Christian Martyrs under Islam: Religious Violence and the Making of the Muslim World By Christian C. Sahner Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018. 360 pp. $39.95.Reviewed by Raymond Ibrahim Middle East QuarterlySpring 2019 Sahner, associate professor of Islamic history at Oxford University, informs the reader that Christian Martyrs under … [Read more...]
Just War vs Just Plain-Old Jihad
Wherever one looks, the historic crusades against Islam are demonized and distorted in ways designed to exonerate jihadi terror. “Unless we get on our high horse,” Barak Obama once chided Americans who were overly critical of Islamic terror, “and think this [beheadings, sex-slavery, crucifixion, roasting humans] is unique to some other place, remember that during the Crusades … [Read more...]
On Walls and Muslims: A Lesson for Pope Francis
PJM “I appeal not to create walls but to build bridges” has long been Pope Francis’s mantra. Most recently, when asked last Sunday “a question about migration in general and about U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to shut down the southern border with Mexico,” the pope pontificated in platitudes: “Builders of walls,” he said, “be they made of … [Read more...]
Sword and Scimitar in Chinese, Russian, Turkish, and Audio
Two quick updates on my book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West (August 28, 2018). For those who prefer to listen to, rather than read, books, it is now available (since December, 2018 actually) as an audiobook (produced by Blackstone Audio; unabridged, 14 hours). Sample here. I’m also happy to say that major publishing houses in … [Read more...]
Egypt’s Judiciary: Enabling the Victimization of Coptic Christians
Coptic Solidarity On Sunday, March 17, the ruling court in Minya, Egypt, recused itself and stepped down from two ongoing cases concerning the victimization and killing of Coptic Christians. Due to this unexpected move, both cases—which had already been at court three and six years—must now be retried anew, a process that will likely take several more years to … [Read more...]