Book Reviewed: The Critical Qur'an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research by Robert Spencer

Verses from a death-cult Author Robert Spencer translates and interprets the text of Qur'an that shows how it has evolved historically to its current state: where the martyrdom requiring jihad (terrorism), carrying out fatwa orders on specific individuals, killing apostates and infidels, blasphemy laws that shuts down any reasonable discussion about Islam, Hijrah (Muslim migration to other countries for a sole purpose of spreading and enabling Islam), Sharia laws that favors Muslims over non-Muslims and Muslim men over women. With a significant rise in progressive ideals in non-Muslim countries, the political, social and legals systems are favoring rights of Muslims than the majority non-Muslim population of their respective countries. The peace is impossible in the Middle East because jihad is taught to children, and has continued for generations in the Middle East and other Islamic countries. According to Islamic belief, the Qur'an is of divine origin. Muslims believe that the angel Jibril (Gabriel) transmitted the words of Allah to Muhammad. However, looking at the evidence that much of Islamic concepts are borrowed from Judaism and Christian texts. Parallels between Qur'anic stories with the Old and New Testaments are highlighted in the book, such as the narratives of Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, and the story of Moses. There is also significant influence of gnostic and apocryphal Christian writings on Qur'anic narratives that includes non-canonical stories about Jesus and early Christian figures in the texts of Qur'an. The idea of an exalted, non-crucified Jesus, for example, might reflect gnostic ideas that diverged from orthodox Christianity. Similarly, Rabbinic Jewish traditions may have influenced the Qur'an’s interpretations of biblical stories, especially about prophets. A focused examination reveals that Muhammad as the primary author of the Qur'an, influenced by his experience’s migration from Mecca and Medina, and his interactions with Jews, Christians, and other religious communities. In seventh-century Arabia, Jewish tribes were significant political and religious communities in the region, particularly in the city of Medina (then Yathrib), where Muhammad emigrated from Mecca in 622 CE (the Hijra). Conflicts with Jewish Tribes such as the Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir, and Banu Qurayza led to wars and military confrontations. Some of the Qur'anic verses critical of Jews evolved during this conflict. Some verses that support anti-Jewish and antisemitism include Qur'an 2:61, Qur'an 2:88, Qur'an 5:64, Qur'an 5:82, and Qur'an 3:112. The sharia laws were also borrowed from the Mishnah, a codification of Jewish laws organized into various aspects of religious and civil life. It is a vital text in the development of Jewish legal tradition and provided foundational laws for modesty and head coverings found in later Jewish legal texts such as the Talmud and subsequent rabbinic traditions. Islamic laws pertaining to women’s head covering were borrowed from Jewish laws with significant intensity in its application, but Jewish and Christian traditions reformed over centuries, but the Islamic populations are taking us back to seventh century.