Jihad Joe [electronic resource] : Americans who go to war in the name of Islam / J.M. Berger.

ISBN:

9781597978668

Title:

Author:

Berger, J. M. (John M.), 1967-

Personal Author:

Berger, J. M. (John M.), 1967-

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

Washington, D.C. : Potomac Books, c2011.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 265 p.)

Contents:

The early years -- Al Qaeda's Americans -- The death dealers -- Project Bosnia -- Rebuilding the network -- War on America -- The rise of Anwar Awlaki -- Scenes from September 11 -- The descent of Anwar Awlaki -- A diverse threat -- The keyboard and the sword -- The future of American Jihad.

Local Note:

eBooks on EBSCOhost

Corporate Subject:

Qaida (Organization)

Subject Term:

Terrorists -- Recruiting -- United States.

Terrorism -- Religious aspects -- Islam.

Religious militants -- United States.

Jihad.

Islamic fundamentalism -- United States.

Format:

Electronic Resources

Electronic Access:

Click here to view

Publication Date:

2011

Publication Information:

Washington, D.C. : Potomac Books, c2011.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
363.3250973 22	1:E-BOOK	1	1:ONLINE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

They are Americans, and they are mujahideen. Hundreds of men from every imaginable background have walked away from the traditional American dream to volunteer for battle in the name of Islam. Some have taken part in foreign wars that aligned with U.S. interests, while others have carried out violence against Westerners abroad, fought against the U.S. military, and even plotted terrorist attacks on American soil. This story plays out over decades and continents: from the Americans who took part in the siege of Mecca in 1979 through conflicts in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Bosnia, and continuing today in Afghanistan and Somalia.

Investigative journalist J. M. Berger profiles numerous fighters, including some who joined al Qaeda and others who chose a different path. In these pages he portrays, among others, Abdullah Rashid, who fought the Soviets in Afghanistan; Mohammed Loay Bayazid, who was present at the founding of al Qaeda; Ismail Royer, who fought in Bosnia and Kashmir, then returned to run training camps in the United States; Adam Gadahn, a Jewish Californian who is now al Qaeda's chief spokesman; and Anwar Awlaki, the Yemeni-American imam with links to 9/11 who is now considered one of the biggest threats to America's security.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker Berger (Triple Cross) lifts the veil on the phenomenon of American jihadists in this timely and chilling examination. While most Americans were shocked when John Walker Lindh, the "American Taliban" and a U.S. citizen, was captured in Afghanistan in 2001, American citizens had been joining the international jihad for decades-Berger argues that at least 1,400 Americans have taken part in military jihad over the past 30 years. While most activity has taken place abroad, American jihadists also have struck at home-the 2009 Fort Hood, Tex., massacre, for example. Berger fears "it is likely that the American jihadist movement will succeed in a spectacular attack on home soil," and believes that knowing "why Americans take up the banner of jihad is the first step" will help to counter this problem. Drawing on detailed case studies of individual American jihadists, the author concludes that they are a diverse group and their "path to radicalization begins with a rock-solid belief that Muslims are a victim class." Berger's expose painstakingly lays out the scope and character of the American jihadist movement and points the way to a national debate on solutions. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and occupied the country for ten years, Muslims from several countries, aided and abetted by the Reagan administration's anti-Soviet stance, joined the "holy war," or jihad, against the Soviet Union to liberate Afghanistan from the grip of what they considered to be an atheistic foreign aggressor. With the defeat of the Soviet army, many of the jihadists continued their battle against an assortment of internal and external enemies. The U.S. invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq gave new impetus to them to confront Western powers and their regional clients. These jihadists, primarily Sunni extremists from Middle Eastern countries with pro-American governments, have been joined by a handful of Americans. Investigative journalist Berger (Intelwire.com) documents some 240 American citizen jihadists. By interviewing many of his subjects, including security officials and "Muslim radicals and counterradicals," as well as using data from U.S. government agencies, he seeks to explain why these Americans went to war. VERDICT The book's journalistic language makes it an easy read, best for nonspecialists and those who wish to supplement the news they get from mass media.-Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.