Kregel Official Statement on Unveiling Islam (August 9, 2010)

I recently started this blog and my second posting looked at some inconsistencies in the Caner testimonies that diverged from the account in Unveiling Islam. I did this because because the press release by Kregel seemed oblivious (at least in my mind) to primary source evidence that I could both hear and read. There then followed some email exchanges between myself and Kregel.  Kregel promised and delivered a public statement in relation to several emails I sent to Kregel. I think the email speaks for itself and shows that publishers do occasionally listen.

Official Kregel Statement (August 9, 2010)

Thank you for your email of July 27, asking me to review issues related to the book Unveiling Islam by Ergun Caner and Emir Caner. You stated that “I hope book sales are not more important than the truth. I believe anyone who is absolutely honest will see discrepancies.”

I first want to assure you that book sales are not more important than truth to our company, which has a 100-year history of Christian bookselling and publishing. Second, Liberty University's position is that Dr. Caner has made “factual statements that are self-contradictory.” These were “discrepancies related to matters such as dates, names and places of residence.” In the press release from Kregel, we acknowledged the conclusions reached by Liberty, and we agree that there are many public statements by Dr. Caner that need to be explained.

In regard to the book Unveiling Islam, the only section of biographical material regarding the Caner brothers’ lives is contained in the Introduction. After reviewing numerous primary sources and consulting persons with first-hand knowledge of their lives, we believe the biographical information in Unveiling Islam is factual. Subsequent statements by Ergun Caner in sermons and other forums, which contradict the published biographical material in Unveiling Islam, need to be resolved by Dr. Caner, and we have asked him to do so. At no time was any pressure brought to bear upon Kregel Publications—from our owners, the authors, or any third party—regarding the continued publication of the book.

Some critics of Unveiling Islam have pointed out inconsistencies in citations of the Hadith and in referencing versions of the Qur’an. After reviewing a list of issues regarding these citations, we agree that the reference style should be more consistent. This, however, is an issue of editorial style, which does not mean that the substance of a quotation is, in itself, wrong. While Unveiling Islam is not a work intended for scholars, we take responsibility for its failure to reflect correct editorial style and will correct future printings to reflect proper citation of versions of the Hadith and interpretations of the Qur’an. The present copyright page does identify two interpretations of the Qur’an that are used in the book. The majority of citations from the Hadith are from one source, and this should have been noted on the copyright page as well under an entry, “Unless otherwise noted, quotations marked as “Hadith” are from . . . .”