Book Review: The Dawning of a New Dark Age by Mark Alexander

The author has a deep insight and personal knowledge of the Islamic faith, upon which he evidences his clear-sighted views.

The book is clearly written and makes fascinating reading.

The warnings to the West, as to what will happen when extremists control such a religion, are all so skillfully stated.

I found it difficult to put the book down once I started to read it.

Glynne (Wales)

Available at:

Amazon.com

Amazon (UK)

BN

Clinton Rounds On Obama in New Book

THE INDEPENDENT: Indulging in the luxury of being an ex-president with little at stake except his own reputation, Bill Clinton is to release a new book that will suggest – bluntly – that the American economy is "a mess" and that part of the blame lies with his Democratic successor in the White House, Barack Obama.

Due out next Tuesday, the new book, Back To Work, is partly an analysis of how America came to be where it is now, with Washington enmeshed in partisan gridlock and Main Street suffering from an unemployment crisis that shows no signs of easing quickly. » | DAVID USBORNE | Saturday, November 05, 2011

New Book Review: The Dawning of a New Dark Age
I have just received a great review of my book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age, written by Michael Arch. Naturally, I am very grateful to Michael both for writing it and sending it to me, and it goes without saying that I want to share it with you.

I recently read ‘The Dawning of a New Dark Age’ by Mark Alexander…

There have been a number of books published on the rise of Islam and the threat it poses to the West, especially to Europe and the U.K. I have read a number of these books as this is a subject that interests me greatly. Mark’s book debunks a number of myths surrounding Islam, in particular the much-parroted concept that Islam is a ‘religion of peace’. Mark’s work is well thought-out and clearly laid-out. I found it a very informative read. It compared very well with the other books I have read; indeed, it was better than many of them. My favourite chapter was “Islam – Time to End the Myths”. In fact, in my opinion, pretty much all of the chapters were spot on. I highly recommend ‘The Dawning of a New Dark Age’ if you want to know about Islam and the threat it poses to the West. Read it! Islam is the elephant in the room. Mark is pointing at it with this book. Observe! – Michael Arch, August 2011

At Last, a Fair and Balanced View of Ayn Rand
TRIBUNE MAGAZINE: Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right by Jennifer Burns
Oxford University Press, £16.99

At last! A well balanced book about Ayn Rand (1905-82), the guru of selfishness. After all the attack memoirs and right-wing adulation, Jennifer Burns has finally given us an intellectual biography of the founder of objectivism that can truly be described as objective. Burns explains Rand’s integrated system of ideas in clear language, showing us how it developed out of her life experiences and personal relationships, both intellectual and emotional. To her credit, Burns resists the temptation to snipe at such an inviting target as the elitist and dogmatic Rand and, wherever possible, she presents negative criticism using the original words of Rand’s colleagues and contemporaries.

Goddess of the Market traces Rand’s irresistible rise from bourgeois Russian origins to fame and fortune in America and shows how the success of her two blockbuster novels – The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) – which both glorified heroic individualism – allowed her to use her celebrity as a platform for her subsequent career as political ideologue and philosopher. She invented an abstract rational system called objectivism, which was designed to keep the world safe from communism by proving (mostly by assertion) that capitalism was the most rational and moral form of human society.

But even as an anti-communist in America, she discovered that she didn’t quite fit in. She was an atheist iconoclast, not a traditionalist reactionary, and was forced to create her own niche on the contrarian far right, promoting guilt-free wealth creation and denouncing the state, but viciously opposed to libertarians, anarcho-capitalists and religious conservatives. Thus she escaped from the tyranny of collectivism in Russia only to end up in a self-created dystopia of heightened rhetoric where she lived out a life of extreme alarmism, always imagining civilisation was crashing around her ears. >>> Roddy Matthews |Friday, May 28, 2010

HT: Guido Fawkes >>>

Excellent Review of The Dawning of a New Dark Age
With many, many thanks to Judah of Judah’s Journal for this excellent review of my book.

This review is also to be found on the Barnes & Noble website and on Judah’s blog. (The links are given below.)

