Sword and Scimitar

Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West

By: Raymond Ibrahim, Victor Davis Hanson - foreword

Narrated by: John McLain

Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

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

Great historical account of the religious wars between Christendom and Islam. I learned alot. It's shocking and bloody, abit depressing but necessary knowledge in order to put today's events into perspective. Very good, clear performance

Garbage. 0/0 Stars

I had really high hopes for this book and am more disappointed than I’ve been with any other book. This is one of the best examples of an author ignoring professional methodology by forcing conclusions and manipulating primary sources to say whatever he wants. I guess I should have known better since Ibrahim makes a living making political single cause statements.

Lowest level of scholarship imaginable.

Extremely poor narration.

0/0 stars

Excellent read

Great non PC historical perspective on 14 centuries of war, well worth the time, very enlightening.

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.

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.

Not PC

It is so great to have a book that is well researched and not revisionist history. Very refreshing to have an honest hostory. Terrific book. Highly recommend

Educational!

The subtitle, Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, summarizes Raymond Ibrahim's book perfectly. SWORD AND SCIMITAR is an outstanding historical work. John McLain's narration is pitch perfect. Very, very highly recommended!!

Excellent Historical Information!

Americans need to read this book. War is coming to America whether we like it or not. The question is whether we will be prepared to fight back.

Excellent History lesson

This book should be required reading in our schools lest we forget what we are up against.

A thousand years of warfare

I remember studying in elementary and middle schools the conquest by Islam; and I remember my Father's generation, in my native Italy, still saying "Mamma li turchi!" (Mom, the Turks!) to signal consternation about a looming catastrophe. Yet in modern narrative it seems as if the Crusades came out of nothing, and everything is reduced to colonialism.

Raymond Ibrahim's book is a much needed corrective, which puts everything in context by using the correct timeline, right from the Islamic conquest of 2/3 of Christendom after 632. Very interesting and well written, performance a little bit dry but still good.

The first chapter about Islamic views of holy war is in itself revealing, informative, and worth the whole book.

I was under the impression it would be just a description of 8 major battles, but it is actually the story of a millenium + of war, punctuated by the 8 battles. Kudos to the author for weaving this all together, with richness of sources and references.
It also narrates America's first experiences with Islam, that is with the pirates of the Berber Coast, in the late 1700s and early 1800s so interesting!

Not for the faint of heart, as often the Muslim conquest is followed by a litany of horrors, dutifully described by the author.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in history.