Features
- Cover Type: Hard Cover with 535 pages
- Published by: Prometheus Books October 2, 2006
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 1591024536
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-1591024538
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Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6.1 x 1.7 inches
- Weighs: 1.9 pounds
From Booklist
Emerson is a somewhat controversial independent journalist who dedicated his career to alerting the public and the government about Islamic terrorism well before the 9/11 attacks. Consistent with his recent
American Jihad: The Terrorists Living among Us (2002), which warned of domestic threats (as well as chronicling Emerson's struggle to convince a skeptical public), his latest selection vociferously asserts that terrorists "have insinuated themselves in the structure of American society," pursuing violent ends through "advocacy groups, an array of disingenuous charities and foundations, corporate financing networks, and the halls of academia." Here, Emerson matter-of-factly names and catalogs a host of such organizations and narrates each group's specific activities, footnoted to news articles and government reports. Given the nature of the topic, it is difficult to tell which of Emerson's many claims are credible and which err on the side of overstatement (something Emerson has been accused of before). This book will be most sought after by readers hungry for factual specifics about possible threats rather than for more nuanced theoretical or historical approaches to the topic.
Brendan DriscollCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Review
"Richard Clarke, chair of the Counter-Terrorism Security Group from 1992-2003, says Emerson's catalogue of terrorist activities and terrorists operating in the U.S.A. and overseas is `a scary reminder of the prevalence of terrorism in American society.'" --
Sunday Tribune- Review, Greensburg, PA
Reader ReviewsThe Jihadists have a track record that demonstrates that we should take their statement of aims seriously. Their goal is a world wide Caliphate and that means they have to continue to undermine existing non-Muslim governments. This they are doing not only through direct attacks, but also by their work within countries. They push acceptance of their way of life in the name of cultural sensitivity and in some countries are making progress in building their own legal system based on Sharia. In the United States, they use our freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and open borders to not only work their project of colonizing the country, but in laundering money to fund terror projects overseas. At least one group that is so dangerous that it is illegal in Pakistan operates openly in America. This vital book documents those many ways in which the Jihadists are working within America to further their war aims on the United States and the West. Steve Emerson and his team are among the most serious analysts of the ways in which traditional American values and culture are being exploited by these enemies. They raise the funds for terrorist projects within our borders and continue their plans to harm us while preparing for the next attacks on America and the West that will almost certainly come. This book's twelve chapters are organized into three parts. Part One is "Al Qaeda Targets the United States. Chapter One discusses the warnings we had about that something like 9/11 was going to occur. Chapter Two discusses Al Qaeda probing and learning about America's vulnerabilities. Chapter Three discusses documents how Al Qaeda has been organized inside the United States. Chapter Four looks at how Al Qaeda is organized internationally to attack American interests abroad. Part Two takes us through a dizzying array of other terrorist networks working against the United States. What I especially appreciate is the way the chapters on Hamas, Hizballah (meaning literally the Party of Allah (or the party of God), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and The Pakistani Jihadist Network disabuse the reader of some of the public relations work that Jihadist apologists make for the humanitarian work these groups present to the world. There may be much about the Jihadist dream of the Caliphate that is primitive, but they do know how to use technology and especially how to use the Western media against Western interests (even to the point where the Western media (such as CNN) even states that it wonders what the true Western interests are and sees much of the Jihadist terror work through a lens of moral equivalence. Part Three unravels the funding of terrorist networks through charities, foundations, and advocacy groups. It is notable that the names of these groups sound quite wonderful. Who could object to the "Global Relief Fund", for example? And when one group is exposed or shuttered by the government, the founders of those groups who aren't jailed or deported found something else. What about Kindhearts? What could be nicer than that? However, the U.S. Dept. of treasury has said that this group is a sham face and that it has ties to the Holy Land Foundation, the Global Relief Fund, and Hamas. The SSAR Network is a series of foundations, entities without assets or activity, and even investment into startup companies that hold government contracts. This could be quite disturbing given the use the terrorist networks can make of any bit of knowledge of government activity. There are also many extremist mosques in our country that are funded by the Saudis and Pakistanis that not only recruit for the Jihadists, but also act as a protected place to organize and plot their activities. It is difficult to act on this because of the way we protect religion and private belief. However, plotting of criminal activity would seem to be something beyond the protections afforded to religion. And there is a great deal the Jihadists are doing through the web and with other communications technologies (such as hard to trace cash cards and pay in advance cell phones). This book should be read and used whenever you hear anyone wanting to understand the real history, roots, and activities of groups like CAIR and its friends, let alone all the more explicitly Jihadist organizations. It is real and it is here. We all need to become more aware of what these folks are on record as saying, what they are working toward, and how they are doing it.