Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some bias but mostly sound reasoning, 3 Feb 2007
Get this straight the final chapters of this book are written from a right wing American Christian perspective and the book fails the test of complete objectivity from that point as do frequent comparisons with New Testament teaching throughout the text, however his interpretation of the text of the Koran is sound and ties in with my reading thereof.
The Koran is in my view is by turns repetitive warlike, racist, supremacist and an incitement to violence against "Kaffirs" i.e. non Muslims. The author makes that point forcibly but does not give enough emphasis to the fact that the majority of Muslims do not act in that way. The author does validly point out that a fundamentalist reading could be the root behind the Islamic terror we see throughout the world.
The history of Mohammed is brief but well analysed and shows his propensity to violence in the latter sages of his career.
Overall a good read and better than the sugar coated Karen Armstrong critiques one of which I read side by side with this, (review to follow)
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25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gets past (mostly) Christian dogma and reveals the threat posed by Islam, 20 Aug 2006
I purchased and read this book (in one sitting) after the 10th August 2006
terror alerts at UK airports.
If you still believe that non-Muslims have a duty to be more accommodating
towards the religion of Islam, you should read this book. It doesn't make
for comfortable reading if you consider yourself a reasonable and tolerant
person, but if you're as open minded as you like to think you are, do your
own research and come to your own conclusions. I did, and that's why I'm
writing this review.
As an atheist, I was sceptical about the book's ability to address the
issues that the Western world in particular, has to confront if it hopes to
defuse the threats posed by Islam, written as it was, by a Christian and
published by a Christian publisher.
But despite Don Richardson's religious beliefs (he is clearly anti abortion
and gives at least a passing nod in the direction of creationism), he for
the most part (although not entirely), resists the temptation to attack the
Koran from a purely 'Christian Moral' standpoint, even when there is
evidence of this, it's usually a technique he uses to construct a logical
argument rather than merely answering one set of nonsensical dogma with
another.
There is an undertone throughout the book, that paints Islam as a
supremacist, intolerant, misogynistic, cruel and dictatorial religion that
stifles free speech and even free thought, and is fundamentally opposed to
democracy.
"Secrets of The Koran", provides us with a potted history of Mohammed, his
early rejection as a prophet by the Jews of Medina (due to his failure to
meet their standards of proof), his leadership of a band of thieves and the
method he devised for recruiting men to fight for him (the promise of
eternal sexual gratification in Heaven).
Richardson then goes on to critique the Koran both as a literary piece and
on the meaning of the work and its interpretation by Muslims.
He continues by discussing Islam's infiltration of the West and the Muslim
strategy (based on the Koran's teachings) for continued penetration of
Western culture.
The book asserts that Muslim terrorists act out of a sense of religious
duty rather than a sense of social injustice and asks why there is so
little evidence of suicide attacks from other variously 'socially
disadvantaged' groups such as Sikhs, Rastafarians, Hindus or Buddhists.
The assertion, sadly, is backed up by logical well deliberated and
presented evidence.
Richardson also challenges non-believers, such as myself, to stop 'picking'
on Christianity and present a common front against the spread of Islam. I
must acknowledge that I am able to buy, read and criticise this book
because the Judeo-Christian culture, developed over the last three thousand
years, in which I live, allows me so to do.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some bias but mostly sound reasoning, 24 Jan 2007
Get this straight the final chapters of this book are written from a right wing American Christian perspective and the book fails the test of complete objectivity from that point as do frequent comparisons with New Testament teaching throughout the text, however his interpretation of the text of the Koran is sound and ties in with my reading thereof.
The Koran is in my view is by turns repetitive warlike, racist, supremacist and an incitement to violence against "Kaffirs" i.e. non Muslims. The author makes that point forcibly but does not give enough emphasis to the fact that the majority of Muslims do not act in that way. The author does validly point out that a fundamentalist reading could be the root behind the Islamic terror we see throughout the world.
The history of Mohammed is brief but well analysed and shows his propensity to violence in the latter sages of his career.
Overall a good read and better than the sugar coated Karen Armstrong critiques one of which I read side by side with this, (review to follow)
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