I would not argue with Jewell concerning the primacy of the Koran to Muslims. However, it is a mistake to view the Koran as being relevant to Islam in the same way as the Bible is to Christianity. Islam consists of the Koran, Sira (life of Mohammed), and Hadith (sayings of Mohammed). Mohammed is considered to be the perfect man and all Muslims are to model themselves on Mohammed. If a Kafir (This is the Muslim term for a non-believer in Islam, generally speaking.) wants to learn about Islam, the last thing they should do is try to do is read the Koran first thing. There are a number of reasons for this including that it is not layed out in chronological order. I suggest the Sira first, then the more widely accepted Hadiths. One might think from listening to Jewell that praying 5 times a day is prescribed in the Koran along with how to pray. I would challenge anyone to find such a prescription there. Alternatively, if someone wished to convince a Muslim that Islam is wrong (Christians often try to do this.), then the first step is to have them read the Koran, because of the primacy of the book as mentioned by Jewell. Regardless of what Muslim apologists and Muslims might tell Kafirs, they should not start out by reading the Koran. Should someone insist on reading the Koran first, then at least get the one approved by Saudi Arabia.
Islam was checked in the East by India. Hindus are not people of the book, as are Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians (There is a peculiar description of a bridge in hell in the Koran that is referred to in Zoroastrian texts.) so being allowing them a dhimmi status is not properly an option allowed under Islam. The history of Islam in India is long and brutish in a somewhat different way than the West since Hindus were given properly given the option of convert or die (Islam killed many many Hindus in wave after wave of Islamic rulers and conquerors.) even if, out of raw greed, a large majority of Hindus were allowed to live. I am not sure that a good English comprehensive history of it exists, but even if the class is on Western Civiization, it is worth recognizing that Islam was checked in the East by India.
Jewell has difficulty finding purely neutral sources concerning Islam. I am not sure a good one exists. However, I would recommend Bill Warner because, though he is critical of “political Islam,” there are Muslim clerics that verify the truth of his instruction. Next to that, I’d recommend former Muslims who can speak to day to day beliefs and practices honestly revealing what “moderate” or traditional Muslims tend to seem to believe.
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