Review: Robert Spencer's 'The Tragedy of Islam' Links Ceuta Attack to Historical Trends

In this review, the author argues that Robert Spencer's latest work, 'The Tragedy of Islam: Failure and Excuses,' explains the recent invasion of Ceuta as the culmination of a centuries-long agenda. Spencer draws on Bernard Lewis's 2004 prediction of a Muslim-majority Europe and on Bat Ye’or's claim that the 1973 European Community-Arab League dialogue opened the door for Arab immigration, anti-American sentiment and a pseudo-culture in Europe.

The book depicts Islam as an all-encompassing way of life that dictates political, social and economic structures, and it points to the lack of prosperity in Iran, the dependence of Saudi wealth on oil, and the fiscal collapse of the Ottoman and Mughal empires once jizya revenues vanished. Spencer also argues that Islamic societies blame Jews, Christians or other outsiders for failures rather than their own doctrines. Historical examples from Al-Andalus, Granada and modern Egypt are used to challenge the notion of Islamic tolerance, while Western intellectuals who praised Islam are criticized. The review notes the author's strong emotional reaction to the material and the broader implication that sharia law should not be equated with religious freedom in the United States.