Today, most of the world has its eyes turned on Muslim extremists, terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Though relatively speaking these extremists are rather few in numbers, they have still managed to create a worldwide stigma against Islam that, in some places, is growing stronger and stronger as their actions grow more violent.
Though perhaps it is a normal human reaction, to direct hate towards people that belong to a group some members of which cause suffering (even an evolutionary trait), Glenn Beck argues that we should take a step back in his book titled It IS About Islam: Exposing the Truth About ISIS, Al Qaeda, and the Caliphate.
In this book, Beck attempts to show the truth behind this Muslim extremism, where it came from, why some adhere to it, how they've been able to gather supporters, and how they managed to cast a shadow over an entire religion.
He begins it by overlooking Islam in a historical context, giving a general overview, the kind you could easily find in a history textbook... basically, he gives you a lay of the land.
After that is where thins get really interesting as he delves into the thirteen key principles that Muslim extremists use to justify their cause and gain new recruits. He examines each one in great detail and uses passages from both the Qur’an and the Hadith to help us see things from a different perspective. Beck really tries to help the reader see into the mind of the fundamentalists.
Thankfully, Beck makes a huge point to differentiate between the peaceful type of Islam, practiced by most Muslims around the world, and the one Islamism that is practiced by the various terrorist organizations that were mentioned above.
He notes the difference between the Qur'an and the Hadith, with the former being the holy book and the latter a collection of hearsay stories from the prophet. He exposes how terrorist leaders use and manipulate the Hadith to their advantage to take advantage of others.
He explains that even though these extremists are minority, they are nevertheless a very vocal and violent one that actually creates infinitely more problems in their own homes than abroad.
This book's greatest strength may very well be the way various topics and questions are approached: head-on. Beck doesn't beat around the bush and presents his arguments in a clear, cohesive and concise structure, complete with support, much of it coming straight from the Qur'an or the Hadith.
Additionally, he also makes quotes current Islamic leaders and even opinion polls from the Middle East, though I have to admit the results are sometimes questionable or simply not strong enough to jump to any conclusions... but that's a very minor hitch barely worth the attention.
It seems that a great number of people are bashing this book (most of them seemingly without having actually read it), describing it as a piece of propaganda or directing their hate towards Beck in general. If you have been extensively studying the conflicts in the Muslim world for a while, then you probably won't learn much here.
In conclusion, I highly recommend because whether you end up loving or hating you, you'll still gain a lot of knowledge.
 | Glenn Lee BeckPersonal site Glenn Beck is known as a conservative (as in conservative political views) radio show host with his own program, and though he does express controversial opinions from time to time (it’s his job, after all), he can write some very interesting and eye-opening books, like Agenda 21 and Control for instance. |
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