Al Qaeda: Brotherhood of Terror [Paperback]

Paul L. Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 8, 2002

Al-Qaeda: Anatomy of Terror examines the network's religious roots, its widespread organizational reach (including the U.S.), its complex political and religious agenda, and its terrifying tactics. The book includes a chilling account of life within al-Qaeda that comes in part from the testimony of members of the Bin Laden group, including Jamal Ahmed al-Fadl, who was arrested for staging the August 1998 suicide bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. It describes al-Qaeda's capabilities of acts of mass destruction, including stockpiles of nuclear "suitcase bombs" and its ability to produce chemical, bacteriological, and radiological weapons. It is impossible to understand the present situation without also understanding the often violent history of Islam and its factions. Al-Qaeda: Anatomy of Terror covers not only the social, political, and economic factors that have led to the creation of this elusive terrorist network, but also uncovers its religious roots in fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran and the widespread support for those interpretations among radical Islamic groups worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Al-Qaeda: Anatomy of Terror examines the network's religious roots, its widespread organizational reach (including the U.S.), its complex political and religious agenda, and its terrifying tactics. The book includes a chilling account of life within al-Qaeda that comes in part from the testimony of members of the Bin Laden group, including Jamal Ahmed al-Fadl, who was arrested for staging the August 1998 suicide bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. It describes al-Qaeda's capabilities of acts of mass destruction, including stockpiles of radiological weapons. It is impossible to understand the present situation without also understanding the often violent history of Islam and its factions. Al-Qaeda: Anatomy of Terror covers not only the social, political, and economic factors that have led to the creation of this elusive terrorist network, but also uncovers its religious roots in fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran and the widespread support for those interpretations among radical Islamic groups worldwide.

About the Author

Paul L. Williams holds a Master of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Drew University. He has taught theology, humanities, medieval history, and philosophy at the University of Scranton, and for the past seven years has served as a consultant on organized crime and international terrorism for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 1st edition (February 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028643526
• ISBN-13: 978-0028643526
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,500,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative but has some flaws, April 10, 2003

By 

Blue Sky (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Al Qaeda: Brotherhood of Terror (Paperback)

This book on Al Qaeda has a useable index and references to additional research sources that you can look up on your own (including Internet websites). This gives the book an extra dimension to just being something you read and put away.

Williams manages to cram quite a bit into a compact soft-cover and does a good job of giving the reader a scare. He also tries to describe the structure of Al Qaeda and how it raises money for its activities. He could be more thorough describing the background on bin Laden and Islamic unrest but perhaps that would at least double the size of his book. His references are also a bit loose and there was at least one instance where I could not corroborate his information.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your time, January 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Al Qaeda: Brotherhood of Terror (Paperback)

A truly poor book that literally is cut and pasted from either on-line sources or other texts. Many factual errors, and unfortunately, not a single footnote in the entire book. Anyone who has more than a passing interest about Al Qaeda should go on to far better works on the subject.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good updated analysis of events, March 1, 2002

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Al Qaeda: Brotherhood of Terror (Paperback)

This is an excellent book about Bin Ladins organization. The author gives a history of Islam and relates it to Bin Ladins organization. He talks about things Bin Ladin did in Sudan that have never been talked about as in depth before. His information is probably one of the most accurate because he worked for the F.B.I.