Sword of Islam: Muslim Extremism from the Arab Conquests to the Attack on America

by John F. Murphy Jr.

Book Overview

No Marketing Blurb This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591020107
• ISBN13: 9781591020103
• Release Date: July 2002
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 424 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Was John F. Murphy Jr. Ever Involved with Intelligence Gathering? A Thoughtful Critique.

On this website, John F. Murphy, Jr., categorically denies any involvement with the CIA assigned to him by my prior review of this book, which incidentally was a favorable one. However, on the Website for Prometheus Books, the publisher of Sword of Islam, located at the following website: www.prometheusbooks.com/catalog/book_1189.html anyone including you can locate the following biographical sketch of John F. Murphy, Jr. the author of Sword of Islam: "John F. Murphy Jr. is a military historian and the founder and President of The Grenadier Company, a private research firm specializing in military history, international relations, guerilla warfare, and terrorism. He has authored two confidential reports for the CIA, has been a lecturer in European and American History at St. Joseph University and Drexel University in Philadelphia, and is a guest columnist and reporter for the Philadelphia Daily News. He is currently writing a two-volume history of the early American frontier for the University of Missouri Press." Thus, Murphy's own publisher advertises on his own website that "he has authored two confidential reports for the CIA" and that he runs a private firm "specializing in military history, international relations, guerilla warfare and terrorism" [sic]. The connection between the author and professional intelligence gathering is altogether evident from his own publishing company's website. His own publisher admits and advertises that Murphy has been a contract employee of the CIA, writing at least two reports for them. I make no independent judgment of the truth or falsity of that information but merely repeat what his own publisher writes. Murphy's categorical denials, which he has repeated on this and many other websites, seem a little bizarre when you consider what his own publisher says on his own website about his CIA involvement. Despite Murphy's denials to the contrary, it is plain and obvious that despite his express disavowals to the contrary, he clearly is alleged by his publisher to have written (and to have gathered intelligence professionally) in the form of two confidential reports for one or more national intelligence agencies, and his other links to professional intelligence may be guessed at from the nature of his private consulting business and the fact that his viewpoints in this book are so violently pro-government and pro-CIA and anti-Muslim. In addition to the foregoing, this book was reviewed by the Weekly Intelligence Notes of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers ("AFIO") in its August 5, 2002 issue, located at: http://www.afio.com/sections/wins/2002/2002-31.html#Sword_Islam That Review stated: "SECTION IV - BOOKS AND SOURCES SWORD OF ISLAM: Muslim Extremism from the Arab conquests to the Attack on America, by John F. Murphy Jr., Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY 2002. ISBN 1-59102-010-7, with Appendices, Notes, Glossary, Index and Bibliography. This is a popular history, well researche

STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR, JOHN F. MURPHY, JR.

I hereby publicly disavow the information in the review by Mr. Arthur John Kyriazis. I have never portrayed myself as a "Professional Inteliligence officer," nor have I ever claimed access to "top secret" information. To proclaim myself as a "Professional Intelligence officer" would be to do a disservice to those who have been. To claim that I had access to "top secret" information would be to claim access to information that I do not---nor have ever---possessed. I do not know from whom Mr. Kyriazis gained his information, but it was not from me. John F. Murphy, Jr.

STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR, JOHN F. MURPHY, JR.

I hereby publicly disavow the information in the review by Mr. Arthur John Kyriazis. I have never portrayed myself as a "Professional Intelligence officer," nor have I ever claimed access to "top secret" information. To proclaim myself as a "Professional Intelligence officer" would be to do a disservice to those who have been. To claim that I had access to "top secret" information would be to claim access to information that I do not---nor have ever---possessed. I do not know from whom Mr. Kyriazis gained his information, but it was not from me. John F. Murphy, Jr.

A strong blend of history and social analysis

Muslim extremism and issues of terrorism's role in world history are considered in John Murphy's Sword Of Islam , which surveys not only the Middle East but Islam's face around the world. The rise of Arab nationalism, other terrorist plots, and answers to questions of conflict between Arabs and Americans all make for a strong blend of history and social analysis.

A Masterful Work on the Topic of Islam

Dr. Murphy has written a masterful work on the topics of both the history of Islam and the current trend of radicalization and extremism in Islamic political movements which are driving nationalisms in various countries such as Iran, and now Afghanistan, Iraq, and threatening Eqypt, Turkey and other Middle Eastern nations with instability. Dr. Murphy's work rivals Hourani's and other works in its historical scope, yet it also is of signal assistance to policy makers...