The Al Qaeda Reader: The Essential Texts of Osama Bin Laden's Terrorist Organization
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Book Summary Information
Editor: Raymond IbrahimEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-07
ISBN: 076792262X
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Broadway
Book Reviews of The Al Qaeda Reader: The Essential Texts of Osama Bin Laden's Terrorist Organization
Book Review: Al Qaeda, in its own words...
Summary: 5 Stars
To the very considerable extent that the confict between the West and al Qaeda is a war of ideas, 2007's "The Al Qaeda Reader" is essential for understanding al Qaeda's point of view. Raymond Ibrahim has done American readers a great service in translating and editing a selection of al Qaeda documents on theology and propaganda. As Ibrahim notes in his introduction, "This volume of translations, taken as a whole, proves once and for all that, despite the propaganda of al-Qaeda and its sympathizers, radical Islam's war with the West is not finite and limited to political grievances - real or imagined - but is existential, transcending time and space and deeply rooted in faith."
"The Al Qaeda Reader" is divided into sections, beginning with a glossary of Arabic terms and important figures in Islam, then plunges into four documents on al-Qaeda's version of Islamic theology. These four documents make very clear that al Qaeda has no interest, indeed, cannot conceive of a live-and-let-live accomodation with the West. Al Qaeda instead offers the West three choices: Convert to Islam, agree to live under Islamic authority, or die. Al Qaeda believes that Islam demands offensive jihad of all its adherents, and this belief justifies all its tactics, whether suicide bombers or the slaughter of innocent non-combatants. Further, al Qaeda has no use for democracy, which it sees as a direct contravention of the authority of Allah and of the Sharia.
The second part of the book is a selection of propaganda statements made by al Qaeda leaders, including Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden. Its principal value is to show the extent to which Al Qaeda leaders are capable of spinning a potent combination of half-truths and fantasy in dealing with the West and with its own followers. In al Qaeda's world, a vast, vague but evil conspiracy of Zionists, the West, and apostate Islamic rulers threatens to overwhelm the world, held back only by the heroism of a few true Islamists. An inability to defeat the West in a head-to-head military manner is buried beneath the glorification of acts of terrorism and a stunning series of lies about the nature of recent events in Palestine, Afganistan, and Iraq. The selections demonstrate how closely al Qaeda follows the Western media and how adept it has become in spinning events for the benefit of Western media.
Al Qaeda has convinced itself that a handful of Mujahedin not only defeated the Soviet Union in Afghanistan but destroyed the Soviet Union as well. Al Qaeda is similarly convinced, in spite of its failures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and elswhere, that the complete defeat of the West is just a matter of time. It no doubt counts on the inability of the West to recognized the implacable nature of its foe to contribute to that anticipated event.
This volume is very highly recommended to students of and participants in the global war on terrorism, who must understand the nature of al Qaeda if useful countermeasures are to be taken.
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Summary of The Al Qaeda Reader: The Essential Texts of Osama Bin Laden's Terrorist Organization
What do our enemies believe? What motivates their war against the West? What is their vision of the ideal Islamic society? Surprisingly, more than five years after 9/11, there is very little understanding of these questions.Despite our tendency to dismiss Islamic extremism as profoundly irrational, al-Qaeda is not without a coherent body of beliefs. Like other totalitarian movements, the movement?s leaders have rationalized their brutality in a number of published treatises. Now, for the first time, The Al Qaeda Reader gathers together the essential texts and documents that trace the origin, history, and evolution of the ideas of al-Qaeda founders Ayman al-Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden.
This extraordinary collection of the key texts of the al-Qaeda movement?including incendiary materials never before translated into English?lays bare the minds, motives, messages, and ultimate goals of an enemy bent on total victory. Al-Qaeda?s chilling ideology calls for a relentless jihad against non-Muslim ?infidels,? repudiates democracy in favor of Islamic law, stresses the importance of martyrdom, and mocks the notion of ?moderate? Islam.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of these works is how grounded they are in the traditional sources of Islamic theology: the Koran and the teachings of the Prophet. The founders of al-Qaeda use these sources as powerful weapons of persuasion, reminding followers (and would-be recruits) that Muhammad and his warriors spread Islam through the power of the sword and that the Koran is not merely allegory or history but literal truth that commands all Muslims to action.
In addition to laying bare al-Qaeda?s ultimate motives, The Al Qaeda Reader includes the organization?s propagandist speeches, which are directed primarily at Americans, Europeans, and Iraqis. Here, al-Qaeda?s many "official" accusations against the West are meticulously delineated, from standard complaints such as the Palestinian issue and Iraq to wholly unexpected ones concerning the U.S.?s exploitation of women and the environment.
Taken together, the Theology and Propaganda sections of this volume reveal the most comprehensive picture of al-Qaeda to date. They also highlight the double-speak of bin Laden and Zawahiri, who often say one thing to Muslims in their religious treatises ("We must hate and fight the West because Islam commands it") and another in their propaganda directed at the West ("The West is the aggressor and we are fighting back merely in self-defense").
Westerners from across the political spectrum will be fascinated and enlightened by The Al Qaeda Reader?s insights into the nature of Islamic texts and the ways in which al-Qaeda has used these texts to manufacture hatred against our civilization and our way of life.
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