Defenders of the West

Editorial Reviews

"Defenders of the West is engaging storytelling of fascinating people and forgotten events at its best. Although anchored in arcane or archaic texts, it reads and flows like an adroitly crafted novel, buttressed by a scholarship that allows those of the past to speak for the past."
—Victor Davis Hanson, Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution

"Relying primarily on contemporary sources, Raymond Ibrahim vividly tells the story of 'eight eminently violent men' who played leading roles fighting Muslims back in the era 1100-1500, when Christianity was a 'muscular religion.' By recalling those exploits, the author hopes not just to pay tribute to distant accomplishments but to inspire today's Christians again to 'stand against Islam.'"
—Daniel Pipes, president, Middle East Forum

"For two decades, Raymond Ibrahim has been one of the few historians telling us the truth about Islam and its thousand-year assault on the West. With narrative force, clarity, and a command of primary sources, his new book Defenders of the West tells the story of that millennium of aggression and the heroic resistance that saved the West from its oldest enemy."
—Bruce S. Thornton, Research Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, and Executive Member of the Working Group on the Role of Military History in Contemporary Conflict

"With his trademark erudition and intellectual courage, Raymond Ibrahim chronicles the exploits of eight Western Christian Defenders against Islamic imperialism, including four—Ferdinand, Hunyadi, Skanderbeg, and Vlad Țepeș—who defended or liberated their home territories from Islam. An unapologetic, pellucid reminder for our era about the necessity of standing resolute against the unprovoked aggression of Islam's timeless institution, jihad."
—Andrew Bostom, MD, MS, author of The Legacy of Jihad, The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism, and Sharia Versus Freedom

"This exciting and very well-researched book introduces us to the lives and heroic deeds of courageous men who, against great odds, defended their people and their culture from an implacable enemy."
—Darío Fernández-Morera, Associate Professor Emeritus of Northwestern University, author of The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise: Muslims, Christians, and Jews Under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain

"In a brilliantly written and highly dramatic book, Raymond Ibrahim brings to life eight Christian heroes who stood up against evil and injustice to fight for human dignity and the Christian faith in various theatres of war. Remarkable tales from a time of massive upheaval—not unlike our own age. While the book outwardly documents a history of fierce warfare, it also manages to invoke matters of the heart that are relatable to the average reader."
—Hanne Nabintu Herland, African-born historian of religions and bestselling author in Norway

"Raymond Ibrahim is a highly intelligent student of history and the civilizational warfare of Islamic jihadism."
—Allen West, retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

"Military historian Raymond Ibrahim is of Egyptian origin, fluent in Arabic, and an expert on the centuries-long armed conflicts between the West and Islam."
—National Association of Scholars

"[S]uch a refreshing, even thrilling read. ..... Defenders of the West includes a wealth of detail ...grounded in more than 1200 endnotes, mostly from both Christian and Arabic primary sources, without ever losing narrative momentum.... As a reader with a special passion for medieval history and chivalric exploits both fictional and historical, I can attest that Raymond Ibrahim's new book is as essential and compelling, if not more so, as his previous one [Sword and Scimitar].......[F]or the West to survive its current enemies, both foreign and domestic, it needs new Defenders. Toward that end, Defenders of the West serves as much-needed edification and inspiration."
— Front Page Magazine (Mark Tapson)

"Defenders of the West brings to life the daring and dynamic exploits of kings and knights... Written in an engaging style using accessible language, these remarkable, factual incidents leave the readers on the edge of their seats.... [P]erfect for anyone who is fascinated by the power of knighthood and wishes to witness how far some Christians were willing to go to secure their rights to live and worship in freedom and dignity.... [S]tirring, heartbreaking and fantastic tales [that] are not easily forgotten."
—American Thinker (Lucine Kasbarian)

"Like The Lord of the Rings, there is an almost fantastical quality to Ibrahim's book. Much of what took place seems beyond belief. Yet, Defenders of the West is based almost entirely on primary sources. And the stories they tell are astounding.... [S]erves as a timely reminder that this clash of civilizations is far from over."
-- Crisis Magazine (William Kilpatrick)

"You'd be hard-pressed to find the information contained in Defenders of the West in a modern academic setting or Hollywood portrayal, which is why this book is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the conflict between Islam and the West... [A]n engaging, scrupulously documented book chronicling stories of the men who defended the Christian West from the violent, sadistic Islamic invaders of their day... While Defenders of the West is an important historical work, it's not a dry textbook on the topic, thanks to Ibrahim's storytelling prowess."
—PJ Media (Paula Bolyard)