Robert B. Spencer: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:RobertSpencer.jpg|thumb|200px|R. Spencer]] |
[[Image:RobertSpencer.jpg|thumb|200px|R. Spencer]] |
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'''Robert Bruce Spencer''' is |
'''Robert Bruce Spencer''' is an American scholar and commentator on [[Islam]] and [[Jihad]]. He has written five books, including two bestsellers, on topics related to [[Islam]] and [[terrorism]], is the founder and current director of the [[Jihad Watch]] and [[Dhimmi Watch]] websites covering Islam and [[Islamism|Islamist]] [[Islamic extremist terrorism|terrorism]]-related events from a critical perspective, and is currently a [[columnist]] writing for [[FrontPageMag.com|Front Page Magazine]]. |
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Robert Spencer makes frequent appearances on [[CNN]], [[MSNBC]], [[FOX News]] and [[C-SPAN]]. |
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== Biography == |
== Biography == |
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Robert Spencer holds a [[Master's degree]] in Religious Studies from the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] [[1986]], and is an Adjunct [[Fellow]] with the [[Free Congress Foundation]]. |
Robert Spencer holds a [[Master's degree]] in Religious Studies from the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] [[1986]], and is an Adjunct [[Fellow]] with the [[Free Congress Foundation]]. |
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He began his career in [[1979]] at the University of North Carolina. His MA thesis is entitled [http://webcat.lib.unc.edu/search/aspencer%2C+robert/aspencer+robert/1%2C15%2C59%2CB/frameset&FF=aspencer+robert+bruce&1%2C1%2C "The Monophysite in the Mirror"] (concerning the conversion of [[John Henry Newman]] to Catholicism in 1837 and Newman's denunciation |
He began his career in [[1979]] at the University of North Carolina. His MA thesis is entitled [http://webcat.lib.unc.edu/search/aspencer%2C+robert/aspencer+robert/1%2C15%2C59%2CB/frameset&FF=aspencer+robert+bruce&1%2C1%2C "The Monophysite in the Mirror"] (concerning the conversion of [[John Henry Newman]] to Catholicism in 1837 and Newman's denunciation |
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of the [[Church of England]] as [[monophysite]]). |
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His biography[http://www.jihadwatch.org/spencer/] states that he has studied [[Islam]] for twenty-five years, beginning in [[1980]] during his first year as an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina. Spencer's MA thesis is titled "The monophysite in the mirror"[http://webcat.lib.unc.edu/search/aspencer%2C+robert/aspencer+robert/1%2C15%2C59%2CB/frameset&FF=aspencer+robert+bruce&1%2C1%2C] on the subject the conversion of [[John Henry Newman]] to Catholicism in 1837 and Newman's denouciation of the [[Church of England]] as [[monophysite]]. |
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Spencer opted not to enter any PhD program because he "could see even then that Middle East Studies and other departments were becoming highly politicized and retreating from genuine academic work"[http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/005715.php]. He has written seven [[monograph]]s on Islam for the [[Free Congress Foundation]]: ''An Introduction to the Qur'an'', ''Women and Islam'', ''An Islamic Primer'', ''Islam and the West'', ''The Islamic Disinformation Lobby'', ''Islam vs. Christianity'', and ''Jihad in Context''. |
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Robert Spencer is currently the director of JihadWatch and an Adjunct Fellow of the Free Congress Foundation. He was (and some bios claim he still is) a board member of the Christian-Islamic Forum[http://www.freecongress.org/media/030826.asp][http://www.regnery.com/authors/bio_spencer.html], a Catholic group dedicated to the conversion of Muslims to Christianity using interpretations of Islamic scripture rather than the Christian materials[http://www.chnetwork.org/danaliconv.htm]. He has also co-written ''Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics'' with the founder of the Forum Daniel Ali. In this book, Spencer reasserts his goals: "As a Christian, I take even greater satisfaction in the present book, because both Daniel and I believe it will be a powerful tool to equip Catholics to become better witnesses of their own faith" |
