The Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran

After seeing the reviews "Oh so funny! (not)" "This book is a JOKE" and "Nothing but Smoke and Mirrors" I bought the book. It is an eye-opener. Everyone who wants to live a few more years should buy this book. We have in our midst vast hordes of people who understand their holy book 100% literally, and live their lives by its violent dictates. We have got to understand what violent acts this book tells them to commit against Christians and Jews.

This book is a real eye opener. I have known many people who spent a great deal of time in the Middle East, and all of them agree, this is an accurate account of the Muslim Faith. I was surprised how much I learned, and shocked by some of it. Anyone who wants to understand the Muslim faith needs to read this book. Anyone who believes in a peaceful, one world government should read this book. Those who fear Muslims for various reasons need to read it, too. The author is a bit verbose, and at times the book reads like a text book, but it is worth the effort. You will learn more than you bargained for.

While there will never be a level playing field for addressing the contents of the Koran, Spencer goes overboard to present the opinions of apologists for Islam along side the concerns voiced by those who are alarmed by the contents of Islam's sacred book. The readers, at least, are informed of the opposing views and can assess their merits. As a "Guide," the book pulls together the fragments of themes which are actually scattered in various parts of the Koran, explains illusions which would not be understood by the average English reader -- such as "right hand possesses" and "striving in the way of Allah", highlights the many contradictory themes, and compares the descriptions of events recorded by the "all-knowing Allah" with existing pre-Islamic accounts of the same events. Thanks to Spencer's patient unravelling of the Gordian knot, readers will gain new insights into many of familiar themes in religious history and theology. But Spencer acknowledges on page 97 that all of this new knowledge may not help Infidels vis-a-vis Muslims: ". . [t]he Koran consistently assumes that the Infidels are not people who have come to a good faith decision that Islam is false. . . In the Koran, those who reject Islam are never acting out of sincere conviction. . . so anyone who rejects it must not be dong so out of intellectual or spiritual conviction, but out of narrow self-interest or desire for material gain. . . In other words, their unbelief in Islam is . . sheer perversity." If knowledge is power, this book will be very useful for policy makers and opinion leaders.

This is not a new translation of the Muslim's holy book: The Koran/Quran. Nor is it a chapter-by-chapter review of the Koran, whereby each chapter is analyzed and explained. Instead, as implied in its title, it is a well-written "Guide" to the Koran. Essentially, the author has selected 75 or so significant topics discussed in the Koran and explains their current significance to Muslims, and how jihadists may use them to justify their attacks against "infidels" (including Muslims whom the jihadists believe are not on the `Straight Path' in following Islam). The author compares passages from both the Koran and the Bible, and explains the many differences of similar stories in them. Some of these topics include: abrogation/changes in Koranic verses (ayats); the devil sleeps in your nose; Adam & Eve; Abel & Cain (why the crow?), the jizya tax, King Solomon's problem with the Queen of Sheba's hairy legs; Jesus and his flying clay birds; some of Muhammad's raids; slavery of the `right hand'; how the Jews and Christians `corrupted' their holy books; the Isaac vs. Ishmael sacrifice dispute; Moses and the Pharaoh differences; did Allah promise Israel to the Jews?; hot hellfire for the kuffars; can Jews and Christians be `tolerated' by Muslims if the former were created from `apes and pigs' by Allah?; did Muhammad actually ride to Jerusalem?; were all Jewish prophets really Muslims?; was Jesus neither divine nor crucified?; wife beating; and much more. Besides selecting topics from just the Koran, the author also discusses current topical-issues being raised by U.S. Pres. Obama, the fundamentalist Osama bin Laden, and miscellaneous Muslim spokesmen. The author discusses the historical development of the Koran. Besides quoting merely from the Koran, the author also quotes from other Islamic sources (such as the hadith) to help explain some poignant topic. As the author himself commented: "This is not a general guide to the Koran" (p. 20). To read a chapter-by-chapter review of Mohammad's "Koran," see the "Bogging the Quran" serial at the author's JIHAD WATCH website. Hopefully, someday this series will be reprinted in book form. If you want more of an analysis of the Quran itself, I suggest "Introduction to the Qur'an" by W. Montgomery Watt (and Richard Bell); Edinburgh Univ. Press, 1970 (ISBN 0-7486-0597-5).

After reading this book, my impression of Mr. Spencer remains unchanged. He met his usual high standards. His work is an important contribution to the debate about Islam that can be so full of deception and inaccuracies. As one can see by reading my other reviews of Robert Spencer's books, I enthusiastically endorse his work. His command of the subject matter is flawless and undeniable. He supports his facts and opinions with unassailable citations. Mr. Spencer has a natural talent for stating his case and proving it. Moreover, he takes what would appear to be at first blush to be a dry subject and makes it interesting by illustrating how the Qu'ran plays such an important role in terrible events around the World. It is hard for those who are unfamiliar with the hadiths and history of Muhammad to understand large segments of the Qu'ran and it is for that reason that I believe this work is so important. Those who lack the time to thoroughly examine Islamic doctrine for themselves can gain an understanding that meets or exceeds their needs by simply reading this book and "The Truth About Muhammad." Both books can be easily read in a day or two and readers will advance their ability to understand political issues related to Islam and can avoid falling for the numerous deceptions advanced to hide the true nature of the Islamic faith. My only hesitation in endorsing this book is that Mr. Spencer is so adept at organization and presentation that one might gain the false perception that the Qu'ran is an organized, logically written book, but the truth is that it is hard to imagine that a more poorly written and organized book than the Qu'ran could be produced. One needs to read the original to see that the Qu'ran is what it appears to be - a book that was created and organized by early Muslims that had little experience in reading and writing books. It follows that the Qu'ran is about as well written and organized as the work of a first grade class and far from being evidence of Muhammad's claim that he was called by God to be humanity's Messenger, it is proof positive that he was but one of many pretenders, albeit one that was successful in this life. This book will make you realize that even if one accepted the false assertion that Islamic doctrine stems solely from the Qu'ran as many Islamic apologists seem to try and suggest, a Qu'ran only Islam may be less clear and therefore more susceptible to false claims about its meaning, but it is no less a religion of violence than is Islam based on the Qu'ran, hadith and history of Muhammad. I would like to close with one last thought. A democracy is only as strong as its voters as it is the will of those who vote that ultimately control the direction the nation will take. As voters we have an obligation to be informed so that we may cast our vote wisely and not waste it by falling prey to slick propaganda and deception. Mr. Spencer's latest work will help you meet your obligation to cast an infor