Raymond Ibrahim
Encyclopedia
Raymond Ibrahim is an American research librarian, translator, author and columnist. His focus is Arabic history and language
, and current events.
ic immigrants. He is fluent in Arabic and English. Ibrahim studied at California State University, Fresno
, where he wrote a Master's thesis under Victor Davis Hanson
on an early military encounter between Islam and Byzantium based on medieval Arabic and Greek
texts. Ibrahim also took graduate courses at Georgetown University's Center of Contemporary Arab Studies and is studying toward a PhD in medieval Islamic history at Catholic University
.
, and the associate director of the Middle East Forum
. He is currently a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center
.
The 9/11 attacks played a pivotal role in Ibrahim's formative outlook. As he explains in the Chronicle of Higher Education, they occurred while he was doing research for his M.A. thesis which centered on the role of the jihad in early Islamic conquests, causing him to expand from a study of history and theology into politics and current events, reading up on al-Qaeda
and other Islamist organizations, and watching Al Jazeera
. He claims that he was immediately struck by the continuity evident between the words, deeds, and goals of the 7th century mujahidin ("jihadists"), whom he had been studying for years, and the nearly verbatim words, deeds, and goals of 21st century Islamic radicals. Since then, he has maintained that to truly understand contemporary Islam
and Islamism
, one must first understand early Islamic history and doctrine.
Ibrahim is the editor and translator of The Al-Qaeda Reader, which he published after discovering hitherto unknown al-Qaeda
treatises written in Arabic that he says "proves once and for all that, despite the propaganda of al-Qaeda and its sympathizers, radical Islam's war with the West is not finite and limited to political grievances—real or imagined—but is existential, transcending time and space and deeply rooted in faith".
that was commissioned and published by Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst on September 26, 2008 , was later characterized by another author in Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst
as being "well-researched, factual in places but ... ultimately misleading".
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, and current events.
Biography
Ibrahim was born in the United States to Egyptian CoptCopt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic immigrants. He is fluent in Arabic and English. Ibrahim studied at California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno
California State University, Fresno, often referred to as Fresno State University and synonymously known in athletics as Fresno State , is one of the leading campuses of the California State University system, located at the northeast edge of Fresno, California, USA.The campus sits at the foot of...
, where he wrote a Master's thesis under Victor Davis Hanson
Victor Davis Hanson
Victor Davis Hanson is an American military historian, columnist, political essayist and former classics professor, notable as a scholar of ancient warfare. He has been a commentator on modern warfare and contemporary politics for National Review and other media outlets...
on an early military encounter between Islam and Byzantium based on medieval Arabic and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
texts. Ibrahim also took graduate courses at Georgetown University's Center of Contemporary Arab Studies and is studying toward a PhD in medieval Islamic history at Catholic University
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
.
Career
Ibrahim was previously an Arab language specialist for the Near East section of the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, and the associate director of the Middle East Forum
Middle East Forum
The Middle East Forum is an American conservative think tank founded in 1990 by Daniel Pipes, who also serves as its director. MEF became a 5013 non-profit organization in 1994...
. He is currently a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center
David Horowitz Freedom Center
The David Horowitz Freedom Center is a conservative foundation founded in 1988 by political activist David Horowitz and his long-time collaborator Peter Collier...
.
The 9/11 attacks played a pivotal role in Ibrahim's formative outlook. As he explains in the Chronicle of Higher Education, they occurred while he was doing research for his M.A. thesis which centered on the role of the jihad in early Islamic conquests, causing him to expand from a study of history and theology into politics and current events, reading up on al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
and other Islamist organizations, and watching Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
. He claims that he was immediately struck by the continuity evident between the words, deeds, and goals of the 7th century mujahidin ("jihadists"), whom he had been studying for years, and the nearly verbatim words, deeds, and goals of 21st century Islamic radicals. Since then, he has maintained that to truly understand contemporary Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
, one must first understand early Islamic history and doctrine.
Ibrahim is the editor and translator of The Al-Qaeda Reader, which he published after discovering hitherto unknown al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
treatises written in Arabic that he says "proves once and for all that, despite the propaganda of al-Qaeda and its sympathizers, radical Islam's war with the West is not finite and limited to political grievances—real or imagined—but is existential, transcending time and space and deeply rooted in faith".
Reception
An article Ibrahim wrote on taqiyyaTaqiyya
Taqiyya , meaning religious dissimulation, is a practice emphasized in Shi'a Islam whereby adherents may conceal their religion when they are under threat, persecution, or compulsion...
that was commissioned and published by Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst on September 26, 2008 , was later characterized by another author in Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst
Jane's Information Group
Jane's Information Group is a publishing company specializing in transportation and military topics.-History:It was founded by Fred T...
as being "well-researched, factual in places but ... ultimately misleading".
Publications
- The Al Qaeda Reader (editor and translator), Doubleday, 2007, ISBN 978-0-385-51655-6
- "How Taqiyya Alters Islam's Rules of War", Middle East QuarterlyMiddle East QuarterlyMiddle East Quarterly is a peer reviewed quarterly journal, a publication of the American conservative think tank Middle East Forum founded by Daniel Pipes in 1994. It is devoted to subjects relating to the Middle East and Islam and analyzes the region "explicitly from the viewpoint of American...
, Winter 2010, pp. 3–13 - "Are Judaism and Christianity as Violent as Islam?", Middle East QuarterlyMiddle East QuarterlyMiddle East Quarterly is a peer reviewed quarterly journal, a publication of the American conservative think tank Middle East Forum founded by Daniel Pipes in 1994. It is devoted to subjects relating to the Middle East and Islam and analyzes the region "explicitly from the viewpoint of American...
, Summer 2009, pp. 3–12 - "An Analysis of Al-Qa'ida's Worldview: Reciprocal Treatment or Religious Obligation", Middle East Review of International AffairsMiddle East Review of International AffairsMiddle East Review of International Affairs is a quarterly journal on Middle East issues edited by Barry Rubin and published by the Global Research in International Affairs Center of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel, which he also owns and directs.The GLORIA Center also publishes...
, Vol. 12, No. 3, September 2008 - "Studying the Islamic Way of War", National Review Online, September 11, 2008
- "Islam's Doctrines of Deception", Jane's Islamic Affairs Analyst, September 26, 2008
- "Jesus and Mohammad, Version 2.0", National Review Online, September 10, 2007
- "The Two Faces of Al Qaeda", The Chronicle of Higher EducationThe Chronicle of Higher EducationThe Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
, Vol. 54, Issue 4, p. B3, September 21, 2007 - "Islam gets concessions; Infidels get conquered", Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, December 5, 2006