The book, "Why I am not a Muslim" was written after the Rushdie fatwa. Chapter 2 of the book is about the Origins of Islam. Ibn Warraq (not his birth name, it means 'son of bookseller') has become more public lately (he chaired the Secular Islam conference). His books have sold fairly well and while not rich he is well off enough to give away this chapter for free.
here is a sample:-------------
Muhammad was not an original thinker: he did not formulate any new ethical principles, but merely borrowed from the prevailing cultural milieu. The eclectic nature of Islam has been recognized for a long time. Even Muhammad knew Islam was not a new religion, and the revelations contained in the Koran merely confirmed already existing scriptures. The Prophet always claimed Islam 's affiliation with the great religions of the Jews, Christians, and others. Muslim commentators such as al-Sharestani have acknowledged that the Prophet transferred to Islam the beliefs and practices of the heathen or pagan Arabs, especially into the ceremonies of the pilgrimage to Mecca. And yet Muslims in general continue to hold that their faith came directly from heaven, that the Koran was brought down by the angel Gabriel from God himself to Muhammad...
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