As author Philip Jenkins indicates in the prologue to this brilliant masterpiece, Laying Down the Sword is a book on 鈥渉ow we understand and remember tAs author Philip Jenkins indicates in the prologue to this brilliant masterpiece, Laying Down the Sword is a book on 鈥渉ow we understand and remember texts.鈥� Jenkins challenges the prevalence of Western hegemony over specific and targeted interpretations of and approaches towards Islam and Christianity鈥檚 primary religious texts, the Quran and the Bible, respectively. Professor Jenkins rightly notes that in the Western view, 鈥榯he Quran and Islam鈥� and 鈥楥hristianity and the Bible鈥� are in stark contrast鈥攖he former aims to spread hatred, animosity, and violence, and the latter works towards disseminating love, kindness, and peace. Quoting a number of verses of the Quran, notoriously narrated by anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim circles and on the internet, in which 鈥榖elievers鈥� have been ordered to kill, Jenkins demands and encourages the Christians to set aside their 鈥渨holly amnesia鈥� and us to find texts in the Bible that are far more egregious and violent than those criticized by the media in the Quran; verses that have been intentionally disappeared and obliterated from Christian dialogues and Sunday sermons.
Jenkins closes his arguments with a loud and clear statement: Religious violence is not derived from religion. Those who commit atrocities and violence in the name of religion have already formed their commitments to violence and their ideas. They have only cloaked their actions and ideas with targeted verses of a holy book. In fact, they are terrorists masked as a religious follower.
The second important concluding remark that Jenkins makes is about the veracity of violence in the nature of religions. For example, he rightly and cleverly asks , If Islam is inherently a violent religion, why have terrorists been such latecomers? Why are their tactics drawn from Western anarchists and nihilists, Catholic IRA, Zionist Jews, Communists and fascists, rather than the Quran itself? And how is it that the same scripture which is being misused by terrorist, is pushing billions of believers towards peace and social justice?...more
The Physician can easily be ranked as one of the most racist, prejudicial, erroneous, and contradictory novels, yet to be written on the East (the OthThe Physician can easily be ranked as one of the most racist, prejudicial, erroneous, and contradictory novels, yet to be written on the East (the Others).
Islam and Persia are grotesquely sexualized. Domes on the mosques are described as body parts. Inappropriate sexuality is described as acceptable, desirable, 鈥渧ery sensible,鈥� to the Persians, when the king recalls a childhood memory with a tone, frighteningly close to fondness (380). One would question the author鈥檚 motives in making the King so promiscuous and such a devil. The answer seems to be that the author is trying to create another 鈥渕ysterious鈥� East (the Others).
The majority of the jargons, transliterations, simple Persian vocabulary, locations, historical figures, historical events, and Islamic terms are wrong throughout the novel! One would expect a historical novel, even if imaginative, to have a bit of research, editorial review, and educational preparedness. The author鈥檚 goal has justified 鈥渁ny and every鈥� misinformation and exaggeration. Read the following statements on how Persians and Islam are described throughout the book. All are racist, prejudicial, stereotypical, and clearly untrue. These are just a few examples:
鈥淶aki鈥檚 skin had been dark, an advantage under a hot sun. Karim鈥檚 skin needed the yellow slave; it was the color of light leather, the result, Zaki always said, of a female ancestor being f鈥� [the author uses the full word] by one of Alexander鈥檚 fair Greeks. Karim thought something like that probably was true. There had been a number of Greek invasion and he knew light-skinned Persian men, and women with snowy breasts鈥� (403).
The climax of hatred and animosity toward the Persian land (Persia) is grotesquely depicted when Rob enters Persia and reaches a lake (Urmiya). The land, the air and everything in Persia is 鈥渟alty鈥�:
- 鈥溾€淭ake a pinch of salt [of the lake] and place it on your tongue.鈥� He did, gingerly, and made a face. Lonzano grinned. 鈥測ou are tasting Persia鈥濃€︹€漌e still have long days to ride.鈥� But first Rob pi鈥� into Lake Urmiya, adding his English Special Batch to Persia鈥檚 saltiness鈥濃€� (266-267).
- 鈥淔reckles were Allah鈥檚 just punishment on someone so shameless she didn鈥檛 wear the veil鈥� (493)
This book is planned to become a major motion picture in Hollywood and hit the movie theaters in 2013. One should only hope that this will not result in another biased, false, and shallow movie, one that only increases the distance between Us and Them, and pushes love and compassion further away. ...more
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