This is how authoritarianism advances. First, Amazon nearly cornered the book market. Now it is dictating what books you can and cannot obtain and read. And since they’re Leftists, they consider this book by the renowned scholar and ex-Muslim Ibn Warraq to be unacceptable, although it is entirely accurate, while numerous books criticizing Christianity and other religions, including ones that make wildly false claims, continue to be sold with no problem. Amazon should be made to answer for this, but since we have no journalists, it won’t be, but it is a disquieting sign of what is in the offing. Meanwhile, be sure to order Ibn Warraq’s The Islam in Islamic Terrorism here.
“Amazon Bans Book by Prominent Koranic Scholar Ibn Warraq,” New English Review, October 30, 2022:
NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, October 31, 2022 — In the wake of the Salman Rushdie attack, during a time when the people of Iran are full revolt against Islamic theocracy, and while the world watches passively as Afghanistan sinks back into primitive theocratic rule, Amazon has chosen to remove one of the most important books of Koranic exegesis explaining the viewpoints of the Rushdie attacker, the Mullahs of Iran, and the Taliban of Afghanistan: “The Islam in Islamic Terrorism: The Importance of Beliefs, Ideas, and Ideology” by the renowned Koranic scholar, Ibn Warraq.
Ibn Warraq has been hailed as a scholar of great integrity, courage and intelligence by our century’s towering figure in Near Eastern Studies, the late Bernard Lewis of Princeton University. Ayaan Hirsi Ali credits him with inspiring her work, and Douglas Murray calls Warraq “one of the great heroes of our time.”
“Perhaps, like most tech companies, Amazon hires young and inexperienced people to run their operation,” said New English Review Press publisher Rebecca Bynum. “Unfortunately, I believe they have come out of the university system without the ability to reason properly. For just as Biblical exegesis cannot be accused of promoting hatred of Christians, neither can honest criticism of the Islamic holy texts be a cause of hatred. No text, religious or otherwise, should ever be above criticism. Indeed, I was under the impression that idea had been settled after the Inquisition, but apparently not.”
Amazon’s banning of the Warraq book follows on the heels of their earlier banning of another NER Press title, “Easy Meat: Inside Britain’s Grooming Gang Scandal” by Peter McLoughlin, which chronicles the actions, or rather the inaction, of the police, social services, justice system and government in the face of the widespread phenomenon of very young British girls being groomed and then pimped out and held in virtual sex slavery by gangs of grown men. Lately, the British press has been filled with trial after trial, as these men finally face justice after British officials had turned a blind eye to the phenomenon for over twenty-five years. The officials did this for fear of being called racist, losing their jobs, and/or becoming social outcasts due to the race and religion of the perpetrators, which naturally should have had no bearing on the administration of justice. As Theodore Dalrymple commented: “Those who think that political correctness is only a harmless absurdity perpetrated by intellectuals will soon be laughing on the other side of their face when they read this book.”
As usual, no specific reason has been given for this latest book’s removal. NER Press appealed and that appeal was denied within two hours. “The Islam in Islamic Terrorism” had been on sale since May of 2017 and “Easy Meat” since March of 2016. Both had over 85% five-star ratings and both sold well. Mr. Warraq is the author of 17 books and “The Islam in Islamic Terrorism” was also translated into Korean.
“Our books will continue to be sold elsewhere and I really don’t see the point of Amazon’s removing these older books in our catalogue,” added Ms. Bynum. “It is my hope that with Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, the extreme censorship to which we have been subjected over the past several years will begin to abate. There is no freedom at all without freedom of thought and the freedom to express those thoughts.”
Barbara says
It may surprise Amazon but there are other sources for buying books; and I use them.
