Wafa Sultan

Wafa Sultan is not the bravest woman in the world. She's not even the bravest author in the world: numerous people, from Salman Rushdie to Asia Bibi, have shared their stories publicly, thus invariably incurring curses, death threats, and even assassination attempts. But Dr. Sultan (a physician and psychiatrist) has, in this book, provided a brief and chilling autobiography, and an in-depth exposé of the Mohammedan religion — or, as she would put it, the Mohammedan political system. There show more are many excellent books on the subject, but this one is unique.

Born to Muslim parents in Syria, raised in the Mohammedan religion, she became an agnostic after seeing the atrocities committed against Syrians by the so-called Muslim Brotherhood. After many attempts, she and her immediate family managed to emigrate to America in 1989. Following 9/11 (exactly twenty years prior to the writing of this review), she began speaking out against Mohammedanism and its "god," giving her book its title. Her appearances on CNN and Al Jazeera made her an international sensation, and provoked an immediate "fatwa" from the Mohammedan authorities — a curse which she expected, and which bothered her not at all.

In this book, she devotes chapters to the persecution of women in Mohammedan countries, which is perhaps her primary concern. But she also includes a chapter on the psychological and social burdens placed on men by belief in the Quran. She writes at length about the dreadful "socialization" of children, and the utter and complete exclusivity of Islam, a "religion" more intolerant and deadly than any seen on earth since the pagan cults of Old Testament times.

This is a lot of ground to cover in 244 pages, but she does it, clearly and expertly. A secularist and a psychiatrist, Dr. Sultan is not attempting to convert people to Christianity or any other faith. She is drawing a bright line between two things that are utterly incompatible: Islam and civilization.

Very highly recommended. show less

A well written memoir of a woman who left Syria for America, and left Islam for non-belief. She tells her story in lucid prose, but seems at times to be detached from the story...at least until she talks about fellow immigrants who hate America. She gets very emotional as she discusses her love for her adopted country and how wonderful it is, and how they respect their women. It is easy to realize that she has a rosier view of America than is probably justified, but one can sympathize when show more they read the stories of where she grew up. Especially when they realize she had it much easier than most women in her society. She is aware of that, and is angry for all the women who suffer. Overall, a good book, but perhaps a bit naive in her political understanding. show less

Named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2006, Wafa Sultan is a Syrian-born American psychiatrist who believes that the harsh desert culture Islam arose from has influenced the way Muslims conceptualize God, particularly it's negative teachings about the roles and status of women. As she is the first to admit, her critics accuse her of "cherry-picking" parts of the Koran and hadith's to support her position. Even so, as a woman who was born and lived in Syria for 30 years show more before immigrating to the U.S., she knows of what she speaks and is to be commended for her willingness to share her perspective, even though doing so garners her death threats from Muslims who feel threatened by those among them who would dare to challenge the status quo, considering them apostates who are damned for eternity. Although I found this book interesting, I much preferred Irshad Manji's The Trouble With Islam Today: A Muslim's Call for Reform in Her Faith. A South Asian Muslim born in Uganda, Manji and her family immigrated to British Colombia when she was four years old. As a result, she grew up in a multicultural society where she experienced a much higher degree of freedom than did Wafa Sultan. Rather than reject Islam, Manji seeks to reform Islam, often by reminding readers of the true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and explaining how overtime, those teachings have been twisted by his successors. Someone once said "Islam has the best religion but the worst followers", a statement that Manji seems to support, whereas Wafa Sultan uses her personal experiences to discount Islam entirely. By comparison, Manji's book is much better written and researched than Wafa Sultan's, and in the end, more optimistic about the future of Islam. show less

Great read - gives me some perspective on the issue of Islam from a unique perspective, it also gives some perspective to the aims and goals of islam -concerning? what is the first line of the prayers sees some significant bigotry? - see also the u-tube video from al Jazeera, I would recommend to any person (especially women) who wants to gather a learned perspective on this contemporary issue. Follow her blog as well.