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Jihad: A Short History
Never before has such a serious subject been written about with such elegance, wit and humor.
A Short History is entertaining popular history in strict chronological order enlivened throughout with wordplay, comedy, graphic detail and vivid anecdotes on leading figures. It describes Islam’s 1,000-year assault on the rest of humanity, leading up to the concluding chapter where military jihad has been abandoned in favor of hijra, migration.
It synthesizes in a single readable comprehensive volume the records of the contemporary chroniclers and the works of later historians, which mostly treat some tiny aspect of this enormous subject. None of them led the author to question the main thrust of his narrative.
An understanding of the constant invasions of Christian Europe by the forces of Islam over a thousand years is vital to properly make sense of the world in which we now live.
The centerpiece of A Short History, both figuratively and literally, is the defining 1453 siege and fall of Constantinople, which is described in detail and at length in order to convey the horror of such assaults.
Few westerners know of the catastrophic Battle of Mohács, one of the greatest military encounters in the history of central Europe; or of the Battle of Didgori, in which a staggering 200,000 men perished in a single day of fighting; and that the Muslims twice reached Vienna and in 1543 besieged and plundered Nice.
A Short History concisely tells of these forgotten events, and of many more epic confrontations.
A Short History is entertaining popular history in strict chronological order enlivened throughout with wordplay, comedy, graphic detail and vivid anecdotes on leading figures. It describes Islam’s 1,000-year assault on the rest of humanity, leading up to the concluding chapter where military jihad has been abandoned in favor of hijra, migration.
It synthesizes in a single readable comprehensive volume the records of the contemporary chroniclers and the works of later historians, which mostly treat some tiny aspect of this enormous subject. None of them led the author to question the main thrust of his narrative.
An understanding of the constant invasions of Christian Europe by the forces of Islam over a thousand years is vital to properly make sense of the world in which we now live.
The centerpiece of A Short History, both figuratively and literally, is the defining 1453 siege and fall of Constantinople, which is described in detail and at length in order to convey the horror of such assaults.
Few westerners know of the catastrophic Battle of Mohács, one of the greatest military encounters in the history of central Europe; or of the Battle of Didgori, in which a staggering 200,000 men perished in a single day of fighting; and that the Muslims twice reached Vienna and in 1543 besieged and plundered Nice.
A Short History concisely tells of these forgotten events, and of many more epic confrontations.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published January 5, 2023
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April 13, 2024
I was delighted to hear of a book with some truth regarding the bloodthirsty beliefs of Muslims, but what I had hoped for was some reaffirming of the teaching I heard many years ago … in the U.A.E.
I became a True Christian in the Middle East; various things had led me to it, suffice to say, that having a South African friend who introduced me to the multinational Bible Study, often led by some of the people from the mission hospital in Sharjah, set me on the right path.
Through the knowledge and teaching of these missionaries [This was at the end of the 1970s into 1980s] I learnt how Mohamed had seen the civilised and well appointed way that the Christians, nearby lived. He wanted this also for his people, and approached to ‘get some of it’ (my words). His ways were not allowed and so he went into a cave to hear from God, himself. Remember that he had mixed with Christians and had some acquaintance with the main Scriptural precepts.
So that when he came out … he decided he had a fully formed religion. And we know what happened from then on.
I became a True Christian in the Middle East; various things had led me to it, suffice to say, that having a South African friend who introduced me to the multinational Bible Study, often led by some of the people from the mission hospital in Sharjah, set me on the right path.
Through the knowledge and teaching of these missionaries [This was at the end of the 1970s into 1980s] I learnt how Mohamed had seen the civilised and well appointed way that the Christians, nearby lived. He wanted this also for his people, and approached to ‘get some of it’ (my words). His ways were not allowed and so he went into a cave to hear from God, himself. Remember that he had mixed with Christians and had some acquaintance with the main Scriptural precepts.
So that when he came out … he decided he had a fully formed religion. And we know what happened from then on.
Displaying 1 of 1 review