We had the pleasure of meeting at the bruno symposium sponsored by the alliance against conformity, in freiburg, germany in 2004. Ibn warraq under the influence of intellectuals and academics in western universities, intellectuals, and destructive intellectual fashions such as postmodernism, moral relativism, and mulitculturalism, the west has lost all selfconfidence in its own values, and seems incapable and unwilling to defend those values. Warraq has written historiographies of the early centuries of the islamic timeline and has. I28 1995 297dc20 956342 cip printed in the united states of america on acidfree paper. I spoke in favor, focusing on the vast disparities in freedom, human rights, and tolerance between western and islamic. Dec 07, 2011 while ibn warraq may feel very comfortable with his trump card of values, i notice one disparaging absence in his thesis, one often left out by islamophobes. Apostates speak out by ibn warraq, prometheus books, 2003, 471 pp. A critique of edward saids orientalism, 2007, was described. Pretty funny girl podcast youtube power hour podcast. He defines, describes, and defends western values, strengths and freedoms far too often taken for granted.
Alex lang on islamic reformation, october 11, 2018 duration. This book, edited by the rather nebulous personage of ibn warraq neither his full name nor his institutional affiliation, if any, are anywhere given, consists of thirteen previously published essays on the history and nature of the quranic text, twelve of them dating from the halfcentury between 1890 and 1940 and only the thirteenth dating from as recently as 1985. When the courtauld institute in london announced that they would be holding a. Read why the west is best a muslim apostates defense of liberal democracy by ibn warraq available from rakuten kobo. May 12, 2017 ibn warraqs the islam in islamic terrorism is a brilliant series of reported echoes down the corridors of islam, where the same complaints about bida, the same insistence on regulating every area of a believers life, the same refusal to allow freedom of religion or thought, the same duties of violent jihad and commanding right and. Saids main thesis was that the western image of the east was heavily biased by colonialist attitudes, racism, and more than two centuries of political. The recent hirsi ali book is free in pdf form if you click through the link in the story. Koranic allusions ebook by ibn warraq 9781616147600.
Ibn warraq, a convert from fundamentalist islam, explains passionately and vividly why islam, not just islamists, needs to be feared by muslims and nonmuslims alike. Why the west is best ebook by ibn warraq rakuten kobo. The catalyst for the writing of ibn warraqs dissident critique, why i am not a muslim, came in 1988, when irans ayatollah khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of british novelist salman rushdie. Since then we have corresponded and cooperated on a number of projects, including the international committee to protect freethinkers icpf. He has contributed to the wall street journal and the guardian, and he lives in new york city. He was a student of ibn alsarraj and ibn duraid and mentor and friend of scholar ibn alrawandi in. Leaving islam apostates speak out ibn warraq, islam.
The quest for the historical muhammad ibn warraq wikipedia. Ibn warraq is a fellow at the westminster institute, a senior fellow at the london center for policy research, and a contributing editor to the. What has since euphemistically become known as the rushdie affair revealed a fatal flaw in western liberalism. This is likely to make the future progress of sound historical scholarship on islams origins harder, rather than easier.
Abu isa alwarraqs against the incarnation, university of cambridge oriental publications no. Ibn kathir of mecca according to albazzi and qunbul. See all books authored by ibn warraq, including the portable atheist. He now lives in the usa, where he works with the institute for the secularisation of islamic society isis. Sep 16, 2017 rfis david coffey speaks to author and celebrated apostate, ibn warraq, about his latest book the islam in islamic terrorism and why he believes that the western world has got it wrong about. Rfis david coffey speaks to author and celebrated apostate, ibn warraq, about his latest book the islam in islamic terrorism and why he believes that the western world has got it wrong about. Their two recent works, ibn warraqs the islam in islamic terrorism. This is the first systematic critique of edward saids influential work, orientalism, a book that for almost three decades has received wide acclaim, voluminous commentary, and translation into more than fifteen languages. The legacy and continued perpetuation of racist attitudes by the dominant white culture in america i. Ibn warraq, who was raised muslim but is a nonbeliever, is the founder of the institute for the secularization of islamic society. Why i am not a muslim by ibn warraq the origins of islam the most important stages in islams history were characterised by the assimilation of. City journal on facebook city journal on twitter city journal on youtube city journal on instagram city journal on flipboard city journal rss. A muslim apostates defense of liberal democracy encounter books, december 2011 carries on the defense of the west started in defending the west. Warraq is the vicepresident of the world encounter institute.
A critique of edward saids orientalism, ibn warraq. May 01, 2003 editortranslator ibn warraq a pen name wrote in the preface to this 2003 book, all the testimonies here are witnesses to the authors courage, for a free discussion of islam remains rare and dangerous, certainly in the islamic world and even in our politically correct times in the west. Essential readings for the nonbeliever, and why i am not a muslim, and more on. He has been involved in the efforts of secular humanists in the west and elsewhere to bring secular values to the world. Since then we have corresponded and cooperated on a number of projects, including the. Read koranic allusions the biblical, qumranian, and preislamic background to the koran by ibn warraq available from rakuten kobo. We, in the west in general, and the united states in particular, have witnessed over the last twenty years a slow erosio. L ast october, i participated in a debate in london, hosted by intelligence squared, to consider the motion, we should not be reluctant to assert the superiority of western values. Those mainstays of western thought led ibn warraq eventually to.
