I took a break from the early-1900s books I have been reading in the past two years, and sat down with this outstanding book. A strong critique of current intellectual trends that say, for example, that the West is fatally tainted by imperialism, colonialism, racism, the history of the slave trade etc. Ibn Warraq doesn't deny these things happened, but shows that Islamic imperialism and Arab slave traders were far worse (the Arabs traded in slaves for overa thousand years and systematically castrated their African male captives). The question of why the West is superior in wealth, technology, political and religious freedoms is complicated to say the least, but Ibn Warraq (a former Muslim) makes a strong case for showing it is Western culture, with its roots in ancient Greece and in Christianity, which accounts for the West's superiority in so many fields. Current trends towards multiculturalism (replacing the earlier "melting-pot" approach to absorbing immigrants) is undermining the West and creating problems for the future. #westisthebest #usa #america #spirituality #christianity #islam #muslim #apostate