{"title":"Raymond Ibrahim","description":"\u003cp\u003eRaymond Ibrahim’s works delve into the complex interplay between history and faith, exploring pivotal moments where military conflict and religious conviction intersect. His writing offers a thoughtful examination of historical struggles shaped by cultural and spiritual forces, providing readers with a nuanced understanding of the past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFocusing on themes of Christian and Islamic encounters, Ibrahim’s books engage with both historical narrative and religious reflection, inviting readers to consider the deeper implications of these enduring conflicts. His approach balances scholarly research with accessible storytelling, appealing to those interested in history, theology, and the intersection of both.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"sword-and-scimitar-by-raymond-ibrahim-9780306921421","title":"Sword and Scimitar","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe West and Islam—the sword and the scimitar—have clashed since the mid-seventh century, when, according to Muslim tradition, the Byzantine emperor rejected Prophet Muhammad's order to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam, unleashing a centuries-long jihad on Christendom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSword and Scimitar\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles the significant battles that arose from this ages-old Islamic jihad, beginning with the first major Islamic attack on Christian land in 636, through the occupation of the Middle East that prompted the Crusades and the far-flung conquests of the Ottoman Turks, to the European colonisation of the Muslim world in the 1800s, when Islam largely went on the retreat—until its re-emergence in recent times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUsing original sources in Arabic, Greek, Latin, and Turkish, preeminent historian Raymond Ibrahim describes each battle in vivid detail and explains the effect the outcome had on larger historical currents of the age and how the military lessons of the battle reflect the cultural faultlines between Islam and the West.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe majority of these landmark battles are now forgotten or considered inconsequential. Yet today, as the West faces a resurgence of this enduring Islamic jihad, \u003ci\u003eSword and Scimitar\u003c\/i\u003e provides the needed historical context to understand the current relationship between the West and the Islamic world, and why the Islamic State is merely the latest chapter of an old history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Gardners Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849978335468,"sku":"9780306921421","price":52.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780306921421.jpg?v=1759070714"},{"product_id":"the-two-swords-of-christ-by-raymond-ibrahim-9798888457238","title":"The Two Swords of Christ","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAs Seen On Bannon's War Room and Real America's Voice\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe definitive account of the warrior-monks who stood as Christendom’s shield against centuries of relentless Islamic aggression and a superlative example of Muscular Christianity for an era marred by effete and effeminized forms of the faith.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this magisterial history, Raymond Ibrahim chronicles the long and brutal conflict between Islam and the West through the eyes and lives of Christendom’s original commando forces: the knights of the Temple and Hospital. These warrior monks, whose unprecedented fusion of piety and militancy remains unmatched to this day, played a pivotal—though overlooked if not suppressed—role in defending Christian civilization against the onslaught of Islamic forces during the Crusades and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on an exhaustive study of primary sources, and infused with his signature blend of rigorous scholarship and compelling storytelling, Ibrahim’s groundbreaking work far transcends the typical constraints of modern academic retellings, debunks widely held myths (such as the persistent claim that the Templars evolved into the Freemasons), and uncovers the theological foundation that gave rise to and provided justification for these military orders. In line with Christ’s now ignored directive that \"two swords\" are \"enough\" (Luke 22:38), these two brotherhoods wielded both spiritual and martial power to safeguard the faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWARNING:\u003c\/strong\u003e Brimming with epic battles, stunning heroism, and self-sacrificial martyrdom against the savage hordes of Islam, \u003cem\u003eThe Two Swords of Christ\u003c\/em\u003e—the third instalment of Ibrahim’s trilogy (following \u003cem\u003eSword and Scimitar\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDefenders of the West\u003c\/em\u003e)—stands as his fiercest and most violent narrative to date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47603320226028,"sku":"9798888457238","price":65.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9798888457238-the-two-swords-of-christ.jpg?v=1778059839"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/raymond-ibrahim.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}