The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11 [Hardcover]

Dinesh D'Souza (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 16, 2007

From THE ENEMY AT HOME:

“In this book I make a claim that will seem startling at the outset. The cultural left in this country is responsible for causing 9/11. … In faulting the cultural left, I am not making the absurd accusation that this group blew up the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I am saying that the cultural left and its allies in Congress, the media, Hollywood, the nonprofit sector, and the universities are the primary cause of the volcano of anger toward America that is erupting from the Islamic world. The Muslims who carried out the 9/11 attacks were the product of this visceral rage—some of it based on legitimate concerns, some of it based on wrongful prejudice, but all of it fueled and encouraged by the cultural left. Thus without the cultural left, 9/11 would not have happened.

“I realize that this is a strong charge, one that no one has made before. But it is a neglected aspect of the 9/11 debate, and it is critical to understanding the current controversy over the ‘war against terrorism.’ … I intend to show that the left has actively fostered the intense hatred of America that has led to numerous attacks such as 9/11. If I am right, then no war against terrorism can be effectively fought using the left-wing premises that are now accepted doctrine among mainstream liberals and Democrats.”

Whenever Muslims charge that the war on terror is really a war against Islam, Americans hasten to assure them they are wrong.  Yet as Dinesh D’Souza argues in this powerful and timely polemic, there really is a war against Islam.  Only this war is not being waged by Christian conservatives bent on a moral crusade to impose democracy abroad but by the American cultural left, which for years has been vigorously exporting its domestic war against religion and traditional morality to the rest of the world.

D’Souza contends that the cultural left is responsible for 9/11 in two ways: by fostering a decadent and depraved American culture that angers and repulses other societies—especially traditional and religious ones— and by promoting, at home and abroad, an anti-American attitude that blames America for all the problems of the world. 

Islamic anti-Americanism is not merely a reaction to U.S. foreign policy but is also rooted in a revulsion against what Muslims perceive to be the atheism and moral depravity of American popular culture.  Muslims and other traditional people around the world allege that secular American values are being imposed on their societies and that these values undermine religious belief, weaken the traditional family, and corrupt the innocence of children. But it is not “America” that is doing this to them, it is the American cultural left. What traditional societies consider repulsive and immoral, the cultural left considers progressive and liberating.

Taking issue with those on the right who speak of a “clash of civilizations,” D’Souza argues that the war on terror is really a war for the hearts and minds of traditional Muslims—and traditional peoples everywhere.  The only way to win the struggle with radical Islam is to convince traditional Muslims that America is on their side.

We are accustomed to thinking of the war on terror and the culture war as two distinct and separate struggles. D’Souza shows that they are really one and the same.  Conservatives must recognize that the left is now allied with the Islamic radicals in a combined effort to defeat Bush’s war on terror. A whole new strategy is therefore needed to fight both wars.   “In order to defeat the Islamic radicals abroad,” D’Souza writes, “we must defeat the enemy at home.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Conservative pundit D'Souza (Illiberal Education) roots the blame for the 9/11 attacks in the left wing's "aggressive global campaign to undermine the traditional patriarchal family" in this mostly lucid but unconvincing argument. Pointing to Hillary Clinton, Britney Spears and Noam Chomsky, he decries those who have teamed up with Hollywood and the U.N. to foist an irreligious, sexually licentious, antifamily liberal culture—epitomized by Eve Ensler's play The Vagina Monologues and gay marriage initiatives—on a Muslim world that rightly reviles it. By deliberately attacking Islamic values, the left tacitly allies itself with al- Qaeda in its effort to defeat Bush's war on terror and thus discredit conservatism at home, he asserts. But D'Souza's claim that Islamic extremists are inflamed solely by America's music videos and feminists—not its U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or American support for Muslim dictators—is too single-minded. For example, he paints Abu Ghraib poster-girl Lynndie England as the personification of liberal sexual depravity, without acknowledging that the U.S. Army sent her to Iraq, not the left. Charging that liberals aid terrorists while sympathizing with the terrorists' culturally conservative worldview, D'Souza's critique of American cultural excess trips over its own inconsistencies. (Jan. 16)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

