Sword of Islam : Muslim Extremism from the Arab Conquests to the Attack on America

Rating:
Summary:
Just Desserts

Review:
This book has plenty about the crimes of Haj Amin el Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who conducted a somewhat inefficient mass murder campaign against Jewish farmers in the region, urged Hitler to expand his Final Solution to the Middle Eastern Jews, helped engineer the entry of Iraq into WWII on the side of the Axis, and when he had to flee Baghdad, spent most of the rest of the war in German occupied territory. He was never prosecuted for war crimes (no doubt due in part to the obsequious behavior that went on in European countries eager to regain their colonial empires, including the interment of Jews in British prison camps on Cyprus), and wound up living in Egypt where he was active in his and many other Arabs' lifelong campaign to exterminate the Jews. His and others' similar efforts no doubt contributed to the foundation of modern Israel.

Overall, this book traces the history of Islamicism, the political practice (which began with Mohammed by the way) of killing every non-Moslem in sight and trying to set up a totalitarian state run by a religious hierarchy.

Recommended reading:

-:- The Quest for the Red Prince by by Michael Bar-Zohar (1585747394)



Rating:
Summary: A Masterful Work on the Topic of Islam
Review: Dr. Murphy has written a masterful work on the topics of both the history of Islam and the current trend of radicalization and extremism in Islamic political movements which are driving nationalisms in various countries such as Iran, and now Afghanistan, Iraq, and threatening Eqypt, Turkey and other Middle Eastern nations with instability. Dr. Murphy's work rivals Hourani's and other works in its historical scope, yet it also is of signal assistance to policy makers...

Rating:
Summary: STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR, JOHN F. MURPHY, JR.
Review: I hereby publicly disavow the information in the review by Mr. Arthur John Kyriazis. I have never portrayed myself as a "Professional Inteliligence officer," nor have I ever claimed access to "top secret" information. To proclaim myself as a "Professional Intelligence officer" would be to do a disservice to those who have been. To claim that I had access to "top secret" information would be to claim access to information that I do not---nor have ever---possessed. I do not know from whom Mr. Kyriazis gained his information, but it was not from me. John F. Murphy, Jr.

Rating:
Summary: STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR, JOHN F. MURPHY, JR.
Review: I hereby publicly disavow the information in the review by Mr. Arthur John Kyriazis. I have never portrayed myself as a "Professional Intelligence officer," nor have I ever claimed access to "top secret" information. To proclaim myself as a "Professional Intelligence officer" would be to do a disservice to those who have been. To claim that I had access to "top secret" information would be to claim access to information that I do not---nor have ever---possessed. I do not know from whom Mr. Kyriazis gained his information, but it was not from me. John F. Murphy, Jr.

Rating:
Summary: STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR, JOHN F. MURPHY, JR.
Review: I hereby publicly disavow the information in the review by Mr. Arthur John Kyriazis. I have never portrayed myself as a "Professional Inteliligence officer," nor have I ever claimed access to "top secret" information. To proclaim myself as a "Professional Intelligence officer" would be to do a disservice to those who have been. To claim that I had access to "top secret" information would be to claim access to information that I do not---nor have ever---possessed. I do not know from whom Mr. Kyriazis gained his information, but it was not from me. John F. Murphy, Jr.

Rating:
Summary: Unfocused
Review: I will just echo the sentiment of the Publishers Weekly review. It looks like a decent book in the store, and the inner cover is promising. There is a complete lack of focus, however, and unless you are a historian (ie. professor) this is difficult and cumbersome reading; I wish I had visited this site before buying it. Many of the sentences seem awkward, as if directly quoted form other sources. A good educator provides illumination and insight into historical events, within a synthesis of thought; this is merely a list of historical events in haphazard order.

Rating:
Summary: A strong blend of history and social analysis
Review: Muslim extremism and issues of terrorism's role in world history are considered in John Murphy's Sword Of Islam , which surveys not only the Middle East but Islam's face around the world. The rise of Arab nationalism, other terrorist plots, and answers to questions of conflict between Arabs and Americans all make for a strong blend of history and social analysis.

