Cover Image: The War for Islam

The War for Islam

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Member Reviews

Very interesting indeed.

The War for Islam is set in the future where the world is holding on by a thread as there is a struggle between peace and violent opposition. Fanatics are killing innocent people around the globe.

It is well-written and captivating.

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This brilliantly illustrates the different sides of Islam - the radicalized one that much of the world fears, and the peaceful one that not enough of the world knows. Even set 90 years in the future, one can see how fears and prejudices today could affect the future. I don't like that it's two women looking to a Christian man to help them "save" anything. It's continuing the idea that Christians have an obligation to save souls. Great premise, and interesting story. Phrasing it as a "war for the soul of Islam" and following up with a Christian savior is just a bit cringy.

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Very interesting read. It’s a topic that’s very much everywhere for the last few years. Enjoyed this point of view and it was easy to read and well written

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I would give this book 3.5 stars. Well written and believable, I believe it is very of the moment in terms of fear of terrorism. Can 2 Muslim women steer their religion in the right way and in doing so save the world from the so called religious terrorists? A book about triumph over evil, fear and love.

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Personally I find it rather patronising to assume that "true" Islam is one infused by western values and saved by an American Christian.

This book might have been more successful in the hands of a skilled writer. As it is, it's all tell and no show so the characters are all very flat and one dimensional.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

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Really intriguing concept - believable and thought provoking. I enjoyed the development of the story and the characters.

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Stafford Betty is a professor of world religions at California State University, and of course, this feeds into this novel rather heavily. It plays on the fears of the Western population in particular who through the actions, hate speech and incitement are anxious about groups like ISIS and their goal to conjure up a Muslim caliphate.

In The War for Islam, we are catapulted seventy years into the future and the dreams of establishing a caliphate are well on the way to being achieved and the evil ideology is beginning to insidiously affect more and more people. However, very few are willing to stand up against this spread of fear and hatred.

Christian Silas and two brave and brilliant Muslim women decide to counter this hatred through peaceful demonstration and other non-violent means and they cross continents and countries in an effort to share their message of peace and love. The author makes some interesting and thought-provoking points about religion and theology. It is a compelling and fascinating read. I will be looking out for more from Betty in the future. Many thanks to Roundfire Books for an ARC.

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Despite this novel being set seventy years hence, not much seems to have changed in the world apart from the evil caliphate domination. It is refreshing to see two strong Muslim women centre stage as we follow their lives dedicated to achieving a peaceful outcome. Some interesting thought-provoking points are made regarding the similarities between religions, but Betty shows that it is violence in the name of religion, not religious violence which is the evil force.

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There’s no doubt that I enjoyed reading this ‘what if’' novel set seventy years in the future.
The radical Muslim Caliphate is taking control of most of the world and citizens are too frightened or indoctrinated to stand up against their violence. All except Silas, a Christian academic and newspaper columnist and his two brave Muslim loves, Saira and Layla. Together, they challenge the Caliphate with speeches, peaceful demonstrations and newspaper articles, as well as living a life of religious tolerance themselves. By the end of their lives they have made a difference.
One or two of the references to UK jarred a bit with me, but Stafford Betty certainly has something to say to the world today.

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