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Summary: ALWAYS WONDERD WHy MOST CHRISTIANS VANISHED IN EAST
Review: In no area should the infidel triumph over the Muslim, as theological dogma has confirmed Muslim superiority to the withdrawal of the dar al-Islam within itself since it despised the entire culture of the dar al-harb, has also perpetuated a cultural intolerance toward the dhimmis, who were branded with contempt, whatever their merits. The irreplaceable skills and higher qualifications of certain dhimmis, being a source of humiliation to those around them, forced them to convert. The Islamization of culture included the Islamization of geography, a phenomenon linked to every conquest. Cities often lost their original names: Amid in Armenia became Diyarbakir; Constantinople, Istanbul; Jerusalem; al-Quads; Hebron was Arabized to al-Khalil. There are endless examples throughout the dar al-Islam, and it is a curious fact that the Jewish and Christian chroniclers continue to refer to the original names, almost as if their national history was continuing sotto voce in its ancestral geographical framework, uninterrupted by the Islamization of their country. The concealment of the dhimmis' history arises from the silence imposed on them and the ban on any criticism. In effect, the refusal of a dhimmi testimony against a Muslim determines behavior patterns and reveals the psychology of both groups. The dhimmi group, stripped of its means of defense, is placed in a hostage situation at the mercy of unfounded accusations. This constant and degrading vulnerability engenders servility, flattery, and corruption. After emancipation, European consuls noted the dhimmis' fear to assert their rights. In fact, blackmail and assassination punished dhimmi "arrogance." In the dominating group, this refusal of testimony by the suppression of speech-the distinctive sign of humanity-reflects a denial of rights. This mutilated speech, this rejected testimony, is transposed from the individual to the group and is perpetuated in time. History being also the testimony of a people and the foundation of its rights, the effacement of its past abolishes its rights. The official version of events then becomes a single voice epic, thereby perpetuating the mechanism of the obliteration and exclusion of the dhimmi nations. This process of obliteration-what Vidiadhar S. Naipaul calls "killing history" continues to function in our days.
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Summary: FOR SEEKING THE TRUTH OF A SALVERY HUMMILATING RELIGION
Review: In this masterly study, newly translated into English with additional documents, Bat Ye'or provides a luold analysis of the dogma and strategies of jihad, offering a vast panorama of the transformation of Christian civilizations under Islam. This epic story sheds light on the areas of fusion, interdependence, and confrontation between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. A pioneer in a virgin field of research for which she coined the word "dhimmitude,: the author has included in this essential work a valuable documentary section illuminating the decline of Eastern Christianity over the centuries. In two waves of Islamic expansion, the Christian and Jewish populations of the Mediterranean regions and Mesopotamia, who had developed the most prestigious civilizations of the time, were conquered by jihad. Millions of Christians from Spain, Egypt, Syria, Greece and Armenia; Latins and Slavs from southern and central Europe; as well as Jews, henceforth the various dynamics of Islamization developed, according to the same pattern determined by the ideology and laws of jihad and shari'a. Bat Ye'or analyses the interactions on several levels of a process that would transform native Christian majorities into "religious minorities." She also examines the conflicts between the different Churches that contributed to this result. This study includes extracts from Armenian and Syrian medieval chronicles, many of which are here available in English for the first time. Hitherto unpublished reports from British diplomatic sources of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries provide insights that will fascinate academics and the general reader. Through these documents we learn about this history from the actors themselves, who inform us of the various aspects of this irreversible process of transformation, providing flesh and spirit to the momentum of history. Many illustrations, some contemporary to the events described, add a vivid touch. An important section of the book is devoted to the Christian rebellions against the laws of dhimmitude and the consequences of theseuprisings, in the nineteenth century, these struggles escalated into wars of national liberation for Greeks, Serbs, Bulgars, Rumanians and Armenians, as well as well as for Zionists. The author analyses the similarities and the differences at the cultural and political levels of those national movement as well as their internecine conflicts. A knowledge of this history is essential in order to understand contemporary events and developments, so that future challenges can be faced within a context of positive religious dialogue and reconciliation. From the foreword by Jacques Ellul: "This book allows us to take our bearings so as to understand more easily the present situation...I venture to say it is a great historical work."