D'Souza once again turns his eye for social criticism to liberals, this time asserting their responsibility for the rise of anti-Americanism abroad and perhaps even the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The cultural Left in the U.S., by pressing for sexual freedom for women and gays through birth control, no-fault divorce, and support for gay marriage, has not only undermined American culture but also provoked the ire of religious conservatives in other nations, most prominently Islamic fundamentalists. Contrary to President Bush's assertions that terrorists and their supporters hate American freedom, D'Souza asserts that what they really hate is our licentious culture. He notes that American conservatives have more in common with Islamic Fundamentalists than with American liberals. He outlines a battle plan for the Right that includes building alliances with traditional Muslims and enlisting them in the war against radical Islam. This is an interesting perspective on the hostilities between the West and the Muslim world, particularly in light of the ongoing declared war against terrorism. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (January 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385510128
• ISBN-13: 978-0385510127
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #878,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 2010, Dinesh D'Souza was named the president of The King's College, a Christian college located in the Empire State Building in New York City. The mission of The King's College is to transform society by preparing students for careers in which they help to shape and eventually to lead strategic public and private institutions.

D'Souza brought to The King's College a distinguished 25-year career as a writer, scholar, and public intellectual. A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, D'Souza also served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Called one of the "top young public-policy makers in the country" by Investor's Business Daily, D'Souza quickly became known as a major influencer on public policy through his writings. His first book, Illiberal Education (1991), publicized the phenomenon of political correctness in America's colleges and universities and became a New York Times bestseller for 15 weeks. It has been listed as one of the most influential books of the 1990s.

In 1995, D'Souza published The End of Racism, which became one of the most controversial books of the time and another national bestseller. His 1997 book, Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader, was the first book to make the case for Reagan's intellectual and political importance. D'Souza's The Virtue of Prosperity: Finding Values in an Age of Techno Affluence (2000) explored the social and moral implications of wealth.

In 2002, D'Souza published his New York Times bestseller What's So Great About America, which was critically acclaimed for its thoughtful patriotism. His 2003 book Letters to a Young Conservative has become a handbook for a new generation of young conservatives inspired by D'Souza's style and ideas. The Enemy at Home published in 2006, stirred up a furious debate both on the left and the right. It became a national bestseller and was published in paperback in 2008, with a new Afterword by the author responding to his critics.

Just as in his early years D'Souza was one of the nation's most articulate spokesmen for a reasoned and thoughtful conservatism, so in recent years he has been an equally brilliant and forceful defender of Christianity. What's So Great About Christianity not only intelligently explained the core doctrines of the Christian faith, it also explained how the freedom and prosperity associated with Western Civilization rest upon the foundation of biblical Christianity. Life After Death: The Evidence shows why the atheist critique of immortality is irrational and draws the striking conclusion that it is reasonable to believe in life after death. His most recent book The Roots of Obama's Rage (Regnery, 2010) has been described as the most influential political book of the year and has proven to be yet another best seller. These books--not to mention a razor-sharp wit and entertaining style--have allowed D'Souza to participate in highly-publicized debates about Christianity with some of the most famous atheists and skeptics of our time.

One of D'Souza's favorite venues for debates and speeches has been college campuses. During the past 20 years, he has appeared at hundreds of colleges and universities, and has spoken with hundreds of thousands of students in these live settings. In recent years he has taken on the New Atheists such as Christopher Hitchens, Peter Singer and Michael Shermer.

Born in Mumbai, India, D'Souza came to U.S. as an exchange student and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.

D'Souza has been named one of America's most influential conservative thinkers by the New York Times Magazine. The World Affairs Council lists him as one of the nation's 500 leading authorities on international issues, and Newsweek cited him as one of the country's most prominent Asian Americans.

D'Souza's articles have appeared in virtually every major magazine and newspaper, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, New Republic, and National Review. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including the Today Show, Nightline, The News Hour, O'Reilly Factor, Moneyline, and Hannity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

110 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful & Deeply Disturbing to Liberals, April 5, 2007

By 

L. C. Robinson "-montana" (Fountain Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11 (Hardcover)

I have read and reread Mr. D'souza'a new book as well as many of the Amazon reader's reviews. I can see how upsetting the author's book can be to a person who's deeply held - "secular beliefs" bordering on religion - are scrutinized and criticized from a devote Muslims perspective.