Even ibn mujahids seven provided fourteen possibilities since each of the seven was traced through two different transmitters, viz, 1. He is also the editor of the origins of the koran, what the koran really says, leaving islam, the quest for the historical muhammad, and which koran. He is the author of why i am not a muslim, what the koran really says, and virgins. Ibn amir of damascus according to hisham and ibn dakwan. Muslim intellectual tariq ramadan, among others, spoke against the motion.
Ibn warraq is the penname of the author whose parents emigrated from india to pakistan as a result of the partition. For anyone with an interest in the early history of islam, this erudite anthology will prove to be informative and enlig. Ibn warraq is an independent scholar and former visiting fellow at the center for law and counterterrorism, a project of the foundation for defense of democracies. Written by noted scholar ibn warraq, defending the west challenges both saids representations of certain scholarly works and his attacks against western civilization as a whole. Islam, the quran, and the five pillars all without a flamewar. Since 1998, ibn warraq has edited several books of koranic criticism and on the origins of islam, including leaving islam. Language, text and commentary, prometheus books, 2002. Classic essays on islams holy book, edited by ibn warraq prometheus books. The importance of beliefs, ideas, and ideology youtube. The quest for the historical muhammad 2000, edited by ibn warraq, is an anthology of 15 studies examining the origins of islam and the quran. Ibn warraq is the highly acclaimed author of why i am not a muslim, virgins.
You cant at once claim that basically all cultures are equal and complain about the conspicuous racism of the west. Ibn warraq exposes islam on abn with robert spencer youtube. Ibn warraq was born in india in 1946 and grew up in pakistan, attending quran schools. Ibn warraq is the pen name of an anonymous author critical of islam. Ibn warraq books list of books by author ibn warraq. He was brought up in pakistan, which was supposed to be an islamic republic.
A critique of edward saids orientalism by ibn warraq, prometheus books, 2007, 500 pp. By associating these articles with ibn warraqs polemical agenda, the quest for the historical muhammad will raise suspicions among some muslims that all revisionist scholarship is motivated by such intolerance. Ibn warraqs most popular book is the portable atheist. Ibn warraq is on much stronger ground, in my view, when he attacks apologists for islam, including many who are or were prominent in the field of islamic studies. Ibn warraq of the free thought society presents why i am not a muslim. The quest for the historical muhammad publishers weekly. Books by ibn warraq author of why i am not a muslim. Ele e o fundador do institute for the secularisation of islamic society isis e foi um pesquisador senior no center for inquiry 1 2 3 com foco na critica do alcorao. By david schafer published in the humanist, mayjune 2002 leaders of the muslim community in the united states, and even president bush, have routinely asserted that islam is a religion of peace that was hijacked by fanatics on september 11. The stereotypic image of the muslim holy warrior with a sword in one hand and the koran in the other would only be plausible if he was left handed, since no devout muslim should or would touch a koran with his left hand which is reserved for dirty chores. The ultimate ibn warraq collection common sense atheism.
Why i am not a muslim by ibn warraq, paperback barnes. Ibn warraq is able to show how prejudiced saids views are, and that a western critique of events in the orient can be right and valuable. Montgomery watt, who romanticize islam, and are apparently. A critique of edward saids orientalism, ibn warraq taylor. The contributors argue that traditional islamic accounts of its history and the origins of the quran are fictitious and based on historical revisionism aimed at forging a religious arab identity. Live on live with ibn warraq, author of the islam in. Author ibn warraqs most recent book is the islam in islamic terrorism.
In why i am not a muslim, ibn warraq, exposes the bitter truth about islam without sugarcoating it. Ibn warraq has provided a valuable collection of some of the most important critical studies of the koran over the past century. I have collected everything significant i could find of his online, and put it all in one big zip file for you to download. For those who still think and, alas, there remain many that islamic terrorism has emerged only in the last. Warraq has written historiographies of the early centuries of the islamic. I am a fellow at the westminster institute, fairfax, virginia, usa, a senior fellow at the london center for policy research, and a contributing editor to the new english. Saids description of orientalism is just a defense of the indefensible in which the burqa of the afghan woman could be praised as a protection against lustful male eyes and desires, not seeing or expressing.
He is the founder of the institute for the secularisation of islamic society and used to be a senior research fellow at the center for inquiry, focusing on quranic criticism. A critique of edward saids orientalism, and which koran. Ibn warraq is one of the most intelligent and important critics of islam living today. Ibn warraq, the celebrated apostate, author of why i am not a muslim and of scholarly works on the koran, muhammad, and early islam, as well as polemical works in defense of the west, has now written the islam in islamic terrorism, showing, in the words of the islamic fundamentalists or, more exactly, revivalists themselves, what really motivates islamic. Said and the unsaid, daniel martin varisco, university of washington press, 2008, 501 pp. Christopher hitchens editor, lucretius contributor, omar. Ibn warraq has 14 books on goodreads with 562 ratings. He helps his readers to understand using documentation of unarguable facts why islam is not the benevolent, peaceable and nonviolent religion the media, plus islamic imams. He lashes out at the western intellectuals who instead of condemning the assassination order of a savage man like khomeini against salman rushdi, chose to criticize rushdi for his book the satanic. First, islamlike christianity, judaism, hinduism, or any other religionis. Ibn warraq is the highly acclaimed author of why i am not a muslim and defending the west.
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