Great Divide: Failure of Islam and Triumph of the West

Schmidt writes this perspective on Islam from a sociologist's perspective also viewing it somewhat from the viewpoint of history and theology. He convincingly shows that the current view of Islam's history and beliefs compared with Christianity's is somewhat distorted and untrue. He aspect by aspect shows how today's world is not shown the entire breath of Islam's past and current cultural and theological stance on many societal issues: women, charity, liberty, justice, war and peace, Jesus, the Crusades, science and medicine, law. These are all fascinating and enlightening discussions, and at the least would fester further research and inquiry into interested subject matters with bibliographical materials included for such persual. If one seeks but a theological comparison of the two, one would be wise to check out the best source I have found: Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb's "Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross."

Schmidt writes what many are afraid to talk about: The truth about Islam. He does an excellent job of comparing Islam and the Koran to Christianity and the Bible. He backs his statements up with facts and provides solid references. This book is going to tick you off- whether you are Conservative or Liberal, Christian or Muslim. The sometimes shocking details provided here will educate you on a variety of issues and take you on a journey through history. This book is a real eye opener. Contrary to what the media would like you to believe, Muhammad was not a nice guy. This should be required reading for not only all Americans, but all infidels (non-Muslims) as well.

There is a story that both the Democrats and the Republicans won't tell. It is the story of a failed foreign policy based on political correctness rather than facts. Supposedly we are in a "war on terrorism" and/or fighting a few "evil men." Why they are evil and why they are terrorists is never explained by our leaders. What our eventual goal in our war with these "evil men" is, is not explained. It can't be articulated because there is an elephant in the room that few have the political courage to mention. The unmentionable elephant is Islam. It is unmentionable because according to the currently acceptable rules of political correctness, we are never, ever, EVER allowed to say anything unkind about any one's religion. In fact we can't even mention "Islam" in the same breath as "terrorism" unless we preface our remarks with words like "fundamentalist" or "extremist" or "radical" or "Islamist" to prove we don't mean to disparage the "vast majority of Muslims" who are said to be peace loving and misunderstood Jeffersonian democrats as harmless as the Amish and of sweet disposition, something like the late Mother Theresa. We are told again and again that if we only would take the time to "understand Islam" we'll come to love it. Now at last there is a book that gives us the facts. Islam is a failure measurable by every standard from science, to economic development to human rights. In "The Great Divide" Alvin Schmidt has done a great service to his readers. The first chapter begins by comparing the life of Jesus Christ with Muhammad. A lot of the information revealed in this chapter cites highly unfavorable, but corroborated facts about Muhammad, facts that Muslims are not permitted to hear, read, or talk about in Islamic countries. The second chapter focuses on how early Christianity grew and expanded during its first 300 years without resorting to any form of violence, even when countless numbers of Christians were severely persecuted, as opposed to Islam, which from the time of its inception in 622 frequently and widely employed the sword to expand and grow. The third chapter surveys the role of women in the West versus the role of women in Islamic countries. Chapter 4 concentrates on the moral issue of slavery. It shows that slavery was first outlawed in the West, where Christianity had its greatest presence. Unknown to many, this chapter documents and shows that slavery still exists today in some Islamic countries in Africa. In the fifth chapter the Christian concept of charity is compared with the Islamic practice of Zakat. The latter is often loosely translated as "charity." But the chapter shows that the two are not the same, especially not in terms of what charity originally meant. The sixth chapter, "The Crusades and the Rest of the Story," provides evidence that the Crusades began as defensive just war as a result of the West having experienced numerous military attacks and invasions from Islamic forces. Chapter 7 show

Dr. Schmidt raises issues that the world must address, and he does so in a lucid, thorough, and compelling manner. For anyone who values democracy, Western liberalism, and insights into history and the contemporary world this book is essential. Open-minded, inclusive, and thoughtful readers will value this work, a heavily documented masterpiece.

A spate of volumes on Islam have come out in the last decade. The author, Alvin Schmidt, was able to take advantage of all this new scholarship to draw the proper conclusions about Islam. The author then condensed all the pertinent facts that back up his conclusions, and put it all into eleven, easy-read chapters! I especially appreciated pages 24-26 and 289 where Alvin Schmidt addresses the "Allah was a Moon god" debate that is raging, mostly via the Web. There he mentions that Yoel Natan has a lengthy book coming out on how Allah was a Moon god. This all shows exactly how cutting edge Alvin Schmidt's research is, and it shows that he does not shy away from controversial topics, either! This is the kind of book I want to read on Islam!