and Joel Richardson

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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.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #93865 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-29
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 183 pages

Daniel Pipes, Founder and Director, Middle East Forum
"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."

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."
"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."

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.

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Customer Reviews

With the recent rise of radical Islam, it's no surprise that some ex-Muslims have gotten fed up with their faith.
With the recent rise of radical Islam, it's no surprise that some ex-Muslims have gotten fed up with their faith. "Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out" looks at these rebels, who speak with great detail about why they departed their ancestral faith. An examination of how Islam as a whole is in serious need of a reformation to purge the fundamentalists doing so much damage to it, "Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out" is a seminal contribution to any community library religion collection.

A MUST Read for every American
This book should be required reading in all middle and high schools in the United States and every member of Congress.

An Oft-Hidden, Important Look at Islam
Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out was not what I had expected it to be. The book itself is a collection of first-person accounts from individuals who, in some capacity or another, were previously involved in the Muslim religious community. I expected a comprehensive, globalised, overview of the atrocities perpetuated by Islam the world over; essentially, a macro-view of Islam's role in world politics, coupled with discussion of individual experiences in the religion and ideology.

There are about twenty individual accounts. Some are written better than others; the introductory five are really the most well-written in the entire book. The editing can be a little dodgey, but the overall writing quality is good.

It is necessary to contextualize my review, because my personal politics dictate to me how I feel about this book. As a self-identifying atheist, I am comfortable with directly addressing the uglier aspects of religious and theological thought.

This is very much a book where one finds what one is looking for: individuals who are stringently anti-Islamicization are going to find more fodder for their beliefs, while those who belief Muslims are marginalized will find support for that, too.

Upon its release, Why We Left Islam was regarded as extremely controversial, because all of the testimonies brought forth are less than favorable. Most recount sheer barbarism in the name the religion: excessive misogyny, physical abuse, and sheer terror are all consistently perpetuated upon the writers. Each experience in the book is written by separate individuals, yet they maintain the same themes: subjugation of women, tunnel-visioned ignorance, and blind hatred towards the West.

Thoughtfully approaching this book is absolutely imperative. It is an important book to read, because it presents a different viewpoint than is generally propagated in Western media outlets. There is a lot of difficulty, particularly in our 'free' society, in critically exploring faith (Islam, particularly, in light of the 'touchiness' to its links with global terrorism)

Certainly, the threat to Western values of freedom (of speech, thought, belief, religion, conduct (generally), etc,) are clearly endangered by the influx of Islamic values into Western Europe (and to a lesser extent, America). Much like Pim Fortuyn's politics, "tolerating the intolerant" presents a very dangerous situation. How can European and American countries compromise prized values, in an attempt to 'tolerate' a religion that will not rest until the rest of the world is converted, subjugated, or killed? ...There aren't easy answers to the issues that arise in multicultural societies, and the problems are only going to increase in the coming years.

Notably, too, is that WND (WorldNetDaily) books published this collection of essays. WND is known for being a conservative news site, and they have published numerous other books exploring the 'darker' elements of Islam. The book is critical of Islam, but such criticism is not without merit. Clearly the editors of this book are aware how dangerous it is to promote and release such a title. Similarly-written books about Christianity, Judaism, etc, do not face the violent backlash that this book has driven.