- ISBN13: 9780767920056
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
The struggle for the soul of Europe today is every bit as dire and consequential as it was in the 1930s. Then, in Weimar, Germany, the center did not hold, and the light of civilization nearly went out. Today, the continent has entered yet another “Weimar moment.” Will Europeans rise to the challenge posed by radical Islam, or will they cave in once again to the extremists?
As an American living in Europe since 1998, Bruce Bawer has seen this problem up c… More >>
While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within
This books lacks historical facts and objective research!
Muslim community is a community that is misunderstood at the greatest. It is thought that the only Gift that the Muslims provided to the world is “Terrorism”. Western History books have been ripped from the rich culture of Islam. Professors have been reluctant to attribute any discovery or invention to Muslims. As stated even by Prince Charles-
“If there is much misunderstanding in the West about the nature of Islam, there is also much ignorance about the debt our own culture and civilisation owe to the Islamic world. It is a failure, which stems, I think, from the straight-jacket of history, which we have inherited. The medieval Islamic world, from central Asia to the shores of the Atlantic, was a world where scholars and men of learning flourished. But because we have tended to see Islam as the enemy of the West, as an alien culture, society, and system of belief, we have tended to ignore or erase its great relevance to our own history.” ,Prince Charles, lecture at Oxford University.
The powerful Anti-Muslim Extremist Lobby that prevails around the world, through a Proxy, are busy distorting the Image of Islam and its follower Muslims. It is trying day and night through its powerful Media Power that the only word that comes to our mind with the word “Muslims” and “Islam” is “Terrorism”.
But due to the efforts of some Noble People, the rich history of Islam has failed do be deleted. As the truth will always prevail.
Historical evidence suggests that there were Muslims within the original, native, Ameri-Indian community and that the first group of immigrant Muslims reached the Americas in 1312 (180 years before Columbus). From Mali and other parts of West Africa, Muslim explorers arrived via the Gulf of Mexico for exploration of the American interior, using the Mississippi River as their access route. Abubakri was one of the first to set sail to America from Africa (this can be found in American histoy books).
In 1492 when Columbus arrived here, he was strongly influenced by the writings of 13th century Arab geographer Al-Idrissi, who served as an advisor to King Roger of Sicily. Columbus arrived with Al-Idrissi’s book and Muslim captains, crews, and translators. He had two Muslim captains: Martin Alonso Pinzon and his brother Vicente Yanex Pinzon. The Pinzon family was related to Abuzayan Muhammad III, the Moroccan Sultan of Marinid dynasty (1196-1465) (ibid).
Columbus himself admitted in his papers that while his ship was sailing near Gibara on the northeast coast of Cuba, he saw a mosque on top of a beautiful mountain. Ruins of mosques and minarets with inscriptions of Quranic verses have been discovered in Cuba, Mexico, Texas, and Nevada. A historian, Dr. Berry Fell, in his books America, BC representing before Columbus) and Saga America provided evidence of early presence of Muslims in America.
The Muslim country of Morocco was the first to recognize and acknowledge America’s independence in 1777. Morocco was the first nation to sign a peace treaty in 1786 with America, followed by Algeria in 1795, Tripoli in 1796, Tunis in 1797, and Muscat (Oman) in 1833. All the earliest signatories were Muslim countries. During 1788 to 1789, President George Washington exchanged letters with the Sultan Mohammad III about peace and asked the Sultan to plead with authorities in Tunis and Tripoli to obtain the right of free navigation for American ships in the Mediterranean. In this way, American ships entered the sea with the support of Muslims.
Rating: 1 / 5
It’s funny how this author didn’t spend much time talking about the ways in which Europe has been brutalizing Arabs for centuries, robbing the region of its resources, creating the borders of the countries, imposing its own culture through force and so on.
Well, it appears Allah works in mysterious ways, and some Muslims are making homes for themselves in Europe. I think that’s great. To the extent there are militant Muslims – first, they pale in comparison to the violence of militant Christians, especially those being indoctrinated by Tim LaHaye who speaks of an end times where only right-wing Christians will be raptured up to heaven (see the perverse “Left Behind” series). On top of that, the West has all sorts of terrorist training camps, like the School of the Americas and the Air Force Academy. Unlike Muslims, Christian extremists have half a trillion dollars funneled to their WMDs every year. Arab terrorists are left with cobbling together whatever weapons the warlords of western “civilization” have littered their countries with. There wouldn’t be a militant Islam if there wasn’t a military industrial west (see Eugene Jarecki’s DVD “Why We Fight”).
