Product Description

He was about to convert to Islam but pleaded, "I fear I am about to make the biggest mistake of my life. Please give me one solid reason not to convert."

This desperate cry for help from a visitor to an interfaith website inspired Susan Crimp and Joel Richardson to find that reason. Instead of one, they found many, put forward by former Muslims who dared to speak out about the oppressive religion that held them in thrall.

Collected here are the powerful and brutally honest personal testimonies of men and women who have left Islam - at the risk of death. What compelled these individuals to free themselves from Islam's tyrannical grip, how did they do it, and at what cost? Why We Left Islam provides the shocking, disturbing answers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #201373 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 183 pages

Review
"Powerfully written and deeply compelling, these accounts of people of conscience who left Islam are rendered all the more poignant by the realization that each one of them, no matter their status or situation, lives under the death sentence mandated by the Prophet Muhammad for apostates from Islam. Why We Left Islam should be required reading for human rights activists and all those who value the dignity of the human person, so that they will see why this horrific denial of the freedom of conscience within Islam must be resisted by all people of goodwill." -- Robert Spencer, Director of Jihad Watch and NY Times bestselling author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)" and "The Truth About Muhammad."

"The right of Muslims freely to leave Islam is emerging as an international human rights issue of the first order. Why We left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out both documents and humanizes the tragedy of those born-Muslims who wish to pursue their conscience. The stories are vivid and the political implications profound." -- Daniel Pipes, Founder and Director, Middle East Forum

From the Publisher
The penalty for renouncing Islam is death, which makes the stories in Why We Left Islam -- and the lives behind them -- all the more remarkable.

Contained in these brutally honest personal accounts written by former Muslims is an urgent truth that the mainstream media and cowed politicians won't admit -- that far from being "a religion of peace," Islam is instead barbaric and repressive, a nightmare for those living under it and those seeking to confront it.

Here are some of the voices from Why We Left Islam...

"I still remember my sister's black eyes; she stared at the sky while she was dug into the ground. She was wrapped in white sheets and her hands were tied to her body. She was buried up to her waist. The rabid mob circled her with stones in their hands and started throwing them at her while the roars of 'Allah-u-Akbar' added to their frenzy..." -- Yagmur

"As a Muslim man, the fact that my mother had only given birth to three girls made him really angry. He beat my mother very badly and the doctors were forced to remove her womb...When she awoke, my father was kind enough to tell her that he was divorcing her now that she could no longer have children, and being a man he needed a son." -- Shara

"The Koran is full of verses that teach the killing of unbelievers and how Allah would torture them after they die. There are no lessons on morality, justice, honesty or love..." -- Ali

These shocking, real-life stories from those who have escaped the Muslim yoke make Why We Left Islam a powerful communique -- and a warning -- to the West.

About the Author
Susan Crimp is a respected journalist and author specializing in Middle East affairs.

Joel Richardson is an expert in Jewish and Islamic theology.

Customer Reviews

Infidelophobia
It's a funny thing. When one makes the seemingly straightforward observation that the vast, vast majority of terrorist attacks in the world are perpetrated by Muslims, one is told that one is tiptoeing close to the dreaded "Islamaphobia" line, and that more education about Islam is needed to rectify this backwards view of one of the world's great religions.

Then, something even funnier happens. The more one learns about Islam, the MORE accurate the initial impression becomes. This book, a candid discussion of a religious third rail that most Westerners simply refuse to acknowledge, let along confront, throws into stark relief the burdens and perils of both living under Islam, and having the temerity to dare leave it. One finally sees through the veneer of Westernized language to discover that Islam does indeed offer freedom of religion: you can choose Islam, or you can choose death. Islam truly is a religion of peace - so long as the death of "innocents" is narrowly defined to protect only fellow Muslims and the mere fact of being a kaffir is grounds for summary execution. The list goes on and on.

The 23 accounts in here provide gripping, factual representations of just what it is actual Islam holds for those it engulfs. The fact that it is controversial that this book "dares" even print a picture of Muhammed shows you the depths to which truly free speech has sunk even in our nation (it's also telling that some of Amazon's 'tag suggestions' for this book include 'sad, bias, drivel, polemic' and 'anti-islam'). Understand the "logic" here: this is a truthful book about people's experiences trying to leave Islam, and that alone is considered "anti-Islam". I encourage everyone to read this book to truly educate themselves as to what Islam has in store for all of us.

Great Book
This is a great book to read and will explain a lot to those who are looking for what really goes on within the Islamic Faith.

My response to the 1st Review written: Apparantley the reveiwer has never been to Malaysia or Indonesia. IT IS ILLEGAL TO CONVERT FROM ISLAM TO ANOTHER RELIGION in those countries. There is not freedom of religion, unless you want to convert from a non-islamic faith to Islam, but not the other way around. There was just a big court case in Malaysia this last year where a Malaysian lady converted to Christianity and wanted her ID card changed to reflect she was no longer Muslim. This was not allowed and she was also fined, denied jobs, and may possibly receive a jail sentance.

Islam is not a religion of peace, but of violence and war. Read about the history of Islam and its slaughter/genocide of Jews in Medina.

Other good books to read if you want to know the truth are: Secrets of the Koran, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam, and An Inconvient Book.

God Bless.

Only those who have been there can accurately comment
This book consists of articles written by people who have been on both the giving and the receiving end of Islam. Only they can truly describe the inner workings of this unforgiving religion. The authors have relied on several native Islam believers who were brought up in this religion and who witnessed the hate that it espouses. From the stated hypocrisy that women are equal to the unmitigated hate that Muslims carry for non believers, this book describes the personal pain that each author underwent in his/her journey away from hatred and into love.

Some reviewers have labeled this book as a work of neocons and reactionaries. This is untrue. It has nothing to do with American politics and all to do with the dealing of religious hate and the intolerance of freedom. Those who describe this work as politically motivated in favor of the Right are both naive and self deluding for its really a collection of articles covering the subjects of courage under fire and a struggle to escape the demons of intolerance and hate.

We,as Americans, have it easy compared to the 23 individuals in this book. We take for granted our freedom and find it hard to believe that these stories are true. But true they are, and after having read this book you'll want to pass it on to others. They found freedom in leaving Islam and you'll find the truth about it within its pages.