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Summary: The Laws of Islam
Review: Let me Summarize some of The Islamic laws (Shari'a),which a Christians and Jews lived under.1-A Christian or a Jew testimony is Prohibited against a Muslim in court of Law,even if he identified the person,who caused harm to him,such as stealing,rape etc... 2-A Christian or a Jew is Prohibited to ride a horse but a donkey,or may be a mule, 3-A Muslim should not be punished for killing a Christian or Jew ,but he may compensate his family with some (Dinars). 4-A Christian or a Jew ,can not build a new church nor restore the old ones 5-A Christian or a Jew can not pass on the right of Muslim,nor defend himself,if he decided to beat him up ,But he may cool him down 6-A Christian or a Jew house or shop ,should not be built higher than a Muslim. 7-A Christian or a Jew should wear a special custom, enable him to be identified ,specially when he walk's in the streets and should wear a tag on his neck , enable him to proof that he paid his taxes 8-A Christian or a Jew is prohibited to celebrate or show any kind of religious symbols such as Crosses in public. 9-A Muslim can sleep & eat in a Church for three days for free,no questions ask 10-If they disobeyed one of these laws,they may get executed, or put in jail,property confiscated,and their wifes taken as concubines,and their children as slaves. ..So I tell you what ,it is easier to convert to Islam, to stay alive and keep your wife and kids next to you
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Summary: Facing history and ourselves
Review: No Muslim of good will needs to fear this book. The author states explicitly that the book is about the suffering endured by Christians in the regions ruled by Muslims, from the birth of Islam to the early 20th century--and that is a perfectly legitimate subject. She carefully distinguishes the achievements of Islamic civilization from the sufferings of the Christian peoples and states in so many words that "this book is not about Islam." The book is based on twenty-five years of research and about 1/3 of it is taken up with primary sources in English translation: opinions of Muslim jurists, narratives of Christian chroniclers, diplomatic postings from European ambassadors to various Islamic countries. The book is one-sided, but necessarily so, given its brief. Her conclusions seemed to me to be restrained and sober; she lets the facts, which are amply documented, speak for themselves; and she quotes extensively from contemporary/eyewitness accounts of dhimmitude, allowing the voice of the "protected" peoples to be heard, often for the first time. Indeed, this is one of the few books on the subject available. It is understandable that many Muslims will resent the book as an attack on Islam. It is not. Christians in the West have had to reexamine their own history with regard to the sufferings of the Jews and anti-semitism, that is, to see their own history through Jewish eyes. Muslims in the West will have to see their history reexamined through Christian eyes. This scrutiny cannot be avoided and need not be resented or feared.
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Summary: Too Biased
Review: The book is trying to pick every incident that the non Muslims were mistreated in Islamic history for some reason or another. But the Author should have been more honest in representing the other face of the coin at least for the sake of fairness and objectivity. Non-Muslims continued to exist in all Islamic Countries without interruption. What happened to the Jews in Europe in the Middle ages?? what happened to the Muslims and the Jews in Spain When Christians Overtook Spain?? what happened to the Jews and the Muslims in Jerusalem in 1099 when Christians invaded Palestine?? they were all either kicked out or massacred. You can go to Brittanica.com and Search for "religious tolerance" and you will learn that the rise of Islam didn't give any hard time for the Jews in the Middle east. The Jews escaped from Spain to where?? to Egypt, Turkey, Morraco!! All are Muslim Countries. Also King Saladin When he invaded Jerusalem in 1187 he didn't killed the Latin Christians Like they did 90 years before when they killed all men, women, about 70,000 Muslims and Jews were massacred and their blood rose to the level of the horses' knees according to Christian sources. More over, the Christians in most Moslem Countries are allowed to go to their church to rule between them with regard to personal issues like marriage, inheritance. During the Ottoman ruling, The Christians and the Jews were allowed to go to their religious authorities to rule between them in their internal disputes (the Melite system)....These facts you can easily reach it on line in Brittanica.com. Also it's known that Islam states clearly that "No Compulsion in religion" this is a principal in Islam. Again compare this with the Symbol of the roman empire "Christianity or death". The Eastern Christians should remember that Unless the Muslim Captured Syria and Palestine and Turkey and Egypt, They could have been forced to convert to the roman catholic faith which is a heresy and blaspheme for most of eastern Churches. This Churches Continued to be independent of the roman Church just because they were in Muslim territories and the Romans couldn't control them. In general, the book failed to be Objective and fair. claiming that Muslim history is all about hatred and oppression is far from being the truth. And I'm afraid the hatred is the only reason that makes the author pick her pen and starts to look for anything to justify the massive massacres of today's Muslims on the Hands of Jews and Christians in Serbia, Kosova, Bulgaria, Israel. Some fairness and objectivity from our fellow Christian Citizens in the Middle east.
