Rating:  Summary: The Roots of September 11 Review: Adam Parfrey is best known for his "Apocalypse Culture" volumes: two fat anthologies of horrific material collected from the far fringes of American culture. He has taken the same approach with "Extreme Islam", a gathering of stunning documents culled from the fundamentalist Muslim areas of the world. Here you will find shocking, repulsive stuff: calls for the murder of Jews and Americans. Hate-filled cartoons, drawings, and postage stamps(!) The final instructions for the September 11 hijackers. A manual on how to torture prisoners. Osama bin Laden's 1998 declaration of war against America. This stuff will give you nightmares because, unlike the isolated freaks in "Apocalypse Culture", these people are well-financed, seeking weapons of mass destruction, and are driving much of what is happening in the world today. As Parfrey notes, much of this material remained untranslated from the Arabic until just recently. The authors must have thought we weren't paying attention. Well, they have our attention now.
Rating:  Summary: A Disturbing Look Into the World of Islamic Fundamentalism. Review: After the tragedy of September 11, a lot of misinformation has circulated about the beliefs of the Islamic extremists who were deemed responsible for these events. In this publication by Feral House Press, we are able to see first hand the beliefs of many Islamic extremists as seen in their propaganda literature and political cartoons. The book includes various materials of all sorts from individuals ranging from Yassar Arafat and the Palestinians to Muammar al Qaddafi to Sadaam Hussein to Usamah bin Ladin. Much of this material is difficult to sort through and very disturbing given that it often involves threats of death to various Americans and calls for Jihad. Given the viciousness of many of these groups and the recent events that have brought them to the fore, it is important for Americans to examine these materials from noted terrorists. It should be noted that not all the material presented here is from terrorists nor is all of it even Islamic. All in all, this book provides a disturbing look into a world much different from that which exists in the West.
Rating:  Summary: For students of International Studies Review: Deftly edited by Adam Parfrey, Extreme Islam: Anti-American Propaganda Of Muslim Fundamentalism is a timely and much needed contribution to the current national dialogue brought about by the events of 9/11 and the presidentially declared war against Islamic terrorism networks. Extreme Islam is an informative and alarming compilation of primary sources drawn from Muslim fundamentalism including fatwas, interviews, essays, political cartoons, paintings, poems, and stories graphically and textually showcasing the messianic context of Islam that advocates the complete destruction of all ideological enemies -- including the "Great Satan" of secularism, the United States of America. Also included are original documents of Christian and Jewish fundamentalism and a remarkable and little-known plot to destroy al-Aqsa (one of Islam's holiest shrines) for the specific purpose of fomenting world war and the coming of the Apocalypse. Extreme Islam is strongly recommended reading for students of International Studies in general, and the nature of contemporary political terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism in particular.
Rating:  Summary: Revealing, Uncovering, Informative and Necessary Review: Extreme Islam displays a world of reaction and hate which I began to comprehend since the 11 September tragedy, but could not visualise. To say the least, this book supplies the visuals. The editor has an excellent eye for representational and other propaganda, and he gives it a space to speak for itself. I must agree with comments that this sort of matter is supressed(omitted) from discourse about the subject of Islamic Fundamentalism by people who claim erudition, for reasons of maintaining a victimhood for certain peoples in the world, or just establishment political correctness. I recommend this text.
Rating:  Summary: Interesting, Informative and Revealing Review: Feral House has always stood on the cutting edge. Many of their titles have presented extreme and controversial ideas and images. (Apocalypse Culture I and II, Kooks, Lords of Chaos) During this time one thing that has always held true for Feral House books is how even handed they are in their presentation. The information is offered without bias or judgment. Feral House has always published their books so as to require the reader to think and draw their own conclusions. With "Extreme Islam", Adam Parfrey and Feral House have once again published a thought provoking book filled with an abundance of text that you will most likely never see presented in any mainstream venue. The timing on the release of this book is perfect. As our president stands in front of the country and presents the thought that Islam is a religion of peace and kindness, "Extreme Islam" becomes a very important document. After reading just a handful of the texts in this book you may get the sinking feeling that perhaps someone has a different definition of peace than you do. For example, when on page 2, I read how someone can be killed simply for rejecting the Muslim religion, well; doubt begins to creep into my mind on the concept of peace, love and kindness. Reading further into the book one gets to see an even more frightening picture being painted. The reader gets a glimpse of the erotic afterlife that awaits the suicide bomber. Other writing includes "You Have Made Me Your Human Bomb," written in a way that seeks to justify suicide bombings. Following that is a very interesting interview with a female highjacker. She relays a first person account of her highjacking and also provides a short interview. An ode to Anthrax is included, lamenting that it has not taken enough American lives. Texts from Usamah Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, as well as Qaddafi also appear. A frightening primer for preparations for Jihad is included, as are letters of instruction to the highjackers of September 11th. A brutal list of Taliban restrictions against women is provided, as are some examples of what happens when one has been perceived to have broken one of thse rules. Don't get the idea that this is a one sided presentation either. No, Parfrey has included some equally scary pieces by extreme Zionists, Zionist Christians, as well a disturbing piece from Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. Also included are pieces on the civil war in Algeria, a Nation of Islam Q & A, an interview with a Russian Fundamentalist, as well as text regarding the genocide of Muslims by the Serbs. To sum it all up, there are over 50 separate pieces of writing in this book and they are not all from a Middle Eastern fundamentalist Muslim's viewpoint. Parfrey knows that presenting only one side of the argument does not make for a challenge or require any thought, with that in mind he tries to provide a good amount of information from the many sides of this situation. As Parfrey states in his introduction, " the purpose of "Extreme Islam" is not to harm, but to understand. Understanding requires asking hard questions, and the reading of all relative materials." With that in mind, it is easy to see that Parfrey has done a lot of research on this long planned title. Further along in his introduction Parfrey implores that "Americans would do well to study the arguments of those who despise us rather than parading around in a patriotic haze," as we so often do. America has lost its feeling of invincibility and now it can see clearly that it is hated by many. Parfrey provides the background material in "Extreme Islam" so that we can see a little clearer why we are considered "The Great Satan." Granted I doubt that every Muslim feels this way. However, enough do hold this opinion as to cause harm to the previously unscathed mainland of America. With worldwide communication becoming easier every day it is conceivable that these extreme ideas will grow as more people get access to them. America bears the brunt of this hatred and America needs to see and understand this information as well. With "Extreme Islam" Adam Parfrey has presented a well researched primer on anti-American sentiment that should be required reading for every American in this post September 11th landscape.
