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bibliophilelinda's review against another edition
5.0
Insightful, compelling and very well-written. I couldn't put the story down.
elsiebrady's review against another edition
4.0
Omar's evaluation in the early pages of his book is very interesting. "This is the problem of modern Islam in a nutshell. We are totally dependent on the West--for our dishwashers, our clothes, our cars, our education, everything. This is humiliating, and every Muslim feels it. ... Once we had accomplished so much--in science, mathematics, medicine, philosophy. For centuries we ran far ahead of the West. We were the most sophisticated civilization in the world. Now we are backwards. We can't even fight our wars without our enemies' weapons." (p.38) He was not a devout Muslim but his time in the Al Qaeda camps certainly created conflict with his desire to perform jihad and fulfill his spy duties. As he worked with the French, British and German intelligence forces he was very frustrated with their lack of understanding of the Islamic issues. His frustration also included the willingness of Muslims to rationalize the killing of civilians under the guise of jihad. "Killing soldiers is war; killing civilians is murder." (p. 318). However, I was disappointed in Omar's conclusion: "I think the United States and all the others should get off our land, and stay off. I think they should stop interfering in the politics of Muslim nations. I think they should leave us alone. And when they don't they should be killed, because that's what happens to invading armies and occupiers." (318-319) I would like to think that progress in society would exclude war, that we could all live together as one happy family. But if all the terrorism would stop by the West moving out of any Arab nation, then wouldn't we also expect all the Muslims to return to their own nation?
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure where to begin with this one: the in depth "behind the scenes at a jihad training camp"? the ineptitude of the French (and British and German) intelligence services? the casualness of dedication to a specific jihad in favor of any jihad? All of the above?
Nasiri's tale of his life as a spy is at times riveting and at times horrifying but always readable. When describing his training, I kept thinking about how the guns, explosives and chemicals were simply toys to him - you can almost see him internally jumping for joy the first time he handles an AK-47. His motivations for joining in jihad are a mixture of belief in getting American (and European) influence out of Muslim lands, the opportunity to play with cool toys, and his desire to be "taken care of" by the DGSE.
I wonder how many other jihadis share his background and his sensibilities, and whether we will ever be able to find a middle ground.
Copy provided by publisher.
Nasiri's tale of his life as a spy is at times riveting and at times horrifying but always readable. When describing his training, I kept thinking about how the guns, explosives and chemicals were simply toys to him - you can almost see him internally jumping for joy the first time he handles an AK-47. His motivations for joining in jihad are a mixture of belief in getting American (and European) influence out of Muslim lands, the opportunity to play with cool toys, and his desire to be "taken care of" by the DGSE.
I wonder how many other jihadis share his background and his sensibilities, and whether we will ever be able to find a middle ground.
Copy provided by publisher.
buttermellow's review against another edition
4.0
Great book!! The parts of him inside Al Qaeda were by far the most interesting, it brought my head around to their mindset and put some real insight into the other side's reasoning. So much better just because it is true.
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