Was Napoleon a Muslim?
Napoleon Bonaparte and his French troops invaded Egypt in 1798. In Egypt, he aggressively courted the Muslim population, saying to one imam: “Glory to Allah! There is no other God but Allah; Muhammad is his prophet, and I am one of his friends…. The Qur’an delights my mind…. I love the prophet.” He told Egyptian imams that it was “the will of Muhammad” that the Egyptians ally with the French. He denounced the Russians to the Ottoman sultan, saying that they “abhor those who believe in the unity of God, because, according to their lies, they believe that there are three,” an echo of the Qur’an’s warning to Christians to “say not ‘Three’” (4:171), that is, do not profess the faith in the Holy Trinity.
So was Napoleon a convert to Islam, or just one in the seemingly endless line of Islamopanderers who think they can attain their goals by flattering, appeasing, and accommodating Muslims? Find out in my new book The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS, which you can order here now. Extremely high demand has depleted stocks, but the book is being reprinted and will be available again soon; get your order in now.
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