Rating:  Summary: Very Interesting Book Review: Good selection of "propaganda." Perhaps propaganda is the wrong word, the proponents of the hate messages in this book sound like they believe what they are saying without ulterior motive. The book is oriented towards written works and transcripts. It's all very shocking. Well worth a read to remind us of the insanity of this world. I give it five stars because its very good, and there is no other book I've seen to compare it to. It is unique.
Rating:  Summary: A must read.... Review: Most people who gave this book a bad review must have not read the title. The book is called Extreme Islam because it is about EXTREME ISLAM! Adam Parfrey has done a great job in collecting the darkest and most extreme Islamic articles, declarations and decrees. Parfrey didn't write these articles he is just puting them out there for us. This book is an exploration of a small but deadly serious minority of Muslims that, for various reasons, want to see the demise of the western world. This book NEVER claims to represent the whole Muslim word. What Extreme Islam does is point out that North Americans would be naive to ignore the threats of these groups.This book never claims that this type of extremism is exclusive to Muslims. However, considering the present climate in many Muslim nations this book is a valuable introduction to this dark realm of anti-western thought. From Iran to Palestine, Pakistan to Malaysia and all points in between, extreme Islam is a reality. Like it or not.
Rating:  Summary: bigoted propaganda Review: Nothing but bigoted propaganda. For example, it ignores the fact that the US sponsored and supported islamic extremism and provided it with ammunition against moderate islamists in order to fit its imperialist agenda of military control of strategic locations in the middle east and south africa. It also ignores US atrocities in iraq and palestine that fuel such extremism and radicalizes islamists. The book lays all the blame on islamists while making america look like an "innocent victim".
Rating:  Summary: It's a better idea to be objective and not in a "haze." Review: The title of this book is somewhat misleading. Most of the "propaganda" is not propaganda at all but facts that document the absurd rulings and dictates of various factions of Islam such as the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, Moammar Khaddafy, the Ayatollah Khomeini, Yassir Arafat and of course Saddam Hussein. Included are speeches by Arafat and Khomeini, an e-mail from Hussein to an American citizen, Osama's fatwas calling for jihad against Americans, an interview with Mullah Omar, a list of Taliban restictions against women, Hitler's promises to the Mufti of Jerusalem during WWII, and excerpts from Khaddafy's GREEN BOOK. Also here are various conspiracy theories, and directions on how to perform Islamic rituals and Islamic way of life. The "propaganda" contained here are not so much against the American people, but rather against the American-supported State of Israel which occupies Palestine. Some of the materials are here for sheer shock value while others are simply political observations of the Palestine conflict and other West vs. East issues in the Muslim world. Few of these articles share the same viewpoint, and most sound like they have nothing to do with each other. Several, if read OBJECTIVELY, and not simply as examples of how crazy Muslim fundamentalists are, will provide useful information as to how the world works. That is obviously not the intention of the mass distribution of this book however--its attempt was to reinforce readers' predjudices against some aspects of Islam. Should this be the case, it failed with me.
Rating:  Summary: It's a better idea to be objective and not in a "haze." Review: The title of this book is somewhat misleading. Most of the "propaganda" is not propaganda at all but facts that document the absurd rulings and dictates of various factions of Islam such as the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, Moammar Khaddafy, the Ayatollah Khomeini, Yassir Arafat and of course Saddam Hussein. Included are speeches by Arafat and Khomeini, an e-mail from Hussein to an American citizen, Osama's fatwas calling for jihad against Americans, an interview with Mullah Omar, a list of Taliban restictions against women, Hitler's promises to the Mufti of Jerusalem during WWII, and excerpts from Khaddafy's GREEN BOOK. Also here are various conspiracy theories, and directions on how to perform Islamic rituals and Islamic way of life. The "propaganda" contained here are not so much against the American people, but rather against the American-supported State of Israel which occupies Palestine. Some of the materials are here for sheer shock value while others are simply political observations of the Palestine conflict and other West vs. East issues in the Muslim world. Few of these articles share the same viewpoint, and most sound like they have nothing to do with each other. Several, if read OBJECTIVELY, and not simply as examples of how crazy Muslim fundamentalists are, will provide useful information as to how the world works. That is obviously not the intention of the mass distribution of this book however--its attempt was to reinforce readers' predjudices against some aspects of Islam. Should this be the case, it failed with me.
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