Rating:
Summary: Needs alot of help
Review: Poorly researched, poorly written, full of inconsistencies and factual errors. Omissions and commissions are rampant. This is a scary state of affairs. If this was the source for the government evaluation of any historical/political conditions, hopefully it was not the only source. The author managed to confuse historical events and geographical facts in addition to his dismal attempts to use one thread to connect Nazis in South America with Bin Laden. He can not get a handle on what was in 1948, a United Nation's declaration of the partition, Ashura which was indicated at the time for accent of Mohammed to havens and Ali's death up to a conflicting dates for the death of king Hussein of Jordan. In addition, the book suffers from a marked lack of proper editing, incorrect (not due to translation) of Arabic words, and a mix-up that makes the reader think that there was more than one author, who did not use the same references (which by the way are almost dependent on the "Philadelphia Enquirer"). The only bright spot in Murphy's 367 pages is the last 10 pages, which spell out a futuristic flexible vision that is lacking throughout the whole book and Appendix II (which is co-authored by R. Don Green).
It is important if you writing about a subject with many sources in another language to seek help in review and translation from somebody who is familiar with the culture and the language.
Example of the deficiencies in this book: there are alot of contradictory ideas. There is also a lot of repetition and cut and paste. The excuse of poor translation and the use of a quotation from "Lawrence of Arabia" is a poor excuse for improper editing or revising of text. This excuse still does not explain incorrect dates, and geographical mix up. Specific examples for the help needed:a. deficiencies in the translation: say "Tanzim" not "Tamzin". Do not add Al (The) to a noun (Fatah, Hizbollah, Mecca, Quarrish) it is like saying The New York. "Hawatmeh" and not "Hawatmen" p167. Mujahideen and not "Muhahideen al-Khalq" p158. Say Intifada neither "Infitidas" of Yassir Arafat nor "intifida"
b. examples of historical mistakes: Prophet Mohammed did not ascend to heavens on "Ashura" (the tenth day of the first lunar month). Ashura is not the occasion of thr death of Ali p165. "before his tragic death in 2000, King Hussein of Jordan.." p198. In Jordan, the death of King Hussein on February 7, 1999 brought crown prince..." p199. "The 1948 united Nations decision which set up the state of Israel also established the kingdom of Transjordan, now Jordan (Transjordan was established in 1920s). "Any chemist can cook anthrax" p 217.
Selected Quotation:
"While the war of religion tore apart West Europe, and the Christian European which craze caused the deaths of unknown thousands... In a very real way, the Ottoman Empire represented a version of tolerant society that the West would not recognize until the Enlightenment of the 18th century and which today is endangered in the countries of the Arab World." p80

Rating:
Summary: Not the best book on islamic extreamism.
Review: The author does have much factual information in the book, but he paints Islam as a religion of nothing but extreamists(IN MY HUMBLE OPINION). He grasps at straws in some parts of the book trying to link certain terrorist groups together. He even suggests that it is likely that Al Queada and HIzbollah cells in South America will team up with Marxist groups like the Columbian FARRC and Neo Nazi groups to attack America. While this is not impossible it is grasping at straws and when he talks about these (Marxist) groups in some detail it gets off track of the books intended subject matter(Fundmetalist Militant Islam).

Rating:
Summary: Not the best book on islamic extreamism.
Review: The author does have much factual information in the book, but he paints Islam as a religion of nothing but extreamists(IN MY HUMBLE OPINION). He grasps at straws in some parts of the book trying to link certain terrorist groups together. He even suggests that it is likely that Al Queada and HIzbollah cells in South America will team up with Marxist groups like the Columbian FARRC and Neo Nazi groups to attack America. While this is not impossible it is grasping at straws and when he talks about these (Marxist) groups in some detail it gets off track of the books intended subject matter(Fundmetalist Militant Islam).