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His writings on Islam and other topics have been published in the [[New York Post]], the [[Washington Times]], the [[Dallas Morning News]], Canada's [[National Post]], [[FrontPage Magazine]], [[WorldNetDaily]], [[Human Events]], [[National Review]] Online, and many other publications. He has consulted with [[United States Central Command]] and the [[U.S. State Department]] and the [[German]] [[Foreign Ministry]] on Islam and jihad, and has discussed jihad, Islam, and terrorism on global media networks such as well as on the [[BBC]], [[CNN]], [[FoxNews]], [[MSNBC]], [[PBS]], [[C-Span]], as well as on numerous radio programs including [[Michael Savage]]'s [[Savage Nation]], The [[Alan Colmes]] Show, The [[G. Gordon Liddy]] Show, The [[Neal Boortz]] Show, The [[Michael Medved]] Show, The [[Michael Reagan]] Show, The [[Larry Elder]] Show, The [[Barbara Simpson]] Show, [[Vatican Radio]] amongst others. |
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== Controversy == |
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{{POV-section}} |
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Professor [[Carl Ernst]], in the websites for one of the courses he teaches, <ref> [http://www.unc.edu/courses/2004spring/reli/026/001/ Website for the course "Later Islamic Civilization and Islam in the Contemporary World" </ref> states that Spencer's "books are not scholarly, and they do not pass the review of blind refereed evaluation practiced by university presses. They are instead supported by specific political and ideological interests through think-tanks and private foundations. They need to be evaluated differently from scholarly studies, since their agenda does not have to do with the scholarly goals of the humanities and the social sciences. In particular, the lectures given by authors such as Spencer on college campuses may be misunderstood as being equivalent to scholarly research. While it certainly may be acknowledged that scholarship has political implications, independent research needs to be distinguished from hired polemics." <ref> [http://www.unc.edu/courses/2004spring/reli/026/001/spencer.htm Link from a course website of Prof. Carl Ernst] </ref> |
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Professor [[Khaleel Mohammed]] holds that "Spencer portrays himself as a scholar of Islam, and that he is not. He misquotes verses of the Qur'an, takes things out of context, and shamelessly lies." <ref> [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17727], also note that Prof Khaleel Mohammed on his personal website confirms this discussion. </ref> |
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[[Louay M. Safi]] claims that "Spencer cherry picks few out of the hundreds verses that deal with issues of peace and war, and misrepresents Islam by arguing that the Quran directs Muslims to fight non-Muslims on the account of having different faith. He does that by obscuring both the textual and historical contexts of the verses he cites." <ref> [http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/24568 Will the Extreme Right Succeed? Turning the War on Terror into a War on Islam] by Louay M. Safi, Dec 29 2005 </ref> |
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Robert Spencer has also been criticized for lack of academic credentials. Spencer's reply to this criticism is: "It is easier for them to talk about degrees than to find any inaccuracy in my work. Yet I present the work not on the basis of my credentials, but on the basis of the evidence I bring forth; evaluate it for yourself. As this site has shown, I am always open to new information." <ref> [http://jihadwatch.org/spencer/ Robert Spencer] </ref> |
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Professor [[Khaleel Mohammed]] and Spencer have had detailed discussions on Front Page Magzine <ref> [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17696]</ref> <ref> [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17727]</ref> <ref> [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17769] </ref> <ref> [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18001] </ref>. Spencer states that {{cquote|"Khaleel Mohammed keeps attacking, and I keep responding...I don't care one bit about how good any given moderate speaker can make non-Muslims feel about Islam and the war on terror. All I care about is: can this moderate's arguments from the Qur'an and Sunnah convince jihad terrorists to stop waging war in the name of Islam? If it looks as if they can, I will support the moderate wholeheartedly. But if it looks as if they can't, then I wish someone would tell me why such moderates are even worth supporting. Because they oppose terrorism and extremism? Great. So does CAIR and every other Muslim group in the world. Much, much more is needed...jihad terrorists use the Qur'an and Sunnah quite effectively all over the world to recruit Muslims to their ranks. Then moderate Muslims come along and tell us that the Qur'an and Sunnah, properly understood, are benign and peaceful. Terrific. Now please convince your coreligionists."