Customer comments on this selection.
 Extremely Disappointed
I bought this book thinking that it would broaden my exposure to this important topic, but I couldn't even finish it. In my opinion, it was very poorly written. The topics jumped around frequently, and even the "transitions" didn't even flow. I didn't learn anything from this book, and saw what I thought were many inconsistencies in the information being presented. An example is whether or not the author was going to make up his mind that Russia and China were state sponsors of terrorism, or targets of terrorism. It would have been fine to present that as part of a complex argument in a world that is not black and white, but it was as if the author was passionately arguing both sides without recognizing the multifacted realpolitik involved.
 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 researched and authentic, written clearly and well. John Murphy traces the intricate interconnections among various terrorist cells, and puts recent terrorist attacks in a historical context. The reader will find this useful in understanding the roots of Islamic extremism that has erupted periodically over the ages.
Such subjects as the September 2, 1898 defeat of the Mahdiist army at Omdurman, Sudan, that spoiled an Islamic Messiah's efforts to 'liberate' the Moslem world from Western 'corruption' and colonial control, and the more recent violent acts by the PLO in trying to counter the Israeli occupation of Palestine, including the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics by the Moslem Black September group, as well as the author's description of bin Laden in terms of the historical context, are most interesting. Incidentally, the author, a military historian, is objective in pointing out that the other two religions bred in the deserts of the "Holy Land," Judaism and Christianity, also have produced their share of extremism and terrorism. This book is worth reading. (John Waller)
[Editor Note: The author has arranged for AFIO Members to receive a 10% discount for orders placed directly with Prometheus at 1-800-421-0351, ext 214, as for Marcia Rogers]."
Id. Mr. Murphy's disavowal of any involvement with the intelligence community is even more intriguing when one considers that the book was reviewed prominently by a magazine prominently devoted to the group "former intelligence officers". Now I draw no conclusions whether Mr. Murphy is one of these or not, but why would his book be reviewed in such a magazine unless he was a member of this community, a community of former intelligence officers? It seems a strange place to have an academic book reviewed under other circumstances. No other book was reviewed in the issue under consideration. Only Murphy's book was reviewed. But don't take my word for it; examine the evidence for yourself and then you decide if Murphy is telling the truth, or if the facts speak more plainly for themselves.
In light of the clear evidence of the facts, I would kindly ask for an apology from Mr. Murphy, who clearly is somewhat wrong here. My review, to repeat, was POSITIVE of this book. Why Mr. Murphy seems to go to great lengths to deny his past work with the intelligence community, when simple computer searches amply reveal his connections, is curious.
Moreover, if Mr. Murphy has no special government experience, then why is his point of view in this book special??? It would seem that the experience of writing for the CIA two intelligence reports would add, not subtract, to Mr. Murphy's qualifications as an author, as is amply noted in Prometheus Books' website.
Murphy should admit what he did and when he did it. End of story. His disavowals are silly and misleading, and unfair to me and others who have even cursorily looked at this.
--Arthur Kyriazis, book reviewer
 Sword of Islam Book Review
Sword of Islam Book Review
Sword of Islam covers the topic of Muslim extremism in the Arab world. By reading the title Sword of Islam, the reader automatically notices that the author John F. Murphy Jr. is focusing on the militant side of Islam. The author tends to develop most of his points in a chronological order starting with the birth of Islam and ending with the September, 11th attacks. The author's stance is one of neutrality, meaning that he states the facts and allows the reader to develop his or her own ideas or biases.
John F. Murphy Jr. structures this book in chronological order which one can attribute to his extensive background as a historian. Murphy is a military historian and the founder of a private research firm specializing in military history, guerilla warfare, and terrorism. Sword of Islam consists of 12 chapters which are divided up into three parts.
The first part consists of chapters 1-3 which gives a little bit of insight on post WWII events, but its main focus is on the rise of militant Islam and the underlying factors. The second part consists of chapters 4-6 which covers Arab nationalism and the Arabs resentment towards those not of Arab descent or belonging to the Islamic religion. The last part consists of chapters 7-12 which discusses the bitter relationship between the U.S. and the Arab world.