Considering the inhumane way Amazon treats the delivery drivers and the warehouse workers, it is not surprising they treat the customer with contempt.
tim gallagher says
I have never had anything to do with Amazon, being something of a dinosaur, but if I did ever use them I would definitely ditch them over this decision. Around 25 years ago, when I was first starting to read up on islam in order to try to find out why Muslims caused so much trouble here in Australia and elsewhere, along with Robert Spencer’s “Islam Unveiled”, I also came across Ibn Warraq’s “Why I’m not a Muslim” (Ithink that was the title) in the local library. I found those books were excellent along with Ali Sina’s website, I think it was called “Faith Freedom”. I learnt a lot from these sources about islam. This is pathetic gutlessness by the people running Amazon. It is interesting that they don’t even give reasons for their actions, but it has to be a gutless caving in to islam and a refusal to face the truth about islam’s evil nature. You have to face the truth in order to deal with a problem. Banning truth tellers is disgusting cowardice.
kiwibaggie2243 says
Tim, I am a bit like you and followed the exact same path in my discovery of the real Islam. I just wonder if there is a means of appeal or protest against this ban?.
This probably was a decision by committee which is even more worrying, Stupid Amazon.
tim gallagher says
That’s interesting, kiwibaggie2243, that we came across the same guides in trying to learn about islam. These days, since I do live in an area of Sydney that has quite a lot of Muslims, I suspect that the local libraries would probably not have the books by Robert Spencer and Ibn Warraq on the shelves. I imagine that the Muslim lobby would complain and the council would cave in. As I mentioned, to me Amazon means nothing. Being old and being a dinosaur in many ways, I never use it. I certainly learnt a lot from Spencer’s and Warraq’s book. After I read Spencer’s “islam Unveiled” I checked out Jihad Watch a bit later on because it was Spencer’s website. How I came across Ali Sina I can’t recall but I learnt a lot from him as well.
James Lincoln says
A “shout out” to Barnes & Noble for continuing to carry this book – by a true islamic scholar – Ibn Warraq.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-islam-in-islamic-terrorism-ibn-warraq/1126335108?ean=9781943003082
Walter Sieruk says
.
The scholar on Islam and former Muslim, Ibn Warrag, in his bool titled THE ISLAM IN ISLAMIC TERRORISM is very informative,
His book was written way before writer further this current just and righteous protest against that malicious tyrannical regime of cruel oppressive murderous misogyny.
Nevertheless ,he make it clear about the horrendous evil committed by the Islamic tyranny and he likewise he makes it obvious that those horrific things that led up to this revolt. For he reveals that “The IRI legal system still retains traditional patriarchal bias that can be described as nothing but systemic subordination of women, which is undoubtedly a human rights violation.”
This author further reveals, “Iran is of what Islamic fundamentalists desire, an Islamic State, and the consequence of achieving it “State Terror. Instead of utopia, Iran is an Islamic totalitarian nightmare…” and “the Islamic Republic of Iran exists and operates as what every Islamic fundamentalist dream of, an Islamic state ruled by Sharia …What followed its establishment was the inevitable consequence and inexorable logic of its Islamic premises; state terrorism, a merciless tyranny.”
All this is wicked, unjust and misogynistic to the extreme. Islam had not regard for human life, regardless of what the apologists for this religion will claim
.
Walter Sieruk says
Ibn Warrag in his book entitled THE ISLAM IN ISLAMIC TERRORISM on page 347 revealed an important reality when he wrote “The Islamic republic of Iran exists and operates as what every fundamentalist dreams of, an Islamic state ruled by sharia …” He further exposes that “What followed its establishment was the inevitable consequence and inexorable logic of its Islamic premise; state terrorism, a merciless tyranny.”
Those two words that author used “merciless tyranny” to describe that vicious cruel brutal oppressive Islamic and murderous Islamic tyrannical regime is both appropriate and fitting. Just look at those brutal horrendous malicious murders by the state Islamic police and of so many Iranians who are justly and rightly protesting the severe human rights abuses cruelty and oppression of that tyrannical Islamic regime.
Indeed, the tyrants of Khamenei and Raisi are very guilty and have the blood of many innocent people on their wicked hands.