I had the extraordinary pleasure of spending most of the day with Bat Ye'or, who has written five books and scores of articles on non-Muslims under Islam, adopting a biblical pen name since 1974: (bio) ‘Bat Ye’or’ / ‘Daughter of the Nile’. Her first essay, Les Juifs en Egypte (1971) was followed by a major study, The Dhimmi: Jews and Christians under Islam (French/1980; English/1985; Hebrew/ 1986; Russian/1992). This remains an essential introduction to her second major work, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam. From Jihad to Dhimmitude (French/1991; English/1996; German/2002) which put the study of this topic on a new footing and confirmed her reputation as a pioneer thinker in this field. After 9/11, Islam and Dhimmitude. Where Civilizations Collide (2002) examined the trend toward dhimmitude in the 20th century, thereby facilitating a serious assessment of the traditional Islamic ‘Ideology of Jihad’. Her latest book, EURABIA: The Euro-Arab Axis (2005; and French, Italian, Dutch, Hebrew, 2006-08) facilitated an understanding of the gradual transformation of Europe into “Eurabia”, a cultural and political appendage of the Arab/Muslim world. Sir Martin Gilbert wrote about this work: “With all the drama of a master writer, Bat Ye’or [tells] the story of how the European Union is being subverted by Islamic hostility to the very ethics and values of Europe itself.” And renowned historian Niall Ferguson declared that: “No writer has done more than Bat Ye’or to draw attention to the menacing character of Islamic extremism. Future historians will one day regard her coinage of the term ‘Eurabia’ as prophetic. Those who wish to live in a free society must be eternally vigilant. Bat Ye’or’s vigilance is unrivalled.” Bat Ye’or’s latest book was published in Italy: Verso il Califfato Universale, Come l’Europa รจ diventata complice dell’espansionismo musulmano, Lindau, Torino: May 2009. (Toward the Universal Caliphate: How Europe Became an Accomplice of Muslim Expansionism.) Thanks to Pamela Hall for filming. I did a one hour interview with Bat Yeor on the state of the free world. Soon to come; look for it.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, 31 May 2010
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