The major issue of this book is of course militant Islam, but by reading this one might learn what events caused the need for Arab nationalism, which led to the militant views. Murphy mentions the ninth surah of the Holy Quran which many Muslim extremists use today to verify their radical beliefs. He still argues that this verse which calls many of their followers to fight their enemies is not the primary reason for radical extremism. Murphy believes that it is a long series of events and conquests that caused the feelings of nationalism and militancy toward others. Especially the conquests of the Mongols, that rampaged through what is much of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. Through these conquests he infers that the Islamic people began to have feelings of nationalism and began to follow the ideas of Genghis Khan, which was exterminating the enemy at all costs.
The second major issue is the past and current relationship between the Arab nations and the Western world. Which Murphy explains in detail, the past events and underlying factors that led to this conflict. Events such as the forming of the Israel state and the U.S. playing a role in the Gulf War are just a few events Murphy brings up.
Sword of Islam is a very hard book for the reader to "dive" into. Even though the content is not bad the book is filled with too many dates and insignificant, long, drawn out explanations of battles, that would not have hurt if he left them out. I do find it commendable that Murphy takes a neutral stance in writing this book, even though there were many anti-Arab feelings and propaganda during the time this book was written. All in all this is a very good book filled with a lot of information about the history of the militant side of Islam or it can be a good book if you want to relive a boring history class.
Interesting thoughts, less than perfect delivery
I must agree that there are several tangents and inconsistencies within the book. It does, however, raise some interesting intellectual theories on the origins of radical Islamic extremism. I would not use it as a primer to terrorism in the Middle East by any stretch of the word.
Needs a lot of help
Poorly researched, poorly written, full of inconsistencies and factual errors. Omissions and commissions are rampant. This is a scary state of affairs. If this was the source for the government evaluation of any historical/political conditions, hopefully it was not the only source. The author managed to confuse historical events and geographical facts in addition to his dismal attempts to use one thread to connect Nazis in South America with Bin Laden. He can not get a handle on what was in 1948, a United Nation's declaration of the partition, "Ashura" which was indicated at the time for accent of Mohammed to havens and Ali's death up to a conflicting dates for the death of king Hussein of Jordan. In addition, the book suffers from a marked lack of proper editing, many incorrect spellings (not due to translation)of Arabic words, and a mix-up that makes the reader think that there was more than one author, who did not use the same references. The only bright spot in Murphy's 367 pages is the last 10 pages, which spell out a futuristic flexible vision that is lacking throughout the whole book and Appendix II (which is co-authored by R. Don Green).
Examples of the deficiencies in this book: many contradictory ideas in addressing one topic. There is also a lot of repetition and cutting and pasting. The excuse of poor translation and the use of a quotation from "Lawrence of Arabia" is a poor excuse for improper editing or revising of the text. This excuse still does not explain incorrect dates, and geographical mix up. Specific examples for the help needed:a. deficiencies in the translation/accurate editing: say "Tanzim" not "Tamzin". Do not add Al (The) to a noun (Fatah, Hizbollah, Mecca, Quarrish) it is like saying The New York. "Hawatmeh" and not "Hawatmen" p167. Mujahideen and not "Muhahideen al-Khalq" p158. Say Intifada neither "Infitidas" of Yassir Arafat nor "intifida"
b. examples of historical mistakes: Prophet Mohammed did not ascend to heavens on "Ashura" (the tenth day of the first lunar month). Ashura is not the occasion of the death of Ali p165. "before his tragic death in 2000, King Hussein of Jordan.." p198. In Jordan, the death of King Hussein on February 7, 1999 brought crown prince..." p199. "The 1948 united Nations decision which set up the state of Israel also established the kingdom of Transjordan, now Jordan (Transjordan was established in 1920s). "Any chemist can cook anthrax" p 217.
A selected quotation:
"While the war of religion tore apart West Europe, and the Christian European which craze caused the deaths of unknown thousands... In a very real way, the Ottoman Empire represented a version of tolerant society that the West would not recognize until the Enlightenment of the 18th century and which today is endangered in the countries of the Arab World." p80
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