If anyone else who has read the book would like to send me a review to be placed up on this website, please send it to me at the following address: markalexander1 @ btinternet.com . - Mark

Accurate, authoritative and readable essays on the threat to western civilization of Islam
Mark's format, a collection of essays, makes this an extremely readable text that can be picked up and put down as opportunity allows, giving 'thinking time' between reads in order to fully process the knowledge and insights imparted here. Still too much is misunderstood about this aggressively invasive ideology which threatens to overwhelm and subvert our Western civilization. Since Islam seeks to progress an agenda of world-wide domination and universal submission of all to Allah, by the sword if necessary, we most certainly need to understand far more about it. Mark knows Islam intimately, and his writing is both perceptive and authoritative. He clearly outlines the dangers posed by Islam, describing the process of 'Islamicization' that is already happening, supporting his concerns with references (in context) to the Qur'an and to history, identifying the factors in our own civilzation that fosters erosion of our Judeo-Christian heritage and invites the incursion of Islam, and suggesting means by which this could be stopped and reversed. There is a great deal of information packed between the covers of this book and much food for serious thought. To some it will be a horror story, but as frightening as the subject may be, we are wise to have our eyes opened in order to recognize what is happening hopefully in time to help stop the situation from worsening. It may already be too late unless radical measures are put in place, but we all need to know and properly understand the real threat in order that something effective can be done about it. This is an absolute 'must read' for anyone who wishes to know the truth rather than be lulled into complacency by the 'taqiyya' (holy hypocrisy) of the Islamic clerics and apologists. If you have never read anything on this subject before, this is a good place to start. Likewise, it is also an essential read for those who do know the subject, the author becoming increasingly well known for his contributions to major websites devoted to the education of the web-savvy general population interested in knowing more about Islam. I have become well-read on this subject myself, and can testify that the author writes in accord with all else that I have read by other authors with impeccable and relevant credentials. I can recommend Mark's book to all who wish to be properly informed on this subject and, as the author puts it so well, the 'dawning of a new dark age' under Islam. - Judah, well read on this subject

This book review is also to be found here and here.

Great Book Review!
With many thanks to Ray Boyd of Common Sense Against Islam for this great review:

Read up on the subject [Islam], be informed, know your facts. The Dawning of a New Dark Age: A Collection of Essays on Islam is the place to start. It’s easy to read and covers everything you need to know in a hurry. It’s the sort of book you can pick up and put down and then go back to it again and again. No doubt about it, if you need to wise up fast you won’t do better. If you only read one book on the subject this is the one. – Ray Boyd of Common Sense Against Islam (December 3, 2007)

Mark Alexander

A Watchman’s Call
With gratitude to Richard Williams for this excellent review:

An easily accessible read outlining the dangers that Islamism presents, not just to western civilisation, but to all cultures, for Islam's intent, made plain in this book of short essays, is nothing short of that age old plague of man's existence - world domination. A dramatic statement, yes, but unless we awake to the dangers clearly outlined in this book, a drama that will unfold under our very noses, with catastrophic consequences for us all. Make no mistake, the Qur’an says it, the pious Muslims say it, and Mark shows you exactly where and how they say it, in a format that is easy to read and follow.

Islam is immiscible with other cultures, 1400 years of history and countless tales of cultures lost tell us in unmistakable detail that this is so. Mark's book gives you an insight as to why this is so. As Mark shows, by adhering to the idols of our age, 'political correctness' and 'multiculturalism', we are facilitating Islam's age old dream. This book goes against the prevailing orthodoxies of our times and in so doing, delivers a clear warning of the danger which faces us all. – Richard Williams

Mark Alexander

The Unvarnished Truth
Many thanks to Always for this great review:

A book of reader-friendly and short essays, Mark Alexander's The Dawning of a New Dark Age examines the tenets of Islam and clearly delineates what those tenets mean for Western civilization. Concentrating on the present danger, the signs of which continue to proliferate since the book's publication in 2003, the author passionately spells out and proves the bottom line: Islam is not just another religion. Mr. Alexander writes from the Christian perspective, but his book will also appeal to those who are not Christians because he uses excellent sources as well as his personal observations. READ THIS BOOK! – Always On Watch

Mark Alexander

Single Best Book to Start to Learn Truth about Islam
A BOOK WORTH READING

The Dawning of a New Dark Age, A Collection of Essays on Islam, by Mark Alexander (1st Books, ISBN: 1-4107-9037-1, paperback; 2003.)

I thought I knew almost all of the current books (past few years) about Islam. I had not encountered this book, however, until the author alerted me to it, for which I am grateful.

After reading the book, I can recommend it enthusiastically to readers new to Islam and its dangers, but I must offer a qualification to that recommendation.

First, the writing is excellent. The author's style flows, with great grammar and syntax as well as thought formulation and progression, i.e., he is clear and easy to follow. I would love to see more writing from him.

The book is presented as a series of short essays. One may start at any point reading these and lose absolutely nothing by skipping about, as long as one reads the entire book. If you start reading from the beginning and proceed systematically to the end, you may notice repetitions, but probably not if you dip in and out until finished.

