John Jaeger, (Dallas Baptist Univ. Lib.), writing for Library Journal, has given a surprisingly favorable review to my forthcoming, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred Texts to Solemn History (Prometheus. 768p. ed. by Andrew G. Bostom, ISBN 978-1-59102-554-2)
Err…he/Library Journal also assumed the book would be out by now. And while I can’t see the book even meeting the April 17th release date up now at amazon.com, final typesetting and editing suggests the book is very close to going to the printer, and May, certainly mid-May availability is a…definite maybe!
But the good news is that Library Journal, despite its demonstrated anti-Israel bias, and even though the reviewer himself interjects the “creation of Israel”, recommends the book highly. There is a sort of fig leaf non-sequitur criticism thrown in (i.e., this is a massive tome on Islamic Antisemitism; only a thin volume would be required for the subject not explored—appropriately given my charge—“Islamic philosemitism”), but this hardly undoes the overall praise lavished upon the book, here:
Is Islamic anti-Semitism a recent phenomenon, brought about by the creation of Israel in 1948, or is it a deeply imbedded element of the religion itself, dating back to its very origins? This is the key question Bostom addresses in his latest book, which is similar in approach to his powerful earlier work The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims (reprinting in March [err… probably later!]), in which he used Islam’s own texts and recorded history to show violence as central to the sacred writings and long history of Islam. This anthology, too, uses sacred texts and statements from authoritative Islamic scholars to show that anti-Semitism was present in the earliest stages of the religion and is not just a phenomenon of the past 60 years. By gathering these various resources, Bostom persuasively—almost overwhelmingly—demonstrates the anti-Semitic tendencies in Islam, presenting his case like a prosecuting attorney. What is lacking, however, is any argument for the defense. Libraries purchasing this book should balance it with another offering an alternate argument.
Highly recommended for all libraries.
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