"Middle Eastern expert and media commentator Gerges takes us into the mindset of the jihadi, or holy warrior, that lies behind so many front-page headlines yet remains nearly impenetrable. Even before the 9/11 attacks, Gerges had gone in search of those whose lives were devoted to this crusade of hatred, first against their own secular governments, then against the West and the United States in particular. He talked extensively with Kamal al-Said Habib, a founder of the Jihadist Movement. Using Habib's life story, as well as the stories of dozens of other Islamic fundamentalists, Gerges's book puts a human face to events in the Middle East over the last thirty years, from the civil war in Lebanon to the war in Iraq and the terrorist attacks in London. Behind the jihadism of Habib and others, a battle is being waged for the soul of Islam itself."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

“I was told to come alone. I was not to carry any identification, and would have to leave my cell phone, audio recorder, watch, and purse at my hotel. . . .” For her whole life, Souad Mekhennet, a reporter for The Washington Post who was born and educated in Germany, has had to balance the two sides of her upbringing – Muslim and Western. She has also sought to provide a mediating voice between these cultures, which too often misunderstand each other. In this compelling and evocative memoir, we accompany Mekhennet as she journeys behind the lines of jihad, starting in the German neighborhoods where the 9/11 plotters were radicalized and the Iraqi neighborhoods where Sunnis and Shia turned against one another, and culminating on the Turkish/Syrian border region where ISIS is a daily presence. In her travels across the Middle East and North Africa, she documents her chilling run-ins with various intelligence services and shows why the Arab Spring never lived up to its promise. She then returns to Europe, first in London, where she uncovers the identity of the notorious ISIS executioner “Jihadi John,” and then in France, Belgium, and her native Germany, where terror has come to the heart of Western civilization. Mekhennet’s background has given her unique access to some of the world’s most wanted men, who generally refuse to speak to Western journalists. She is not afraid to face personal danger to reach out to individuals in the inner circles of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS, and their affiliates; when she is told to come alone to an interview, she never knows what awaits at her destination. Souad Mekhennet is an ideal guide to introduce us to the human beings behind the ominous headlines, as she shares her transformative journey with us. Hers is a story you will not soon forget.

Aukai Collins Has Been Described As A Beefylinebacker Blue-Eyed All-American Mujahid Holy Warrior Who Has Led A Life Of Faith, Danger, And Espionage In Some Of The Most Perilous War Zones On The Face Of The Earth. His Amazing Journey Started In 1993, When A Fellow Worshiper In His San Diego Mosque Suggested That He Go To Bosnia To Stop The Serb-Sponsored Genocide That Was Taking Place There. This Eventually Led Him To Usama Bin Laden'S Training Camps In Afghanistan, Where He Trained With The Most Aggressive And Terrifying Mujahideen In The World. But When Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh - The Man Accused Of Luring Wall Street Journal Journalist Daniel Pearl To His Death - Asked Him To Raid A Town In Kashmir That Would Include Hostage Taking And The Killing Of Civilians, Collin'S Life Took Another Turn. Although He Saw Jihad As The Highest Level Of Faith, And Would Even Lose A Leg While Fighting Jihad In Chechnya, Worldwide Attacks By Islamic Terrorists Shocked Him And He Became Disillusioned By The Way Some Were Using Islam To Further Their Own Ends Or Attack Innocents. He Was Recruited By The Us Government As An Undercover Operative In The Fight Against Terrorism. His Callous Treatment By Inept Members Of The Law Enforcement And Intelligence Community Provides Insight Into Why The Us Government Can'T Fight Against Something It Doesn'T Understand. The Fbi And Cia Have Now Spent Millions Of Dollars To Understand The Events That Led Up To September 11, Even As The Information Was Theirs For The Taking. Collins Not Only Became Acquainted With One Of The Hijackers, He Was Also Invited By Usama Bin Laden To Return To Afghanistan. My Jihad Is A Personal Story About The Biggest Threat To World Peace And Stability In Our Generation, As Told By An Insider On Both Sides Of The Conflict. (Published In Collaboration With The Globalpequot Press, U Sa)

The author re-evaluates the threat posed by Al-Qaeda following a decade of war.

The riveting true story of two sisters’ journey to the Islamic State and the father who tries to bring them home Two Sisters, by the international bestselling author Åsne Seierstad, tells the unforgettable story of a family divided by faith. Sadiq and Sara, Somali immigrants raising a family in Norway, one day discover that their teenage daughters, Leila and Ayan, have vanished—and are en route to Syria to aid the Islamic State. Seierstad’s riveting account traces the sisters’ journey from secular, social democratic Norway to the front lines of the war in Syria, and follows Sadiq’s harrowing attempt to find them. Employing the same mastery of narrative suspense she brought to The Bookseller of Kabul and One of Us, Seierstad puts the problem of radicalization into painfully human terms, using instant messages and other primary sources to reconstruct a family’s crisis from the inside. Eventually, she takes us into the hellscape of the Syrian civil war, as Sadiq risks his life in pursuit of his daughters, refusing to let them disappear into the maelstrom—even after they marry ISIS fighters. Two Sisters is a relentless thriller and a feat of reporting with profound lessons about belief, extremism, and the meaning of devotion.

Since September 11, Al Qaeda has been portrayed as an Islamist front united in armed struggle, or jihad, against the Christian West. However, as the historian and commentator Fawaz A. Gerges argues, the reality is rather different. In fact, Al Qaeda represents a minority within the jihadist movement, and its strategies have been criticized and opposed by religious nationalists among the jihadis, who prefer to concentrate on changing the Muslim world rather than taking the fight global. Based on primary field research, the author unravels the story of the jihadist movement and explores its philosophies, its structure, the rifts and tensions that split its ranks, and why some members, like Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, favored international over local strategies in taking the war to the West. Gerges asks where the jihadist movement is going, and whether it can be transformed into a non-violent, socio-political force.

Presents a look at "homegrown" Islamist terrorism, from 9/11 to the present, discusses the perpetrators who have acted both in the U.S. and abroad, and examines the controversial tactics used to track potential terrorists. --Publisher's description.