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Summary: Bad book, poor scholarship, on an important topic
Review: The painful and difficult history of Middle Eastern Christian communities under Muslim domination cries out for more rigorous and sympathetic scholarship in an up to date book. Unfortunately, this confused book by an Israeli "scholar" is not that work. Better to stick with some out of print (but much better) scholarly works: Richard Betts "Christians in the Arab East," Albert Hourani's "Minorities in the Arab World" and the late Aziz Atiyah's "History of Eastern Christianity."
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Summary: When Fundamentals disguise into historians' robe!!
Review: The Problem with fundamentals is they approach facts from one point of view. They always want to see one side of the facts and turn blind eyes to the other sides. The author did her best to label Muslims with every possible bad description. If she bothers to have one fair look on the history of the church I'm sure she will not be happy at all. For she will not find anything except a history of persecution and bloodshed to all Non Christian or to be more accurate non-Catholic minorities. The Terrible Crusade against the entire non-Catholic world is still there in the history books which the author never dared to open and she can't risk having her children look at it before they go to sleep for the sake of their mental stability. Christian, especially in the east should think about their own existence during more than 14 Centuries of Islam!! They should be very thankful to the Muslim for not perishing them out For that was the common Practice towards all Religious minorities during the Dark ages which such books were written to bring it back. It's really surprising to me as a westerner, how the Muslims were so tolerant with Jews and Christians and Left them having their Temples and Churches at a time when the Arian and the Unitarian Christians were being burned alive in Europe. Even a protestant leader like Calvin shared in these brutal crimes Another Problem with our Fundamentalists fellows here is they are ready to deny the history facts just to feel good about themselves. The fact that the Muslims were teaching a round Globe in Spain during the Middle ages is something you can find in any history book. At the same time the Popes of Rome were meditating to receive inspiration from the Supreme to tell them how the earth looks like!! The fact that these people preserved for us the ancient Greek, Indian and Persian knowledge is so hard to deny except for a narrow-minded fundamental. At the same time church leaders were receiving inspiration about the "Christian" Physics, "Christian" Chemistry and "Christian" Cosmos. Face the truth for once in your life.
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Summary: Non Muslims....wake up !!! ....Is it not obvious?
Review: These days there is so much confusion surrounding interfaith relations between Christianity and Islam. One key to progress is gaining a better understanding of history. This courageous book clarifies the intimate connection between jihad - the Islamic doctrine of warfare - and dhimmitude - the condition of non-Muslims living under Islam. This relationship, which can be rightly called an evil one, fully explains the tortuous decline of the once thriving Middle Eastern Christian communities. 'The Decline' is an agonizing read for the tender-hearted, but an essential one for Christian leaders in these troubled times. It throws light on Western civilization's likely future if the Islamicization of the West succeeds, a project so fervently desired and worked for by Muslims activists around the world today.
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Summary: A must read for Christians and Church Leaders in the West
Review: These days there is so much confusion surrounding interfaith relations between Christianity and Islam. One key to progress is gaining a better understanding of history. This courageous book clarifies the intimate connection between jihad - the Islamic doctrine of warfare - and dhimmitude - the condition of non-Muslims living under Islam. This relationship, which can be rightly called an evil one, fully explains the tortuous decline of the once thriving Middle Eastern Christian communities. 'The Decline' is an agonizing read for the tender-hearted, but an essential one for Christian leaders in these troubled times. It throws light on Western civilization's likely future if the Islamicization of the West succeeds, a project so fervently desired and worked for by Muslims activists around the world today.
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Summary: Be careful when you read this book
Review: This book draws on a lot of primary research, and for that, I would give it three stars. However, readers must be careful about the context the author puts all of these facts into. The author does a good job of pushing any anti-Islamic buttons a reader might have -- in fact, rather than a work of historical analysis, I would call it a political tract. I sadly have to conclude that the author has an agenda. The book was written (in great part) to provide an analytical context and historical perspective that supports modern Israeli and (Christian) Lebanese nationalism. There was also portions of the book that went into detail into all the 18th and 19th forced population movements of displaced Muslims into Palestine (done by the Ottoman Sultans). This opens a discussion on the legitimacy of the descendants of these immigrants as concerns their claims to former Palestinian territories. A recitation of past injustices, which I will not deny happened, can be easily used to warp our present-day perceptions. Demonizing Islam does not serve any useful purpose for the United States and other western countries -- to the contrary, it clouds abilities to think clearly about any concrete threats.
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