De Lacy O'Leary

De Lacy Evans O'Leary (1872–1957) was a British Orientalist who lectured at the University of Bristol and wrote a number of books on the early history of Arabs and Copts.

• History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races, is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.
  • Islam at the Crossroads, K. Paul, Trench, Trubner & Company, Limited, 1923, p. 8. Quoted by Fazlur Rahman Ansari in The Qur'anic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society (1973), p. 35.