By the time of writing these lines, the forces of political Islam continue to brutalise and victimise people in general and women in particular in the Middle East and in the West.

 In Europe, they forcefully campaign against the law banning veil in state schools and state institutions. In opposing this progressive law, they hide their ugly faces behind ‘freedom of belief’, ‘religious intolerance’, ‘dress freedom’, and ‘religious freedom’, and who wouldn’t know that they have been and continue to be the very first brutal violators of the same rights.

In Canada, Islamists are trying to set up Islamic tribunal that would arbitrate on marital break-ups and other civil disputes among people from Muslim origin on the basis of the Islamic Sharia law. They seek to establish a state within a state in order to oppress people legally and officially. Of course, they would not do that without backing of the reactionary politics of multi – culturalism.

For over two decades, millions around the world have fallen victim to the forces of political Islam: countless people have been executed, beheaded, stoned to death, had their limbs cut off, flogged and maimed, bombed to pieces and routed by Islamic states, political Islamic movements and Islamic terrorists in Iran, the Sudan, Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Central Asia, and finally in America.

Political Islam is a reactionary movement that opposes women's rights, civil liberties and freedom of expression. They are for the enforcement of brutal laws and traditions, and the killing, beheading and slaughter of people from young children to the elderly. Violence and disregard for human life, dignity and happiness is part of their definition. Women have been and continue to be the first victims of this reactionary movement.

Western governments encourage and support political Islam as long as it would leave its weapons outside their borders, washes the blood from its hands and does not carry on its terrorist activities in the west. Of course western governments don’t mind at all about what Islamic terrorism and this barbarism does to Iraq, to Iran, to Palestine and to elsewhere in the Middle East. In fact, they brought this movement from the margins to the mainstream in the Middle East, supported and nurtured it.

Despite the efforts of progressive people around the world, fighting reaction and the terror of religion in general and political Islam in particular, remains our prime task. Now, more than ever before, secularism and the establishment of secular and egalitarian states have become an urgent and pressing need and demand of the people, both in the Middle East and in the West.

Movement for the separation of religion and state, for a secular education and for fighting the forces of organised religion is alive and dynamic. Combating political Islam is an integral part of this movement and remains our vital task.

In the Middle East, hopes continue coming from Iran where the society has changed dramatically and deeply since 1979. The movement for secularism and atheism, for modern ideas and culture, for individual freedom, for women's freedom and civil liberties is widespread. Contempt for religion and the backward ruling culture is deep. Women and the youth are the champions of this battle; a battle that threatens the foundation of the Islamic system.

We must push religion back to where it belongs, to the dark ages. To subordinate Islam to human and to reason remains our great task. Any change in Iran will not only affect the lives of people living in Iran, but will have a significant impact on the region and worldwide.

This book is a small step towards achieving this important task. It is a selection of my speeches and essays presented and published in International and national congresses and conferences and media around the world. I have tired to address the key issues in criticising Islam, in combating political Islam, in defending atheism, secularism, universalism and women’s rights, in exposing the reactionary ideas of cultural relativism and multi- culturalism and policies and practices which oppress people particularly women in Islamic environments in the Middle East and in the west.

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