I question the accuracy of this author's work.
For example: "At its beginning, the Koran was not conceived as the foundation of a new religion."
The 1910 Catholic Encyclopedia, states that Mohammed was the "prophet of Islam and the founder of Mohammedanism. . . ." It goes on to say: "The principal tents (sic) of Mohammedanism are laid down in the Koran."
Mohammed's intention was the unification of the Arab tribes and their expansion. The very word Islam means submission. Islam is seen as a political organization, which has no boundaries. The intent of Mohammed in the establishment of the Umma, the community or brotherhood. Western culture perceives this to be their statement of equality for mankind, but it must be remembered; if you are not Moslem you are not equal.
In the Islamic societies where Jews and Christians were allowed to exist they did not and do not have the same rights as a Moslem, and they were required to pay a special tax.
That may be so but it did not begin that way. If you have ever been exposed to linguistic dialects, you can then appreciate the subtle nuances that shape a language. I experienced this in Italy where from one small village to the next, the dialect changed dramatically, even to the point of incomprehension by the neighboring villagers. These dialects evolved over the course of many centuries, as a result of isolation. Today, Italian is the official language but in each family, their 'dialect' is still spoken and passed down from one generation to another. As family members leave their villages for northern cities, they initially take the dialect with them but their descendants eventually 'adopt' the dialect of the new community, if any. There was a movement in Italy at one time, to study and preserve many of these dialects. I don't know where that stands now, especially with the influx of middle eastern immigrants into the country.
That said, imagine the nomadic life of wandering tribes, in the Middle East. Amongst themselves, they spoke their 'native' dialect. If the Italian dialects can be so different from one village to another, how much more so in that large expanse of Syria and other Eastern lands. Christians seeking to evangelize these nomads, would have attempted to communicate with them in a common language, like Aramaic. This may well have been synthesized into the local dialect. Then when one tribe met up with another, a shared conversation on this topic would have been 'interpreted' into their dialect, thus 'distorting' the original words. Eventually, Mohammed pulled these scraps together into one book and wrote it in Arabic. As its author, he had free reign over its contents and chose what to accept and reject. That Jesus and Mary both appear in the Koran indicates, IMHO, clear evidence for some influence by christian evangelists. I may very well be wrong, but it makes perfect sense to me. Compound this with the outright refusal of Imams to explore the source material and original language of the Koran. They fear the Truth. We know the source languages of the Bible - Koine Greek and Aramaic. The Bible is an inspired book; the Koran is not. How much easier to keep people in the dark than to invite them into the Light of Truth!
For example: "At its beginning, the Koran was not conceived as the foundation of a new religion."
The author is quite correct making that statement. mohammad's intention was to take the mantle (so to speak) of the coming messiah he heard about from the hebrews he plagiarized from. When they wouldn't accept him as their prophet/messiah he turned on them...and slaughtered the very people who had given him and his followers sanctuary.
This is the 'verse' transmitted to him by 'allah' that gave him permission to carry out this evil deed:
“Oh prophet! We allow thee thy wives whom thou hast dowered, and the slaves whom thy right hand possesseth out of the booty which God hath granted thee. And he caused those of the people of the Book who had aided the confederates to come down out of their fortresses, and cast dismay into their hearts: some ye slew, others ye took prisoners. And he gave you their land, and their dwellings and their wealth for an heritage.”
And he gave you their land, and their dwellings and their wealth for an heritage.”
allah wanted them to have it all, obviously, sarc.
‘According to the biography of Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Ishaq, Prophet Muhammad himself sanctioned the massacre of the Qurayza, a vanquished Jewish tribe mercilessly. Thus some 600 to 900 men from the Qurayza were lead on Muhammad’s order to the Market of Medina. Trenches were dug and the men were beheaded, and their decapitated corpses buried in the trenches while Muhammad watched in attendance. Women and children were sold into slavery, a number of them being distributed as gifts among Muhammad’s companions, and Muhammad chose one of the Qurayza women (Rayhana) for himself. The Qurayza’s property and other possessions (including weapons) were also divided up as additional "booty" among the Muslims, to support further jihad campaigns.
http://www.faithfreedom.org/oped/SKM40715.htm
(Hell hath no fury greater than a false prophet spurned.)