For Our New Readers

For those visiting this site for the first time, I’d recommend background reading to understand what we are talking about and why. A good place to start is the recently published best-seller Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam by Robert Spencer. (Also consider IBA’s resident author: Mark Alexander.) I list other books here.

Articles can barely do justice to the topic and counter the vast misinformation already disseminated by political hacks. But they might suggest that there is another side of the story missed by the Mainstream Media and partisan academic pseudo-scholars. I ask my fellow bloggers to suggest their favorite single intro in the comments section. My own very brief summary with hyperlinks.

For daily news and commentary Jihad Watch is the gold standard. For a great Internet round-up see Islamic Evil, which reminds me … why the double standard in today’s discourse?

Of course, check out the individual websites listed on the right. Each contributor has a unique emphasis and we don’t always agree. As always we know learning about a foreign culture, people, and religion requires a considerable amount of thought over a long period. We challenge you to go beyond the superficial clichés in the popular media.