Holy Warriors: A Fresh Look at the Face of Extreme Islam

by Frog Orr-Ewing

"We write this account of the Taliban with probably a unique experience and perspective on them. We have a story that intertwines our lives with theirs long before the twin towers were destroyed and the appalling attacks on America had wreaked their havoc. For much of the Western press, the Taliban were just another fundamentalist regime, renowned for their treatment of women, and their ultra-orthodoxy. They are a group now ingrained upon the visual imagination of the western world."Frog and Amy Orr-Ewing

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Admittedly, I was more than a little disappointed with this book. While it started out well, if a little verbose at times, the concluding two chapters was more of a comment on Christianity than it was on Islam. Despite an entire chapter dedicated to it, very little was made of the historical interactions between the two religions, focusing predominantly on the Crusades and then going onto a tangent about how Christianity shouldn't make war. This was followed up with information on the Reformation and the stance of some theologians centuries before it which laid the foundations for the ideas associated with the Reformation period. The closing remarks again focused predominantly on Christianity, with a few references to radical Islamists strewn through out. Despite the tangent, they did a fair job linking it with the overall theme of the book, namely that something similar needs to happen in the Muslim faith in order to reduce over-zealousness of radicals, but in comparison to the text around it, the whole thing was more of an afterthought. Additionally, the blessing at the end seems inappropriate, since it is a book on Islam, not Christianity.

I was expecting a more in-depth analysis of some of the areas they covered and was looking for more from their interviews with Taliban leaders, but very little of that was included in the text. It almost makes me wonder how much they actually got from their interviews and how much of it was the leaders they met with trying to convert them. Regardless, as they made such a big deal about explaining how much work it was for them to get the visas and set up the meeting, it should have been a more prominent source for their work.

Since the authors made it a point to note the different factions or tribes of Islam, I feel as though more attention should have been paid to the split and what caused each group to go their own way. They did mention that one of the three subgroups had a number of additional subgroups, so I can understand why the authors didn't go down the rabbit hole, so to speak, but since this is supposed to be a synopsis of radical Islam, it seems as though more information on the distinction between each of the main groups and why there is so much tension between them could have been set down for the reader.

[Christian Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written shortly after 9/11 this book provides helpful insight into Islam by introducing readers to the variety of teachings in Islam. The authors also provide tips in approaching gospel conversations with Muslims in Muslim contexts, which is where the book is most helpful.