Islam: The Untold Story

Background

Tom Holland, an English novelist and popular historian, had previously published three best-selling histories of the ancient world: Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic, Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West, and Millennium: The End of the World and the Forging of Christendom. In 2012 his fourth history, In the Shadow of the Sword: The Battle for Global Empire and the End of the Ancient World, examined the collapse of the Roman and Persian Empires and the rise of the Arab Empire and Islam.

Holland told The Spectator that he rejected the Islamic belief that the Qur'an is the direct word of God, stating he believed it was clearly written by a human during Late Antiquity, and he highlighted a lack of sources for analysing Islam's origins. Channel 4 commissioned the documentary based on that book, with a spokesperson saying it supported the company's remit to stimulate well-informed debate by challenging established views.

Synopsis

The documentary examines the origins of Islam. Holland travels to Saudi Arabia and speaks with Arabian Bedouins about orthodox Islamic accounts of the religion's beginnings. He then interviews Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a practising Muslim and professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University, who defends the traditional account, and Patricia Crone, a non-Muslim historian at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, who challenges the reliability of oral history.

Holland examines early evidence for Muhammad, Mecca, and Islam in the first century of the Arab Empire, noting a lack of contemporary historical evidence for Muhammad's life and no mention of him in texts until 70 years after his death. He points out that Muawiyah I, who became leader of the Arab Empire in Jerusalem 30 years after Muhammad's death, showed little sign of being Muslim, with no mention of Muhammad or Islam on his inscriptions, coins, or documents.

Holland also notes that aside from a single ambiguous Qur'anic reference, Mecca is not mentioned in any datable text until a century after Muhammad's death. He argues that the Qur'an describes an agricultural environment foreign to Mecca, more closely fitting a city in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Holland suggests that under Arab Emperor Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, Mecca was intentionally portrayed as Muhammad's home to give the religion Arabian origins and dissociate it from Jewish or Christian heritage.

Cancelled public screening

On 11 September 2012, Channel 4 cancelled a planned screening of the film for opinion formers at its London headquarters, citing security fears. The broadcaster stated it remained extremely proud of the film and would continue to provide access via its website, 4oD. Jenny Taylor of Lapido Media criticised the cancellation, calling it appalling and arguing that the right to debate historical events is a core Western value. The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain expressed indignation, saying giving in to Islamists would have a catastrophic effect on free enquiry and expression regarding Islam, and urged supporters to request a repeat screening.

Reception

Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent noted the documentary would likely court controversy, remarking that while he did not know what devout Muslims would think, Holland's arguments were made tactfully. Christopher Howse of The Daily Telegraph gave the documentary two stars out of five, calling it disjointed and criticising Holland's habit of pausing mid-sentence. Ed West, also of The Daily Telegraph, praised it as atmospheric and intelligent, arguing the Islamic world must accept higher criticism. Philippe Labrecque, writing on The Commentator, characterised the documentary as harmless and criticised Channel 4's lack of courage in cancelling the screening, stating that what is threatened is the nature of Western empiricism and scepticism.