How exciting even the driest account would be -- and this is not a dry account -- of the Higher Criticism, getting closer to its refractory and unwilling object of study, Islam. 

Dear Mr. ibn Warraq, Fantastic job on the conference! And thanks for this fine report. Forensic study of the Koran will reveal the Koran's purpose as a troop conditioner and the late concoction of the caliph/warlords who led them. The Koran is obviously an after-the-fact conflation of various Ebionite, heretical Christian and non-authoritative rabbinical  texts stirred together with generous dollops of paganism and sadistic cruelty (decapitation, mutilation, boiling drinks). These are angry sermons read to the troops to get them in a "fighting mood" before they are sent out to murder innocent families. To a person coming from a "Golden Rule"-based religion, reading the Koran for the first time is a tremendous shock to the mind. The continual hatred it expresses against unbelievers and its constant calls for violence convince one that Islam is what we know today as a mind-control "religious cult", perhaps the most successful one, but only because of Islam's extreme and inherent viciousness. Nothing will change that viciousness, but scholarship can expose its roots and educated, informed ex-Muslims will do the rest by dismantling this great prison called Islam. My expectation is that when the scholarly work is done, the collapse of Islam will be as sudden and irreversible as the collapse of totalitarianism in the Soviet empire or the Romania of Ceasescu.  

Best luck and thanks to all the scholars involved in uncovering the fingerprints on this crime against humanity.

I am very interested in the strong evidence of Biblical influence on the writing of the Koran, both from the Hebrew TN"K and the Aramaic Peshitta AN"K, as well as from the Aramaic New Testament Peshitta.

The evidence strongly points to an Assyrian Christian influence on the writing of the Koran.  If you can direct me to more articles in this field of study, Id be very grateful.

Stephen P. Silver

With all respect, one can intellectualise about the sources of the Muslim faith but they are much the same for any religion. All 'holy' books were 'written', interpreted and re-interpreted and misinterpreted decades (centuries) later according to taste and propaganda needs. One only has to consider reports (in the press) of recent events (whatever they are) to realise that things are not as they seem, or are purported to be. Who in his right mind (and I use the term advisedly) would put his faith (again a loaded word) in texts that were 'written' (when most could not write) during the last two millenia?

Whatever efforts of unbelievers addressed into criticizing The Holy Qur'an, it will be finally tend to be the way of getting initial entrance into Islam and it is because they (reseacrhers) will finally get no answer unless that THE HOLLY QUR'AN it self has the answer

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Excellent! :-)