Onward Muslim Soldiers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West (ISBN 0-89526-100-6) published in October 2003 is a topical nonfiction book by popular counter-terrorism author Robert Spencer, who has described the book as an "in-depth study of the doctrine of jihad and how it is exploited today by terrorists to justify what they’re doing and to recruit and motivate new terrorists"[1].

[edit] Description

In the book, Spencer discusses issues relating to radical Islam, Jihad and Islamic terrorism, and claims that these are more serious threats to the non-Muslim world than the media and world leaders accept. Examining current events and sources from the Qur'an, he suggests that jihad, in the sense of physical violence against non-Muslims, is an inherent component of Islam and that Islamic tolerance (the tolerance of Muslims for other religions) is exaggerated by the media. He cites this as the reason for the apparent lack of support from the more moderate Islamic community for anti-terrorism measures and their failure to openly or widely criticise Muslim extremists.

The book makes a number of controversial claims. These include that mosques in the U.S. should be monitored more closely to protect national security, and that Muslims living in Western Europe are eroding traditions of 'secularism, free enquiry and open societies'. He also makes the assertion that non-Muslims living in Muslim countries suffer legalised oppression that stems from teachings in the Qur'an.[2]

Robert Spencer is a member of the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think tank dedicated to uphold "traditional, Judeo-Christian, Western culture"[3], and the Christian-Islamic Forum.

[edit] Reviews

• Steven Emerson said "This is an amazing book. Brilliantly argued and meticulously documented, this book contains a devastating expose of the murderous deceit behind contemporary apologists for militant Islam--in the media, political arena, academia and "mainstream" radical Islamic groups. Read this book to learn why Islamic extremism is dangerously entrenched within the institutional Islamic leadership in Saudi Arabia and the United States."^{[citation needed]}

• Daniel Pipes said this: "To understand the ideological sources of the terrorist enemy, read Robert Spencer's succinct, knowledgeable, and important book, Onward Muslim Soldiers. His systematic survey of such vital topics as radical Islam's aspirations, its unlikely alliance with the far left, and the need to encourage a moderate Islamic alternative are all valuable. But Spencer's signal contribution is his focus on the 'global threat to the West' that so many Western analysts and policymakers persistently refuse to see: jihad, or sacred war for Islam. There is no more important topic for citizens to comprehend."^{[citation needed]}

• Walid Phares said: "This book is a necessary tool for students of History, Politics, Civilization and Ideologies. Spencer takes the reader into the world of Islamic Fundamentalism to show not only how the world views it, but how it views the world. While most experts on Islam and the Middle East focus on a narrow interpretation of Jihadist actions around the world, Spencer connects the dots and opens our eyes to the big picture. This book is a must read for all those who want to understand the world after September 11."^{[citation needed]}

• Bat Ye'or said this about "Onward Muslim Soldiers": "Robert Spencer's latest book makes easy reading due to his immense scholarship. Written with brilliant intellectual honesty, it is an indispensable companion for reference, understanding and knowledge of a most crucial subject of our time."^{[citation needed]}

• Habib C. Malik, Ph.D., a 1995 visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, author of Between Damascus and Jerusalem: Lebanon and Middle East Peace, and professor of history and cultural studies at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, called Spencer's Onward Muslim Soldiers "a ground-breaking and thoroughly researched work that courageously exposes the greatest danger to civilized existence in the twenty-first century: radical Islamism with its belligerent ideology of jihad and its demonstrated intolerance."^{[citation needed]}

• Serge Trifkovic said: "Onward Muslim Soldiers gives us a realistic and therefore disturbing assessment of the greatest threat to civilized life in the coming century. There will be many Westerners who will reject the author's diagnosis of the jihadist malaise and his proposed therapy, in the name of 'tolerance,' 'diversity,' and 'inclusiveness.' They are like the Bourbons of old, learning nothing and forgetting nothing. It is to be hoped that there will be many others who will heed Spencer's wake-up call and respond by exerting pressure on their political leaders to act now, lest the remnant of the West is reduced to a reeking Camp of Saints."^{[citation needed]}

• Bill Muehlenberg in NewsWeekly said: "Spencer offers detailed, referenced accounts of how militant Muslims are at work in the West, and how many Western sympathisers have been duped by their words of peace and tolerance. ... While we must do all we can to encourage Muslim moderation, we dare not ignore Muslim extremism. This book helps us to do both, and deserves a wide reading."