Historical Islam, Historical Muhammad
Dateline: June 07, 2000
Believers and Critics
With so little reason to believe traditional accounts and so much reason to acknowledge that much of what is assumed about early Muslim history is compounded by myth and redaction, why is it that so many still believe? Even more curious, why do so many Western scholars who aren't Muslim and have no personal, vested interest in the truth of traditional accounts insist on promoting them despite their poor foundation?
As Ibn al-Rawandi explains it in his essay, westerners have long had a romantic obsession with all things Arab: art, literature, culture, environment, and even religion. As al-Rawandi describes it:
Islam is in fact the last refuge for those conservative western intellectuals who wish it were true that the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, in short "the modern world," had never come about. Islam is, indeed, the only remaining mental space in which these events have not yet happened.
The result of such romanticizing of Islam is a scholarship which ignores skepticism, abandons criticism, and treats Islam in a privileged manner. The Quest for the Historical Muhammad is an excellent antitdote to the claims and writings of such scholars. I can readily recommend it, but not quite to everyone. It's a very scholarly book and not always easy to read - it really isn't meant for general audiences, in my opinion. The material can be complicated and detailed - I've only scratched the surface here in this article and have left out quite a bit.
Therefore, those with experience with academic works or with a strong interest in Islam should make a point of reading it. Others, however, who are interested in learning more about Islam from a critical pespective but aren't sure if they are up for the heaving reading in Quest has two other books from Prometheus which can provide good information: Why I Am Not a Muslim by Ibn Warraq (the editor of Quest) and Jihad in the West by Paul Fregosi.
Critiques of Islam
Ibn Warraq's Why I Am Not a Muslim presents some of the same critiques of historical sources and traditional scholarship which can be found in Quest - but in a manner which is a bit easier to read for general audiences.
He then also goes on to discuss the human origin of the Quran, the invented character of the hadith, the misogynistic attitudes of the sharia, the history of Islam being spread by the sword and maintained by terror, the persecution of religious and intellectual minorities in the name of Islam, and much more.
The argument of Warraq which probably angers most people is his contention that fundamentalist Islam is no aberration but is instead inherent in Islam itself. All Muslims believe that every word of the Quran is quite literally the word of God - true for all times, places, and people. The fundamentalist who thinks that all unbelievers should be killed has no less authority than the liberal who thinks that all religions are true.
Paul Fregosi's Jihad in the West is a history of the immense Islamic invasions of Europe, compiling historical accounts of Muslim holy wars against Europe that have actually raged for more than 1,300 years. This includes the occupation of Spain and Portugal for 800 years, attacks and invasions of France, Italy, and European coasts all the way up to Ireland and Iceland as well as repeated attempts to conquer Austria and Russia. Although there have been similar wars in Africa and Asia, Fregosi focuses on Europe - and he certainly has plenty of information.
As Fregosi debunks the common idea of barbaric western knights invading culturally superior, peace-loving Arabs, it traces campaigns to "convert the infidels" from the 600s to todayís random acts of international terrorism - all in the name of religion. His sympathy for the Christian West does not, however, blind him to atrocities committed by Christians - thus his description of massacres of Muslims and modern Western imperialism
The circumstances surrounding the publication of Fregosi's book are unfortunate. British publisher Little Brown had agreed to publish the book and had paid a nice advance - but fear of reprisals like those surrounding the publication of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses cause them to cancel the contract. It was fortunate, then, that Prometheus Books stepped in and took over - otherwise the work might never have seen the light of day.
All three of these books would be a good addition to someone's library of religious material - and they are among the few readily available books which approach Islam from a skeptical/critical - but not religious - perspective. You can purchase them either by clicking on the links in this article or by looking in a local bookstore.
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