111 Questions on Islam: Samir Khalil Samir, S.J. on Islam and the West: Samir Khalil Samir, S.J. on Islam and the West ; a Series of Interviews Conducted by Giorgio Paolucci and Camille Eid Paperback – 30 Oct. 2008

A wonderful paperback, gives an NON Islamic viewpoint. Ideal for folks wanting to learn about Islam and how the ardent followers of Islam think and the views of an Arab / Italian priest views living in the East.

Very good, though some of it is a bit hard to grasp for the average person. It does lay out some of the matter of facts of what Islam is all about. To me it clearly demonstrates the case of why extreme muslims believe it's there duty to be jihads. The book demonstrates that Islam is totally flawed. The author seems to hope that Islam's followers modernise their religion or culture to adapt to the modern world and become more peaceful. He points to muslims and Christians getting on and respecting each other in places like Egypt where there seems to be a level of tolerance and respect. To be honest with you, we have already seen a level of tolerance and respect in the west over the years, but this has been a false sense of security and still is. The birthrate of the muslim communities is enormous in contrast to other cultures & religions in the west. In a way the troubles that we are seeing now should be a blessing. Once the muslim populations overtake or approach the level of the Christian populations then we truly will face troubles. After reading the book it gave me a good insight into Islam & that it really is a dangerous culture. I believe that there are many peaceful prayerful muslims that simply choose to excuse its violent teachings, and that these people won't condemn them because they are frightened to or only choose to applaud them when necessary (e.g. when they face extreme difficulties in life) or they believe they can take over the west by increasing their populations and take advantage of human rights & our week liberal democracy. Ideally it would be helpful if muslim see the light and convert to Christianity. I really don't think that Islam is compatible with the west's culture even if we are currently seeing a certain level of tolerance from both sides. Many in the West are increasingly becoming intolerant of Islam's violent ideology. Perhaps the reason why Egypt is different is because it's a forward trading country which has developed steadily, maintaining its conservative values as opposed to the West's problems with liberalism, human rights, and capitalism or globalism. I will probably read one or two more recent books about the problem issues that Islam is causing in the West - focusing on extracts of the Qur’an & their true beliefs about violence against the West, which could lead me to have a much clearer and radical view against the Western establishments level of tolerance for Islam. It seems that to many of us are ignorant of the dangers of their culture. However, I also see the dangers of liberalism & have great respect for Islam's peaceful & reverent way of life, thus I will read a book on the decline of Christian traditions. It's the decline of Christian traditions that is contributing towards Islam's advantage.

Must read.

This book is a must-read for anyone who sees the need to understand what Islam is about, something to be avoided onlyat the price of political and theological blindness.... This book is written by a man who is both sympathetic toward and critical of Islam. Samir knows its philosophical and theological backgrounds, as well as its history from its appearance in the seventh century on the Arabian peninsula. The book’s presentation is frank, pulls no punches, but never speaks without accurate knowledge and clear conviction.The question-and-answer format of the book works well. The questions cover most of the basic issues, from suicide bombing to the status of women to the Muslim understanding of Christianity. We really have no idea what we are up against unless we take a careful look at what is held theologically and what has happened historically in the Muslim world and its understanding of the world outside itself.... In short, the “111 questions” of the title of this very incisive book are designed to ask every question one may have had since Islam forced itself before our daily attention. Again, Father Samir is both a hard-headed and sympathetic critic of Islam in all its phases. The book has much force to it precisely because it is written by someone who has been in immediate contact with Islam all his life. He has studied the texts and the history. But he also knows both Christianity and what we call the modern state. The book is often as hard-hitting about the West as it is about Islam.When one has finished this book, he sees the Muslim with clearer eyes.[...]

I only read a portion of the book, but the author definitely seemed to know what he was talking about... giving both sides on Islamic theology, the nature of Jihad, the Islamic history of military aggression... The question answer format was also very helpful for someone who doesn't know much about Islam. It was worth the price, and I was grateful for the lack of political correctness and sugar-coating...

Excellent.

Very timely and interesting book. The first half of it is quite helpful in understanding the roots of Islam and helps put the actions of the current so called "Islamic state into perspective. The second half is more judgemental and less helpful.