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One of the most controversial episodes in the life of the Prophet Muhammad concerns an incident in which he allegedly mistook words suggested by Satan as divine revelation. Known as the Satanic verses, these praises to the pagan deities contradict the Islamic belief that Allah is one and absolute. Muslims today--of all sects--deny that the incident of the Satanic verses took place. But as Shahab Ahmed explains, Muslims did not always hold this view....

"It is one of the more startling facts of military history that the founders of three of the four "great religions" -- Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam-- were also accomplished field generals with extensive experience in commanding men in battle. One of these, Muhammed, fought eight battles and was wounded twice, once almost fatally. Another, Siddhartha Gautama (later to become the Buddah), witnessed so much battlefield carnage that he suffered a psychological...

"On 2 October 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, was lured into the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul, dismembered in fifteen parts and packed into five suitcases. Astonishingly, a forensic UN report concluded nine months later there was 'credible evidence' that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was responsible for the killing. Earlier, Donald Trump issued a shocking statement that 'It could very well be that the crown prince...

"Exploring more than 100 big ideas on topics as diverse as the rule of law, the extent of liberty, and the justification of warfare, [this book] takes you on a journey through the history of politics, from the influential theories of ancient Greece, Rome, and Asia to modern concepts voiced by today's brightest political thinkers."--Front jacket flap.