In the Name of God, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful

Council on AmericanCouncil on AmericanCouncil on AmericanCouncil on American----Islamic Relations, OhioIslamic Relations, OhioIslamic Relations, OhioIslamic Relations, Ohio

2999 Payne Avenue, Suite 220

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

Telephone: 216-830-2247 Fax: 216-830-2248

E-mail: info@cleveland.cair.com URL: //www.ohio.cair.com March 11, 2014

Mr. Marvin Krislov

President, Trustee, Ex Officio

Oberlin College

Cox Administration Building

70 N. Professor Street

Oberlin, Ohio 44114

Dear Mr. Krislov,

I am writing on behalf of the board of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islamic

Relations (CAIR) to express our concern about an anti-Muslim book, entitled The Unknown

History of Islam: A Theological, Linguistic, Historical, and Sociological Study, published by a

member of the Oberlin faculty. The book, which is widely available on the Internet, is rife with

logical fallacies, sweeping generalizations, and grotesque anti-Muslim stereotypes. The book is

mean-spirited, condescending, hateful, and hurtful. Amazon lists its publisher as Samir Amin

Abdellatif, who is apparently an instructor of Arabic language at Oberlin College.

The Unknown History of Islam is a 290-page diatribe against Islam and Muslims. It repeats ad

nauseam discredited orientalist, colonialist, and imperialist theories about the “other” in its

attempt to portray the West as the originator of everything rational and good and the Muslim

world as the originator of everything backward and evil. Although the author uses the pretext

that Muslim “fundamentalists” are his target, he frequently attacks Muslims and Islam more

broadly. All those who have a long beard, wear a hijab, or exhibit any other outward

manifestations of faith such as religious dress or a prayer mark on their forehead are suspected

by the author of being Muslim extremists bent on imposing sharia on their neighbors and

destroying Western civilization.

The author praises the banning of veils and minarets in parts of Europe, and he criticizes Muslim

minorities in the West who defend their civil rights, for example, the right to observe Muslim

religious holidays. Chapter 6 (titled “Islamophobia”) includes a lengthy passage plagiarized

wholesale from a hateful and xenophobic tract, widely circulating on the Internet, against

Muslim immigration, a tract that espouses irrational theories about Muslim world domination.

Such discredited and shameful world domination theories commonly espoused about Jews are no

less repugnant when trotted out against Muslims.

The book includes statements such as the following:

Islam has slowed down all advancement and progress of all the nations it set foot in. All

Islamic countries live in poverty, disease, underdevelopment, and chaos. (p. 28)

The so called “Islamophobia” is a ruse used by Muslim fundamentalists in Europe and North

America to stop us from scrutinizing radical Muslims. All Europe, South and North America

are obviously Christian and Judaic….However, the new Muslim immigrants always try to

browbeat anyone who would dare to complain about anything Islamic, from strange behavior

to terrorism. Some might say “What’s wrong! It’s their way of life.” No, it is not a way of

life if it does not fit in with our Western way of life and values that we and our ancestors

have had for centuries before any Muslim ever came to Europe or the Americas. (p. 31)

Muslims would try to force their values and traditions on others callously. They would force

their neighbors to cover their heads; otherwise they taunt them for not being modest; Muslim

teachers would try to make their Christian students pray according to their Islamic religion.

Therefore, no one should call our reaction “Islamophobia.” (p. 31)

…there is no doubt that the magic, power, and charm of the Quran numb the senses of the

recipients, whether they are native speakers of Arabic or not; it paralyzes their sound

reasoning; it impairs their natural logic; It hampers normal functioning of the brain. No

wonder one would see Muslims in Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Chechnya, Somalia,

Sudan, Tunis, Indonesia, etc. and even in Western countries as well conspiring, plotting,

scheming, conniving, planning, raving, raging, rambling, running amok, crazed, frenzied,

gibbering, hallucinating, frantic, hysterical, delirious, demented, possessed, manic, and

completely out of control as the whole world saw them on numerous occasions for the

slightest matters. (p. 83)

Does that mean Muslims like Jews? Absolutely no. Islam is an ideology of control, not for

human brotherhood or love. Muslims see both Jews and Christians as arch enemies of Islam

and many verses in the Quran will evidently prove that. (p. 91)

The crude stereotypes and generalizations in the book are too numerous to catalogue. Suffice to

say, the publisher is promoting an author who is at best ill-informed and narrow minded, and at

worst holds views that are rabidly anti-Muslim, xenophobic, and monomaniacal.

We respect the publisher’s First Amendment right to promote such a book, however hateful and

offensive. We accept the publisher’s right to promote a book in which the author questions the

validity of Islam and attempts to apply textual criticism to the Quran itself. Such studies are

common in university curricula. However, we believe the reputation of Oberlin College is

tarnished and students are done a disservice by having an Arabic language instructor who openly

promotes anti-Muslim bigotry and who condones crude and ugly caricatures of Muslims.

We respectfully ask that you investigate this matter and take appropriate action based on the

results of that investigation.

Sincerely,

Julia A. Shearson

Executive Director

cc: Oberlin College Board of Trustees, Academic Affairs Committee

Yeworkwha Belachew, Oberlin College Ombudsperson

Jennifer Nimer, Esq., CAIR-Ohio Legal Director

Dr. Ahmad Banna, CAIR-Ohio, Cleveland Chapter Board President

Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR National Communications Director