Two good books
 

"In the Shadow of the Prophet" Milton Viorst

"Al-Qaeda: Casting a shadow of Terror" Jason Burke


If any of y'all have read any of these, I am interested in your thoughts.


For those that have not, I believe they both would be an insightful read.

I like Jason Burke's book because it contradicts the belief of Al-Qaeda being a network of networks. It gives a new outlook on AQ. Different who, why, and how questons and answers. In this book, Burke portrays AQ rather as a service to Islamic militants. An investor in Terr. activities. A function, not an entity.

Some main points
1) OBL main mission is to instigate (He is completing this mission, since 9/11 many more groups have taken the "initiative"
2) Only a small fraction of camps in afghanistan where "bin Laden" camps. Most consisted of HUM and other Pakistani supported
3) OBL and Yousef not linked
4) Misconception of AL- Qaeda ***


Viorst's book is good because it answers some of the questions of how/why militancy exists.

Covers the muslim fundamentalist view of secularism being intolerable and a force to be fought against. Answers why militants seek to go backwards in time to the restablishment of the Caliphate.

Main Points
1) Modernisms-orthodoxy-fundamentalism
2) Stagnation of Islamic states/society/progress
3) Innovation is bid'a (bad)
4) Imperfections of ruling
5) democracy-defiance of god's authority
6) Soviet Union bring fundamentalism to power
7) Islam cannot compromise/ fresh interp. of Quran Harmful


I am writing a 35 page paper on AQ. I will most deffinately use these books as sources.


regards

berdan

I'm reading Burke's book now too.
It certainly advances a new angle of thinking about AQ, not from a coherent organization with defined hierarchy, but as a fluid network of mutually aiding (albeit competitive) groups. It aims to explain the origin of these groups'miscontent towards the US and the West. Good book overall.