“The origins of Islam are a legitimate subject of historical enquiry and this film is wholly in keeping with other series and programmes on Channel 4 where the historical context of world religions has been examined, such as The Bible: A History.”
Historian Tom Holland
Television historian Tom Holland is receiving a multitude of criticisms and threats following his in-depth investigation into Islam. After examining the faith and its early texts, he came to some fascinating — and apparently enraging — conclusions in a documentary he produced for British television.
In a program called, “Islam: The Untold Story,” Holland claimed that there is little evidence written surrounding the life of the Prophet Muhammad — the central figure in the Islamic faith. Additionally, he noted that the Koran makes only one reference to Mecca, the religion’s holiest city. These sentiments, of course, cast doubts upon Islam and are, thus, controversial to say the least.
For those assuming that Holland is bent on disproving Islam’s beginnings, consider a portion of a review on the film that was written by The Guardian’s John Crace:
Holland is no attention-seeking, neo-Conservative, Niall Ferguson lookalike. Indeed, I’d guess his heart bleeds liberalism and, to my western sceptic eyes, his contention that the Arab empire gave birth to Islam, rather than the traditionally held belief that it was the other way round, seemed well-argued, fascinating – I learned a lot of history I didn’t know in a short space of time – and uncontentious. I would find it a great deal more surprising if a religious text written 1,400 years ago turned out to be wholly accurate. But for those who believe the Qur’an is the word of God passed directly to man and that inconvenient lacunae of knowledge are merely events that have yet to be properly explained, then Holland’s view is almost certainly blasphemous.
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