Product Description

Americans trying to make sense of recent national tragedies continue to seek knowledge about the cultural, political, and religious beliefs of America’s self-declared enemies. This book documents the first stirrings of Muslim extremism and follows its violent evolution to today’s acts of terrorism. It reveals the religious, political, and social beliefs of the terrorist groups currently threatening the West. Neither anti-Islamic nor pro-Western, Extreme Islam presents the facts of Islamic fundamentalism and features fatwas, commands, and declarations by the clerics and leaders of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Syria, and Afghanistan, including Osama bin Laden and leaders of the Palestinian intifada.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #290100 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 328 pages

From Booklist
A book about Muslim fundamentalists and anti-American terrorism could hardly be timelier. This lively, somewhat scattershot collection of let-'em-speak-for-themselves selections from disparate sources contains a wide spectrum of perspectives on Islam. Outstanding (which is not to say good) entries include a manifesto from TempleMountFaithfull.org, and an excerpt from the 1963 book Occidentosis (i.e., "A plague from the West"). Of the former, let it be indicative that it emanates from "the website for all Zionists and Zionist Christians who wish to demolish [the] Dome of the Rock," thereby hastening Armageddon. The latter considers the "effete" and "effeminate" qualities of the "occidentotic" person, consumed by fear and vain concerns. Poems, polemics, and impassioned pleas are all here, and the swatch of color illustrations decorates nicely. The book throughout shows signs--bad grammar, typos, blind references--of being hurried into print in the wake of 9-11. Despite serious shortcomings, the collection's showcase of excessive, occasionally disturbing points of view should find a significant readership. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
...Goes where the mic'd and moussed crowd over at Fox and CNN refuse to venture... -- Margaret Murray, XLR8R

...an enlightening, disturbing and often frightening primer on radical Muslim thought. -- John Strausbaugh, New York Press, January 23-29, 2002

A timely and much needed contribution to the current national dialogue ... informative and alarming ... strongly recommended reading. -- Wisconsin Bookwatch, April 2002

A truly wild collection of documents ... gives valuable insight ... a fascinating and necessary book. -- Jack Sargeant, Black Ice, Issue 4 Fall 2002

An important book...unique in its genre...It would be wise for every thinking adult to read 'Extreme Islam'. -- Acharya S., author, The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold

The very first to present graphic and textual voices of Islam itself ... without prejudice ... enlightens and arms us with facts. -- Huntsville Times, April 14, 2002

There's not another book on the market remotely like it ... serving up the unvarnished truth... Read this book! -- Dennis P. Eichhorn, Scram #16

About the Author
Since his influential collection, Apocalypse Culture, was first released in 1987, the award-winning writer Adam Parfrey has been credited for discovering and revealing the inner workings of cults and unusual pop culture histories. With "Love, Sex, Fear, Death," Parfrey has captured the cooperation of primary players in the most secretive and talked about cult of our time.

Customer Reviews

The Roots of September 11
Adam Parfrey is best known for his "Apocalypse Culture" volumes: two fat anthologies of horrific material collected from the far fringes of American culture. He has taken the same approach with "Extreme Islam", a gathering of stunning documents culled from the fundamentalist Muslim areas of the world. Here you will find shocking, repulsive stuff: calls for the murder of Jews and Americans. Hate-filled cartoons, drawings, and postage stamps(!) The final instructions for the September 11 hijackers. A manual on how to torture prisoners. Osama bin Laden's 1998 declaration of war against America. This stuff will give you nightmares because, unlike the isolated freaks in "Apocalypse Culture", these people are well-financed, seeking weapons of mass destruction, and are driving much of what is happening in the world today. As Parfrey notes, much of this material remained untranslated from the Arabic until just recently. The authors must have thought we weren't paying attention. Well, they have our attention now.

