Said's book has, sadly, been hugely influential on thousands of university students, their professors, and many living in the islamic world. His book should not be read without concurrently reading Ibn Warraq's critique _Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said's Orientalism_.Said lays the blame for nearly everything wrong in the islamic world at the feet of the West, and thus helped entrench the culture of victimhood that feeds into suicide bombings and riots against political cartoons. By authorin this book, Said confirmed his place in History as an irresponsible poseur in scholarly trappings.