Asia Times 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.[2]

In September 2005 book review in The Middle East Journal reviewed the book,[6] and a June 2006 book review in First Things 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."[7]

Writing in National Review in March 2007, Dinesh D'Souza described The Myth of Islamic Tolerance as being attractive to those who would like to criticize Muslims at large for 9/11.[8] He suggested that the book uses a strategy of selective quotations from the Koran, which he calls "history for dummies".[8]

Dr. Akbar Ahmed, professor of Islamic studies at American University, described the book as an example of one of the most humane religions in the world being misrepresented as a violent one.[9] 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.[10]

See also

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ (subscription required) "The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims, by Robert Spencer, Prometheus Books (2005)
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ (subscription required) Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ [dead link] Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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