A Disturbing Look Into the World of Islamic Fundamentalism.
After the tragedy of September 11, a lot of misinformation has circulated about the beliefs of the Islamic extremists who were deemed responsible for these events. In this publication by Feral House Press, we are able to see first hand the beliefs of many Islamic extremists as seen in their propaganda literature and political cartoons. The book includes various materials of all sorts from individuals ranging from Yassar Arafat and the Palestinians to Muammar al Qaddafi to Sadaam Hussein to Usamah bin Ladin. Much of this material is difficult to sort through and very disturbing given that it often involves threats of death to various Americans and calls for Jihad. Given the viciousness of many of these groups and the recent events that have brought them to the fore, it is important for Americans to examine these materials from noted terrorists. It should be noted that not all the material presented here is from terrorists nor is all of it even Islamic. All in all, this book provides a disturbing look into a world much different from that which exists in the West.

Interesting, Informative and Revealing
Feral House has always stood on the cutting edge. Many of their titles have presented extreme and controversial ideas and images. (Apocalypse Culture I and II, Kooks, Lords of Chaos) During this time one thing that has always held true for Feral House books is how even handed they are in their presentation. The information is offered without bias or judgment. Feral House has always published their books so as to require the reader to think and draw their own conclusions. With "Extreme Islam", Adam Parfrey and Feral House have once again published a thought provoking book filled with an abundance of text that you will most likely never see presented in any mainstream venue.
The timing on the release of this book is perfect. As our president stands in front of the country and presents the thought that Islam is a religion of peace and kindness, "Extreme Islam" becomes a very important document. After reading just a handful of the texts in this book you may get the sinking feeling that perhaps someone has a different definition of peace than you do. For example, when on page 2, I read how someone can be killed simply for rejecting the Muslim religion, well; doubt begins to creep into my mind on the concept of peace, love and kindness.
Reading further into the book one gets to see an even more frightening picture being painted. The reader gets a glimpse of the erotic afterlife that awaits the suicide bomber. Other writing includes "You Have Made Me Your Human Bomb," written in a way that seeks to justify suicide bombings. Following that is a very interesting interview with a female highjacker. She relays a first person account of her highjacking and also provides a short interview. An ode to Anthrax is included, lamenting that it has not taken enough American lives. Texts from Usamah Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, as well as Qaddafi also appear. A frightening primer for preparations for Jihad is included, as are letters of instruction to the highjackers of September 11th. A brutal list of Taliban restrictions against women is provided, as are some examples of what happens when one has been perceived to have broken one of thse rules.
Don't get the idea that this is a one sided presentation either. No, Parfrey has included some equally scary pieces by extreme Zionists, Zionist Christians, as well a disturbing piece from Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam. Also included are pieces on the civil war in Algeria, a Nation of Islam Q & A, an interview with a Russian Fundamentalist, as well as text regarding the genocide of Muslims by the Serbs. To sum it all up, there are over 50 separate pieces of writing in this book and they are not all from a Middle Eastern fundamentalist Muslim's viewpoint. Parfrey knows that presenting only one side of the argument does not make for a challenge or require any thought, with that in mind he tries to provide a good amount of information from the many sides of this situation.
As Parfrey states in his introduction, " the purpose of "Extreme Islam" is not to harm, but to understand. Understanding requires asking hard questions, and the reading of all relative materials." With that in mind, it is easy to see that Parfrey has done a lot of research on this long planned title. Further along in his introduction Parfrey implores that "Americans would do well to study the arguments of those who despise us rather than parading around in a patriotic haze," as we so often do. America has lost its feeling of invincibility and now it can see clearly that it is hated by many. Parfrey provides the background material in "Extreme Islam" so that we can see a little clearer why we are considered "The Great Satan."
Granted I doubt that every Muslim feels this way. However, enough do hold this opinion as to cause harm to the previously unscathed mainland of America. With worldwide communication becoming easier every day it is conceivable that these extreme ideas will grow as more people get access to them. America bears the brunt of this hatred and America needs to see and understand this information as well. With "Extreme Islam" Adam Parfrey has presented a well researched primer on anti-American sentiment that should be required reading for every American in this post September 11th landscape.