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Criticism of Islam has existed since Islam 's formative stages on philosophical, scientific, ethical, political and theological grounds. Some critics oppose Islamic Scripture s and teachings with arguments fundamental to Criticism Of Religion in general,"History of the Philosophy of Religion, Islamic Concepts"; "Basic Themes and Problems in the Philosophy of Religion", ''Britannica 15th edition'' 25:692 while other criticism is specific to Islam only, and raises doubts about the moral ideals of Islam and how they are put into practice."The Rejection of Religion or Religiousness", ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' 15th edition 25:686 Early written criticism came from Christians , prior to 1000 AD. After 1000 AD there appeared criticism from the Muslim World itself, and also from Jewish writers and from ecclesiastical Christians. In the modern era, criticism has come from people both inside and outside Islam, on a wide variety of topics. One such topic is Islam's tolerance (or intolerance) of criticism, and the treatment accorded Apostates in Islamic Law . Another area focuses on the morality of the life of Muhammad , the founder of Islam , both in his public and personal life. Issues relating to the authenticity and morality of the Qu'ran , the Islamic holy book, are also discussed by critics.Robert Spencer, "Islam Unveiled", pp. 22, 63, 2003, Encounter Books, ISBN 1-893554-77-5 Other criticisms focus on the question of human rights in modern Islamic nations, and the treatment of women in Islamic law and practice.1 Recently, Islam's influence on the ability of Muslim immigrants in the West to assimilate has been criticized.2 Notable contemporary critics include Robert Spencer ,3 Daniel Pipes ,Lockman (2004), p.254 Ibn Warraq ,Rippin (2001), p.288, Bat Ye'or ,Cohen (1995), p.11 and Brigitte Gabriel , Atheist s such as Richard Dawkins , Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens as well as evangelical Christians like Pat Robertson . Critics who are former Muslims include Ayaan Hirsi Ali , Wafa Sultan , and Ibn Warraq . Responses to critics have come from non-Muslim scholars like William Montgomery Watt and John Esposito , and from Muslims like Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , Fazlur Rahman ,For example see ''Major Themes of the Qur'an'' by Fazlur Rahman. For a review by William A. Graham see ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', Vol. 103, No. 2 (Apr., 1983), pp.445-447 Syed Ameer Ali ,For example see ''The Spirit of Islam'' by Syed Ameer Ali (1849-1928). It is described by David Samuel Margoliouth (1905) as "probably the best achievement in the way of an apology for Mohammed" cf. Margoliouth, preface ''Mohammed and the Rise of Islam'' Ahmed Deedat ,Westerlund (2003) and Yusuf Estes .4 HISTORY OF CRITICISM OF ISLAM Early Islam The earliest records of criticism of Islam are found in early Islamic writings about criticism from Pagan , Jewish and Christian inhabitants of Arabia. The earliest surviving written criticisms of Islam are to be found in the writings of . See Migne . '' Patrologia Graeca '', vol. 94, 1864, cols 763-73. An English translation by the Reverend John W Voorhis appeared in THE MOSLEM WORLD for October 1954, pp. 392-398. Medieval Islamic world Over the years there have been several famous Muslim critics and skeptics of Islam from within the Islamic world itself. In tenth and eleventh-century Syria there lived a blind poet called Al-Ma'arri . According to Ibn Warraq , he became well-known for a poetry that was affected by a "pervasive pessimism." He labeled religions in general as "noxious weeds," and said that Islam does not have a monopoly on truth. He had particular contempt for the '' Ulema '', writing that:
In 1280, the Jew ish philosopher Ibn Kammuna criticized Islam in his book ''Examination of the Three Faiths''. He reasoned that incompatibility of sharia with the principles of justice undercuts Muhammad's claims of being a perfect man: "there is no proof that Muhammad attained perfection and the ability to perfect others as claimed." Ibn Warraq. Why I Am Not a Muslim, p. 3. Prometheus Books, 1995. ISBN 0-87975-984-4 The philosopher thus concluded that people usually convert to Islam from ulterior motives:
Maimonides , one of the foremost 12th century rabbinical Arbiters and philosophers, sees the relation of Islam to Judaism as primarily theoretical. Maimonides has no quarrel with the strict monotheism of Islam, but finds fault with the practical politics of Muslim regimes. He also considered Islamic ethics and politics to be inferior to their Jewish counterparts. Maimonides criticised what he perceived as the lack of virtue in the way Muslims rule their societies and relate to one another. The Mind of Maimonides , by David Novak, retrieved April 29, 2006 Medieval Christendom See Also: Medieval Christian view of Muhammad Some medieval ecclesiastical writers portrayed Muhammad as possessed by Satan , a "precursor of the Antichrist " or the Antichrist himself. Mohammed and Mohammedanism , by Gabriel Oussani, ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', retrieved April 16, 2006 Denis The Carthusian wrote two treatises to refute Islam at the request of Nicholas Of Cusa , ''Contra perfidiam Mahometi, et contra multa dicta Sarracenorum libri quatuor'' and ''Dialogus disutationis inter Christianum et Sarracenum de lege Christi et contra perfidiam Mahometi''.both in vol. 36 of the Tournai edition, pp. 231-442 and 443-500. CONTEMPORARY CRITICISM OF ISLAM Modern criticism of Islam comes in many varieties and from various corners. Winston Churchill stated that Islam instills "a fatalistic apathy" and "a degraded sensualism that deprives this life of its grace and refinement." He said that "the fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men." He further believed that "the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world," and that only superior scientific capabilities in Europe prevented the Muslim world from destroying the civilization of modern Europe as Rome had been destroyed.Winston Churchill, "The River War," 1899. Cited in Robert Spencer, ''The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades).'' Regnery Publishing, 2005, page 92. | |||
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