Islam in the West: Why Telling the Truth Is Now 'Hate Speech'

On March 21, 2026, the Danish Free Press Society awarded Raymond Ibrahim with the Sappho Prize. This video contains the official award ceremony, including Mr. Ibrahim’s talk, which took place in Copenhagen.

In a press release, the Danish Free Press Society explained why Raymond Ibrahim was awarded the 2026 Sappho. An excerpt follows: “For more than a decade, Raymond Ibrahim has been one of the most rigorous and intellectually consistent voices in the international debate on Christian persecution, Islamism, and the historical conflicts between Islam and the West. 

His work is grounded in extensive study of primary sources — including classical Arabic texts, medieval chronicles, and modern jihadist documents. Combining scholarly depth with rare communicative clarity, he has made complex historical realities accessible to a broad audience. 

Ibrahim insists on something fundamental: that religion matters. That sacred texts matter. That history matters. And that violence committed in the name of God does not become less real simply because it is uncomfortable. 

He has systematically documented the ongoing and structural persecution of Christians in large parts of the Muslim world, and has placed contemporary conflicts within a broader historical framework in books such as Crucified Again, Sword and Scimitar, Defenders of the West, and most recently The Two Swords of Christ. 

It is precisely this insistence on taking religious sources seriously that has made him controversial. On several occasions, attempts have been made to cancel his lectures under accusations of “Islamophobia” — including at the U.S. Army War College in 2019.

The Danish Free Press Society awards the 2026 Sappho Prize to Raymond Ibrahim for his fearless, source-based scholarship exposing the persecution of Christians and the historical realities of Islamist violence — pursued with intellectual integrity despite sustained efforts to silence and discredit him.”