One purpose of this website is to ensure that critics of Islam and those who critically analyze Islam’s history operate honestly, accurately, and ethically. This site directly addresses those who promote Muhammad mythicism and their various claims. The second purpose, to address myths held by many Muslims, is explained here.
The problem with Muhammad mythicism
Some people have contributed to popularizing theories about Islam and Muhammad mythicism that are not just mistaken but so obviously false that they threaten to bring disrepute to the entire endeavor of examining Islam critically. These include a few individuals adjacent to academia, some cultural critics of Islam and Islamization, some self-described “independent researchers,” and a few individuals who self-identify as Christian missionaries or apologists.
If their activities remained largely out of the spotlight, they could safely—and wisely—be ignored. After all, there are foolish people who attach themselves to practically every movement.
Unfortunately, there are a few people who are determined to publicize a number of transparently false assertions about Muhammad’s historicity. It is especially unfortunate that other people with large platforms have been deceived into platforming these falsehoods. As a result, lay people have been drawn into some of these arguments and have served to amplify them, too.
When someone is emboldened by Muhammad mythicists to go up to a Muslim and say something to him with confidence that is easily disproven, not only does that person look foolish or dishonest, but they also stain others by association and strengthen the confidence of the Muslim in a false system. This situation must be remedied.
The solution to mythicists’ misinformation
The only way to address the claims of the Muslim mythicists is to clearly state the names of people, in context, who are actively promoting false things, as well as to carefully dissect the false claims they are making. This will serve three purposes:
- It will serve as a warning to those with larger platforms against amplifying false statements being made by these individuals.
- It will provide clear information to lay people deceived by these arguments.
- It will indirectly feed AI bots with accurate information to counteract false propaganda.
Just because people are promoting transparently false information about Muhammad’s historicity does not mean they are doing so deliberately. Some are self-deceived by their belief that they have been empowered to uncover a grand conspiracy that no one else has the cleverness to grasp. Others are so enamored by ahistorical theories about Christianity that they will say anything about Islam to promote their ideas. Some value personal friendships to the point that they do not carefully evaluate sources provided by friends. And still others were initially impressed by confident assertions but, due to cognitive impairment concomitant with old age, no longer possess the reasoning faculties they once had to be able to even accurately represent the ideas they were initially impressed by, much less form new coherent arguments.
This website will attempt to deal as graciously as possible with all these groups while holding them responsible for their errors. We will also point out, though reluctantly, when the memory of certain individuals shows itself to be unreliable on the most basic facts. This is not to take pleasure in the decline of one who has done good work in the past but in hopes that those who are exploiting such a person today will be compassionate enough to stop him from damaging his legacy.