<ref> [http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/006099.php] </ref> }} While Khaleel Mohammed states that {{cquote|"I have been bombarded with several queries regarding my "discussion" on frontpagemag.com, and the subsequent inimical webpostings on Jihadwatch etc. Most of the queries have addressed my apparent silence in the face of attacks on my position regarding Islamic reformation, and my alleged lack of coming to terms with certain aspects of Islamic "truths."...I consider myself a scholar and therefore prefer to engage in discussion where facts, rather than fictions and prejudgments are presented. When therefore I am told that the pope apologised for the Crusades, or that Jihad only means war, or that I have to accept interpretations of the Quran that non-Muslims (with no good intentions or knowledge of Islam) seek to force upon me, I see a certain agendum developing: one that is based on hate, and I refuse to be part of such an intellectual crime... There are certain stereotypes that extremists try to sell to the public: that all Arab countries are racist, closed to free discussion. I can only state that from my experience, I have encountered racism, anti-semitism, as well as free discussion in Arab countries--the same as I have encountered in the U.S. Indeed the hateful material that I have seen on the internet has come largely NOT from the Arabs and Muslims (although they are not free from blame), but rather from hatemongers based right here in the United States."<ref> [http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~khaleel/] </ref>}} |
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== Documentary == |
== Documentary == |
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Additionally, Spencer has written seven [[monograph]]s on Islam for the [[Free Congress Foundation]]: ''An Introduction to the Qur'an'', ''Women and Islam'', ''An Islamic Primer'', ''Islam and the West'', ''The Islamic Disinformation Lobby'', ''Islam vs. Christianity'', and ''Jihad in Context''. |
Additionally, Spencer has written seven [[monograph]]s on Islam for the [[Free Congress Foundation]]: ''An Introduction to the Qur'an'', ''Women and Islam'', ''An Islamic Primer'', ''Islam and the West'', ''The Islamic Disinformation Lobby'', ''Islam vs. Christianity'', and ''Jihad in Context''. |
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== References == |
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<references/> |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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Revision as of 20:09, 26 August 2006
Robert Bruce Spencer is an American scholar and commentator on Islam and Jihad. He has written five books, including two bestsellers, on topics related to Islam and terrorism, is the founder and current director of the Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch websites covering Islam and Islamist terrorism-related events from a critical perspective, and is currently a columnist writing for Front Page Magazine. Robert Spencer makes frequent appearances on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News and C-SPAN.
Biography
Robert Spencer holds a Master's degree in Religious Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 1986, and is an Adjunct Fellow with the Free Congress Foundation.
He began his career in 1979 at the University of North Carolina. His MA thesis is entitled "The Monophysite in the Mirror" (concerning the conversion of John Henry Newman to Catholicism in 1837 and Newman's denunciation of the Church of England as monophysite).
Documentary
Bibliography
- The Truth About Muhammad: The Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion, Regnery Publishing 2006
- The Myth of Islamic Tolerance: How Islamic Law Treats Non-Muslims (editor), Prometheus Books, 2005. ISBN 1591022495
- The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (And the Crusades), Regnery Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0895260131
- Onward Muslim Soldiers: How Jihad Still Threatens America and the West, Regnery Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0895261006
- Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics (with Daniel Ali), Ascension Press, 2003. ISBN 0965922855
- Islam Unveiled: Disturbing Questions About the World's Fastest Growing Faith (Foreword by David Pryce-Jones), Encounter Books, 2002. ISBN 1893554589
Additionally, Spencer has written seven monographs on Islam for the Free Congress Foundation: An Introduction to the Qur'an, Women and Islam, An Islamic Primer, Islam and the West, The Islamic Disinformation Lobby, Islam vs. Christianity, and Jihad in Context.
External links
- Robert Spencer's Front Page Magazine column archive
- JihadWatch weblog
- Dhimmiwatch weblog
- Robert Spencer on Fox News
- Robert Spencer Interview on C-Span