« US: Florida Congresswoman Stands up to CAIR |
| Netherlands: Government Moves To Ban Muslim Face-Veils »
November 11, 2006
US: Five Worst; Unbearable Nonsense at the Wall Street Journal
Well, what can I say; I didn't expect any better from the Wall Street Journal. They may be "right-wing" in most economic issues, but when it comes to Islam, they are as rabidly P.C. as the New York Times. Of the five books recommended today, I cannot comment on the first and the fifth, but I've read the three middle ones; let's look at them:
2. "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong (HarperCollins, 1992).
This is a supremely propagandistic book, which would mislead anybody reading it who isn't familiar with Islam's original sources. (That is; most everybody.) Armstrong whitewashes Muhammad's crimes, ascribes to him the best of motives, and paints his opponents in the worst light. It isn't worth the paper it is printed on.
3. "What Went Wrong? by Bernard Lewis (Oxford, 2002).
Lewis may well be most knowledgeable man about Islam, unfortunately, he's not the most honest. He paints Islam as more tolerant than it is, giving Muslims the benefit of the doubt when no doubt about Islam's intentions should remain. The book, however, is valuable to learn about Islam, with those caveats.
4. "The Koran Interpreted" translated by A.J. Arberry (Macmillan, 1955).
This is a fine translation of the Koran, although I'm partial to N.J. Dawood's translation for its sheer--at the translator puts it--"respect for the English language." I believe however, that Arberry's translation is recommended for its supremely P.C. introduction, in which the translator gushes over the "beauty" and "poetry" of the Koran.
So, in short; the WSJ doesn't show any spine, but it is not as if they showed any beforehand.
Link: Sense of Ummah
Posted by Ruy Diaz at November 11, 2006 8:30 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)