Second, and more importantly, his grasp of Islam meets many criteria of depth and breadth. He lived in Saudi Arabia long enough to come to terms with Islam, particularly the Saudi variety (Wahhabism), and Arabs. He knows the subject well and covers almost all of the concerns people should have about Islam. There is so very much I agree with that I almost had déjà vu. Some of the 47 chapters are more appealing to me than others, but these chapters are like 47 unique facets, each giving insight to this huge problem of Islamism. Someone beginning the work of studying Islam will find valuable nuggets of information in all 47 chapters.

Anyone unfamiliar with Islam will get a terrific education, delivered quickly and painlessly. It is such an easy introduction that I would put this book into the MUST READ category for those who want to understand why Islam is a threat to American culture and values, and who want a good place to start understanding the problems Islam creates for our civilization.

Third, the author is not just pro-Western culture, but he is unabashedly pro-American. He sees with objectivity about the threat that Islam poses to our country and the entire civilized world, and he minces no words presenting his thoughts fearlessly, without concessions made to the "sensitivities" of this or that person or group or nation. I greatly admire how he identifies multiculturalism and political correctness for the evils that they are, and identifies Islam and its evils for what they are. Since he spent significant time in school in England, he speaks to how the Brits have severely endangered themselves by being so obliging to the Muslims infesting their country. He also has excellent chapters on France and Turkey.

My sole complaint is that, for all of the author's excellent qualities, he is not philosophically-oriented; I wish so much that he was. Were he so oriented, his case against Islam could be even stronger, perhaps unassailable. He wants very much to wake people up, to shake them out of their passive unconcern, to fill their minds with good information, and to neutralize the poison of relativism, multiculturalism, and political correctness, all of which are sustained by today's wide-spread moral uncertainty among Americans. He is looking for answers in terms of guiding principles, and he comes close to finding them.

However, he relies on Western religion as a philosophical base, particularly Christianity, rather than philosophical principles, and this perspective just does not take him as far as he obviously wants to go. Religions have values which differ from religionist to religionist, and which separate religions from a strong system of philosophy. Rational, integrated philosophical principles complete the armamentaria, and take those who hold these principles the full distance.

What religionists and non-religionists have in common is a shared vision of the incredible danger Islam poses. We also support the Constitution, which guarantees our freedom of thought and Rights of Man. We must stand united and well-armed through the discipline of philosophy rather than distracted by differences in details of various belief systems.

[We discuss the philosophical elements of Islam and dealing with it within our website, 6th Column Against Jihad (http://www.6thcolumnagainstjihad.com).]

Otherwise, I enjoyed this book very much, and I think it offers much of value to an intelligent reader who wants a good place to start to understanding Islam. – George Mason

Mark Alexander

”Compelling Reading”
Deep gratitude to Jim Ball, Australia’s Number 1 overnight broadcaster, for this great review:

I have read a lot of books on the issue of Islam and by no means consider my self totally across it. As is the case with most subjects, it has the capacity to glaze the eyes if you let it. This book though is a breezy and comprehensive easy read. You can pick it up and put it down at will and not lose the plot. The introduction of Mark Alexander's easy to read reality check, The Dawning of a New Dark Age is Wake Up, West! It is compelling reading. – Jim Ball, 15 April 06

Jim Ball’s Recommended Reading List

Mark Alexander

’A Must-Read for Lovers of Liberty Everywhere’
'The Dawning of a New Dark Age' is an invaluable set of powerfully-written essays on Islam, the most critical issue of our time. A must-read for lovers of liberty everywhere! - The Anti-Jihadist, June 19, 2007

Mark Alexander

A Debt of Gratitude to Mark Alexander
And a "debt of gratitude" to Beakerkin for this great review of my book:

Recently, I took a competitive exam that would enable me to be a candidate for permanent hire. The odds of passing this writing test are around 15%. The vast preponderance of people who pass are people fresh out of college and lawyers. We were told we cannot study for this exam. We were told that either one has the ability or one does not. I refused to accept those myths. I quickly realized that my style would not pass that exam. I went through books of short essays and one book stood out above the rest: Mark Alexander's. His simple, no-frills writing style, his eloquence, worked like a charm! Before the exam, I examined Mark Alexander's sentence style for one hundred hours. Mark's style made the rules of grammar come alive! I have to give credit to Mark Alexander for this. Going into the test, I knew I had to produce a first rate essay, and I did. My boss has noted the drastic improvements in my writing style. He even asked me if I had taken a brush-up course at the local University! - Beakerkin

Mark Alexander

’Your Book Is Probably the Most Amazing’
My gratitude to Liberty Lover for this wonderful review:

"Mark, I have you to thank for two nights in a row of very little sleep! I have just finished reading your book. Awesome, but very worrying. I have been researching Islam for years now and your book is the latest. I feel that your book is probably the most amazing, and by far the most frank and to-the-point book about this very real and massive problem at hand. From one page to the other I thought about people in my street, my town and my country who are blissfully unaware of the impending peril." - Liberty Lover, October 23, 2006

Mark Alexander

A Wonderful Review of My Book
Many, many thanks to Friendly Saviour for this great review:

I can heartily recommend this book.

