h/t: Scottish Infidel
Historian Tom Holland explores how a new religion – Islam – emerged from the seedbed of the ancient world, and asks what we really know for certain about the rise of Islam. This Tuesday at 9pm on Channel 4
NOTE: Vlad says that a contact who has seen it has given it high marks
//www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2197021/Channel-4-history-Islam-sparks-flood-complaints-presenter-Tom-Holland-subjected-torrent-abusive-tweets.html
The UK Channel 4 documentary programme “Islam: The Untold Story” presented by historian Tom Holland covered some of the same ground as Robert Spencer’s “Did Mohammed Exist”. While the existence of Mohammed was not questioned the lack of physical evidence to support arab oral traditions was explored and it was suggested that islam grew out of the need for a state “religion” for the expanding arab empire.
Daily Mail covers response from islamists, quoting “Islamic Education and Research Academy” as if it were a respectable academic organisation (couldn’t they have googled it? and found this: //blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100049624/the-guardian-falls-for-an-extremist-lie/).
Tom Holland’s response to critics://www.channel4.com/programmes/islam-the-untold-story/articles/tom-holland-responds-to-the-programmes-critics
Channel 4 video on demand (can you access this from outside UK?)
//www.channel4.com/programmes/islam-the-untold-story/4od
Review in “Daily Telegraph”:
//www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9504588/Islam-the-Untold-Story-review.html
Review in “The Independent”
//www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-viewing–islam-the-untold-story-channel-4-accused-bbc1-8084486.html
If link to Channel 4 on demand doesn’t work from outside UK, here is the documentary programme on You Tube.
Channel 4 (UK) programme “Islam: The Untold Story”
4oD on You Tube
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm8xKh8eQqU