Islam Unveiled

by Spencer, Robert

• ISBN13: 9781893554580
• ISBN10: 1893554589
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Encounter Books

Summary

Robert Spencer dares to face the hard questions about what the Islamic religion actually teaches -- and the potentially ominous implications of those teachings for the future of both the Muslim world and the West. The book evaluates the relationship between Islamic fundamentalism and 'mainstream' Islam; the fixation with violence and jihad; the reasons for Muslims' disturbing treatment of women; and devastating effects of Muslim polygamy and Islamic divorce laws. Spencer explores other daunting questions -- why the human rights record of Islamic countries is so unrelievedly grim and how the root causes of this record exist in basic Muslim beliefs; why science and high culture died out in the Muslim world -- and why this is a root cause of modern Muslim resentment. He evaluates what Muslims learn from the life of Muhammad, the man that Islam hails as the supreme model of human behaviour. Above all, this provocative work grapples with the question that most preoccupies us today: can Islam create successful secularised societies that will coexist peacefully with the West's multicultural mosaic?

Author Biography

Robert Spencer is a board member of the Christian-Islamic Forum. His articles on Islam have appeared in National Review, Crisis and other magazines. He has been studying Islam for twenty years

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
David Pryce-Jones
Author's Note	xiii
Prologue What Does Islam Really Stand For?	1	(6)
Is Islam a Religion of Peace?	7	(32)
Does Islam Promote and Safeguard Sound Moral Values?	39	(18)
Does Islam Respect Human Rights?	57	(16)
Does Islam Respect Women?	73	(20)
Is Islam Compatible with Liberal Democracy?	93	(8)
Can Islam Be Secularized and Made Compatible with the Western Pluralistic Framework?	101	(12)
Can Science and Culture Flourish under Islam?	113	(18)
The Crusades: Christian and Muslim	131	(12)
Is Islam Tolerant of Non-Muslims?	143	(22)
Does the West Really Have Nothing to Fear from Islam?	165	(12)
Acknowledgments	177	(2)
Notes	179	(24)
Index	203