People who accept the fear-mongering of “While Europe Slept” must have some psychological or emotional reason for doing so. There is certainly plenty of material available that shows it is the west that has been the aggressor in the world – “Rogue State” by William Blum, “The Great War of Civilization” by Robert Fisk, “The Sorrows of Empire” by Chalmers Johnson, and “Behind the War on Terror” by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed. I guess it’s more convenient to project the ugly realities of our militarism and savagery upon our victims.
Nothing new about demagogic scapegoating; but that so many people still abide by it is disappointing.
“Much of the insensibility and hardness of the world is due to the lack of imagination which prevents a realization of the experience of other people.” -Jane Addams, the first US female to win the Nobel Prize for Peace
Rating: 1 / 5
While Muslim fanaticism is real, Bruce Bawer’s interpretation of it is all wrong. Bruce Bawer does not realize that not only has Muslim fanaticism been a reaction to historical mistreatments of Muslims by western greed in their own home lands, but also it has been due to ignoring their educational and economic needs in the west. Had it not been for these mistreatments, Muslims a long time ago would have gone through the same temperament transformation that other religious groups went through in eighteen century. Whatever middle class and industrialization did to fanaticism of early Christians or Jews could have happened to the fanaticism of Muslims, but unfortunately the western greed and arms did not allow it to happen. In this sense, Muslim fanaticism should be seen more as a political rebellion than a religious one. Not only does Bruce Bawer’s interpretation obscures the present temperament of Muslims but also it exasperates it with more of the same, western white racism and lack of understanding of the role of educational and economic neglects in big social problems.
Rating: 1 / 5
Pity the people who are being bombarded with “experts on Islam” whose sole motivation is getting on the best sellers list and making a few bucks, and being paraded on conservative, right-wing talk show (mostly Murdoch and Clear Channel owned) with an instant bashing of one of the world’s great religions.
These kind of books by racist authors are emblematic of the sad truth in the world we now find ourselves in.
Whereas in Europe poll after poll shows that a majority (82% Germans, 72% Spainiards, 66% French, 62% Belgians, 58% Spaniards) feel not only resentment towards their Muslim countrymen but admit to being downright hostile towards them. Where even Muslim citizens of their respected country are treated as foreigners and outsiders, unable to get employment and treated on the margins of society hence the riots in France for equal opportunity.
Thus the problem is when an entire community is viewed with suspicion and Islamophobia not unlike European dark struggle with anti-Semitism during WWII. European Muslims are guilty until proven innocent and books such as these seem to capitalize on European resentment and even seek to justify what would be otherwise a morally repugnant view.
Under the guise of “terrorism” anyone with the most racist of viewpoints can disguise his anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, anti-progressive, anti-justice views with ease without the slightest of criticism because as the rightwing justification goes “now its not a time for being politically correct, we are in war.”
Thus war becomes this ultimate catch phrase under whose umbrella a racist can find refuge and the non-partisan independent is confused and silenced. Hatemongers such as Bruce Bawer, Melanie Phillips take full advantage of that fear induced populace to further their selfish ratings and venomous viewpoint.
Venomous considering if everytime we switch “Arab” and “Muslims” preceding the oft-derided term radical, fundamentalist, fascist, with Jewish fascist, radical, fundamentalist; their views would immediately are rightfully barked down as anti-Semitic.
Their goal in this book seems clear.
To slowly and deliberately brainwash the populace and get them ready for a “culture clash” whose fruits we are seeing unfold in Iraq, then it’ll be Iran (with the exaggerated threat), then Syria.
The exploitation of terrorism by an ignorant populace goes a long way, as the GOP found out in the ‘02 and ‘04 elections. Indeed a majority of Americans still wrongly believe Iraq had WMDs.
So in short, a book written with good intention of exposing a mutual distrust between the governed and their government goes awfully astray whose thesis is fundamentally flawed. As the initial critique correctly states, “[Bruce Bawer] makes sweeping statements designed to tar Europe’s Muslims with one irredeemably hostile brush.” And in that he succeeds magnificently. So definitely watch out.
Rating: 1 / 5
The book tackles the important and complex issue of the underclass immigrant communities in Europe. Some of these communities (Muslim, Christian, animists, etc..) have serious financial, social, and educational problems that need to be resolved in order for these millions to assimilate well in their respective societies.
Instead of tackling the historical background of the problem that dates to colonial times, societal prejudice against immigrants in Europe, or government policies that encourage the ghettoization of these communities, the author chooses to attribute all these problems to the religion of some of these immigrants!
This bizzare approach which contradicts every rule of rational analysis exploits the fear and ignorance that the layman have regarding Islam to sell an otherwise ridiculous argument.
Rating: 1 / 5