I have a new article up at History News Network, entitled "An Islamic Historian's Response to Donald Trump's Proposed Muslim Immigration Ban." Its premise is that we let too many Sunnis, and not enough Isma'ilis, Ahmadis, Druze, etc., into the United States.  Please read and consider! 

 Under the Ottomans many Islamic sects lived in relative peace--if not quite this cushily. 

Earlier this week I appeared on the radio show "Conspirinormal" for almost two hours, 2/3 of which was on Islamic history (to include Muhammad, doctrines, jihad, caliphate, expansion, eschatology and how all these relate to modern issues like ISIS and Yemen and Iran) and the final section of which covered my new book on the political history of Middle-earth.  That first (long) segment is a good primer for anyone interested in Islamic issues, while the latter is a bit more specialized but still interesting--especially, of course, for fans of The Lord of the Rings.

 Shah Isma'il--with sword--lived in the Middle East, not Middle-earth. That mustache is the clue.

As you might have gathered by now, my latest book is about Middle-earth, not the Middle East: High Towers and Strong Places: A Political History of Middle-earth (that's the Amazon link; you can also get it, online, at Barnes & Noble, as well as BAM, or Books-a-Million). 

Last week the erudite, informed and intelligent radio host Derek Gilbert interviewed me regarding this foray into Tolkien studies. 

This is the first of a two-volume set, the second of which will be Bright Swords and Glorious Warriors: A Military History of Middle-earth.  

 One is a turbulent region wracked by wars and rumors of wars, a history of savage invaders from south and east, and oppressive religious systems.  The other is Middle-earth.