I obtained it from my local bookshop but it is available online and from the big book-sellers.

It helped clear up a lot of my mixed-up ideas and mis-conceived notions that had accumulated, concerning Islam.

We have all been taken for a ride by the mainstream media, who have been too lazy to analyse the situation vis-a-vis the progression of islam from the cozy religion of peace, to the World-wide threat to our way of life.

There is no doubt that big shocks are planned against the Western countries, indeed even the far-off territories of the Australasias are not immune. With many opening shots already ricocheting around the daily news-stories, who can afford to wait any longer to get their facts straight?

The author has spent time amongst the isalmic culture and has intimate knowledge of the real islam, the one you will hardly ever find out about, outside some weighty academic book.

It is not too late to be aware of these threats and the ideas that support the attacks on our own unique civilisation.

Forewarned is forearmed, they say.

We owe it to our selves, our partners and especially our children, who will have to live the longest in the gathering darkness that closes in on our world.


It is all to easy to dismiss these fears about the growing problems between Islam and every other religion and society.


Why has this all begun to take focus? How much of it it paranoia?

Don't wait until you are forced to learn the hard way, what barbaric fate the Christian world will be thrown into. Why has islam singled out the Jewish people for destruction at the "end of times," which moslems believe we are entering, and towards which, the islamic terrorists are thrusting us ever closer.

Do yourself a favour and read this book soonest! You will not regret it. CercasiDemocrazia - Friendly Saviour

Mark Alexander

Another Great Review of My Book, 'The Dawning of a New Dark Age'
With many, many thanks to Limewoody for this excellent review of my book:

Accurate, authoritative and readable essays on the threat to western civilization of Islam Mark's format, a collection of essays, makes this an extremely readable text that can be picked up and put down as opportunity allows, giving 'thinking time' between reads in order to fully process the knowledge and insights imparted here. Still too much is misunderstood about this aggressively invasive ideology which threatens to overwhelm and subvert our Western civilization. Since Islam seeks to progress an agenda of world-wide domination and universal submission of all to Allah, by the sword if necessary, we most certainly need to understand far more about it. Mark knows Islam intimately, and his writing is both perceptive and authoritative. He clearly outlines the dangers posed by Islam, describing the process of 'Islamicization' that is already happening, supporting his concerns with references (in context) to the Qur'an and to history, identifying the factors in our own civilization that fosters erosion of our Judeo-Christian heritage and invites the incursion of Islam, and suggesting means by which this could be stopped and reversed. There is a great deal of information packed between the covers of this book and much food for serious thought. To some it will be a horror story, but as frightening as the subject may be, we are wise to have our eyes opened in order to recognize what is happening hopefully in time to help stop the situation from worsening. It may already be too late unless radical measures are put in place, but we all need to know and properly understand the real threat in order that something effective can be done about it. This is an absolute 'must read' for anyone who wishes to know the truth rather than be lulled into complacency by the 'taqiyya' (holy hypocrisy) of the Islamic clerics and apologists. If you have never read anything on this subject before, this is a good place to start. Likewise, it is also an essential read for those who do know the subject, the author becoming increasingly well known for his contributions to major websites devoted to the education of the web-savvy general population interested in knowing more about Islam. I have become well-read on this subject myself, and can testify that the author writes in accord with all else that I have read by other authors with impeccable and relevant credentials. I can recommend Mark's book to all who wish to be properly informed on this subject and, as the author puts it so well, the 'dawning of a new dark age' under Islam. - Limewoody

Mark Alexander

A Great Review of My Book
With many, many thanks to Judah of Judah’s Journal for this great review of my book, ‘The Dawning of a New Dark Age: A Collection of Essays on Islam’:

I have referred above to Mark Alexander and his book, The Dawning of a New Dark Age: A Collection of Essays on Islam, and the following is the Editorial Review from Amazon.com. I can recommend this book as not only have I read it myself, I actually know Mark personally and that he is scrupulously honest in what he says, that it is well researched and comes from his own considerable knowledge and experience of living and working in the Middle East for a number of years. Mark has a gift for languages and is extremely perceptive, having insight into the Muslim mind, a sound knowledge of Islam (almost converting to Islam himself) and of the cultures of the Middle East. Long before 9/11 occurred, Mark was expressing concern for what he saw was growing and progressing in Islam towards the West, and he suffered tremendous frustration that the Western world was ignoring the signs which did culminate in the 9/11 attack - and to a large extent is still in denial concerning the threat posed to our civilization at the hands of Islam.

Mark Alexander