Sword and Scimitar

Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West

By: Raymond Ibrahim, Victor Davis Hanson - foreword

Narrated by: John McLain

A sweeping history of the often-violent conflict between Islam and the West, shedding a revealing light on current hostilities

The West and Islam - the sword and scimitar - have clashed since the 17th century, when, according to Muslim tradition, the Roman emperor rejected Prophet Muhammad's order to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam, unleashing a centuries-long jihad on Christendom.

Sword and Scimitar chronicles the decisive battles that arose from this ages-old Islamic jihad, beginning with the first major Islamic attack on Christian land in 636 through the Muslim occupation of nearly three quarters of Christendom which prompted the Crusades, followed by renewed Muslim conquests by Turks and Tatars to the European colonization of the Muslim world in the 1800s, when Islam largely went on the retreat - until its reemergence in recent times. Using original sources in Arabic and Greek, preeminent historian Raymond Ibrahim describes each battle in vivid detail and explains how these wars and the larger historical currents of the age reflect the cultural fault lines between Islam and the West.

The majority of these landmark battles - including the battles of Yarmuk, Tours, Manzikert, the sieges at Constantinople and Vienna, and the crusades in Syria and Spain - are now forgotten or considered inconsequential. Yet today, as the West faces a resurgence of this enduring Islamic jihad, Sword and Scimitar provides the needed historical context to understand the current relationship between the West and the Islamic world - and why the Islamic State is merely the latest chapter of an old history.

©2018 Raymond Ibrahim (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Sword and Scimitar

Excellent, superb audible book by Mr. Abrahim






Ray Ibrahim. Excellent fact references! Historically precise dates and John Mclain vocal is excellent as well.
14 Hrs is a lot of time to dedicate to an audio, but we'll with every minute. The five minute prolly is well with the entire book but one must absorb the vast timeline and detail to fully understand why every American should read this book. Swiss, Germans, Spaniards and all Europeans, considering the current criminal and law changes taking place.
A Student of Dr. Victor Hansen and fellow Fresno State U. Student happens to be a happy coincidence for me personally, but this not diminish the gravity of the subject.
A serious backdrop for what is now taking place in our world.
We need more Jeffersons our government today. Listen and learn the answer to this riddle.
SEA. San Francisco, Ca.

Excellent

An excellent telling of the history of conflict between Christendom and Islam, the west and the Middle East - and from a perspective that is concerned with the facts. Most of the information in this book I was completely unaware of.

Incredible Journey

One of the most insightful and extensive dives into a history we have all been prevented from hearing about.

Great work

This book is a great dive into the ongoing conflict.

It is clear and full of the historical context of jihad.

Great book!

Refreshing to hear the real story behind the crusades. The barbaric nature of radical Islam required a forced and violent response. Highly recommended.

One of the best books ever written!

Great grasp of original sources (both muslim and Christian). Finally...a truthful account of what happened. Thank you

Gruesome history, needed reminders

the book is very well researched and makes it point well. I enjoyed seeing how certain, seemingly unrelated historical events were actually all part of a consistent thread through the centuries.
my only complaint would have to be the narrator. He has an sightly annoying cadence, but most distracting was his ignorance on how to pronounce none too obscure words, like Tatar (not a potatoe, a people group). I was consistently thrown off by poor pronunciation. you'll eventually get over it, but it is a problem.

History You Most Likely Weren't Taught

Thorough documentation of the spread of Islam. Countries and cultures that were Judeo-Christian became Muslim due to broken treaties and unheard violence to civilians. The sexual violence done to
women, girls, and boys was unimaginable, and a pattern repeated on October 7, 2023. God help us!

Spectacular!

Along with a couple of other books I've read in my lifetime, this book has had a profound impact on not only my knowledge of Islam & Christianity, and the interactions between these two belief systems in the world, but a refreshed and renewed perspective on the current state of geopolitics, especially as it pertains to interactions between the West and Islam. This book is truly a must read for anyone interested in this topic.

The stories are at simultaneously, informative, brutal, and--in my opinion--inspiring. The stories told within have inspired me to probe more deeply the origins of Christianity, and in particular, the specifics of Byzantine Christianity.

Furthermore, I've never felt so well-informed regarding Western military history, the geopolitical forces that have lead us to our current state of being, and about the state of modern Islam.

Simply put, I can't recommend this book enough.

Must read for ALL Westerners!

A terrifying but terrifyingly accurate account of the very real animosity Islam possess of us Westerners, particularly Christians. Want to be enlightened about what is really going on, read Sword and Scimitar!