Unfortunately, and with all due respect, I believe this book to be unintentionally biased to a fault. Presumably accurate, the book dissects and describes the history and chief tenets of Islam, with its literal inconsistencies and contradictions. This can't be all there is. While the book does help to explain how Islam can inspire violent Islamic extremists, it sadly, and unfortunately, fails to address how Islam succeeds in inspiring the many many more nonviolent faithful.

F. E. Peters should be respected as a writer and thinker willing to journey across perilous ground. He has spent most of his life and career writing and teaching about the three great Middle Eastern religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Trying to be objective about three religions that often have been locked in mortal rivalry is hardly a safe route to the destination of political correctness. Perhaps the most valuable thing about Peters' book is that it is essentially non-polemical: it does not appear to reflect any particular religious point of view. Certainly, it is very well researched. Peters sheds a wealth of light on conflicts that are central to the events unfolding on the world stage, although he focuses more on historical development than on contemporary issues. While the degree to which objective analysis can accurately or successfully explain the conflicting passions of contrasting religious faiths remains questionable, Peters deserves credit for this impressive achievement. In part due to the critical nature of the issues that he addresses, we give his work a high recommendation.