Mr. D'souza is not a Muslim however he has spent the last 4-years studying the sermons, speeches and writings of Muslim leaders. The author has not just explored contemporary Islam but has delved into the history of this great religion to better inform the reader in identifying who Muslims really are, moderate and fundamentalist both. All to answer the perplexing question, "Why they hate us?"

Do they hate us for our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, our free market economy or that McDonald's restaurants are springing up all over the world? The short answer is no. Nor do they hate us for our freedom. They hate us for how we USE our freedom. They hate is because we have inundated the Middle East and much of the third world with a pervasive, immoral secular based culture that threatens the very foundation of their culture and traditions. If America were under such an attack we would hate the purveyor as well.

Leftists, liberals, atheists and secular crusaders of all stripes will not hear and will not consider that Mr. D'souza may be on to something. Many will scoff and criticize the author without giving his view a fair hearing, as to do so would undermine deeply held convictions that the left in America believes are above criticism. Anyone considering the authors points with merit will immediately be branded, a bigot, racist, homophobe or misogynist. Since the left will not have a logical argument against Mr. D'souza they will use invective as a defense, it is the only defense they have.

I recommend this book to anyone that is open minded enough to consider rational argument.

209 of 280 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Did ANYONE Read this book???, January 21, 2007

By 

G. Scimeca "GDS" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11 (Hardcover)

It seems that every reviewer here read an interview, or saw the author on Comedy Central, then rushed to write a review here loaded only with a vague concept of this book's central themes.

First, it should be noted that the author talks about the motivation behind the book, that in today's public discourse there is very little focus on the cultural aspects of America that could be fomenting hate and terrorism against us. There was a void on the subject which he has filled; as he says, "let the debate begin."

Now whether you ultimately agree with him or not, this IS a debate worth having, not just as it affects our current conflict, but as it informs us as a nation to take a good hard look in the mirror at times.

Many people, usually liberal but not always, are often eager to discuss "why" people hate us, and what WE have done to create such enemies that would be willing to become martyrs in a struggle to defeat us. There is a vague sense that maybe we HAVE done something to earn the title of "great satan," but there's a difficulty in expressing what this is.

Perhaps it is our military dominance, our heavy-handed diplomacy, or our choice of friends. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Often it comes down to our support of Israel. But to say a discussion concerning how we achieved the status of enemy #1 in the muslim world is absurd is to ignore many current discussions now taking place.

I encourage people to HAVE this conversation, even if you don't agree with it; it is well worth having. I can say that I have had it, in large part with a group of friends of mine from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt. We talk about this topic all the time, and I find what they have to say very credible.

First, many of them grew up watching our TV - I had no idea that 90210 and Cosby played in Turkey and Jordan, but they do. My friends came here because they love America, many people in the Middle East do, even while being conflicted about our culture.

Just as our military and diplomatic weight affects nearly every country in the world, so does our culture. In many of these countries, and others in Asia, there is a sincere and well-founded fear in the effects of American culture on their country, and extremists have seized upon these fears and exploited the concerns of many, especially the religious.

But even in non-religious countries such as China, there is a fear that openness with the West will lead to cultural degradation, a breakdown of family and community, and lead to a moral rotting.

These countries on a regular basis make sure their citizens are aware of the many problems in America; from high illegitimacy, to prostitution, to single parenthood, to drug use, and on and on and on. These people love America, but also fear it. They fear what it will do to them as individuals, as well as their culture. In large part, these people agree with many in middle America who regularly cast their vote for politicians who simultaneously vocally stand against moral corruption in our culture.

To say that these fears are not seized upon by our enemies in a PR campaign to defeat us is to stick your head in the sand. Of course they do, and in fact are at the root of why it is often easy to turn great chunks of the population against us. The Soviet Union has been heavy-handed militarily in the Middle East for years, but they have never earned the status of being a "great satan" because they never exported their culture.

Now look at today's left in America. They hate Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and every (hypocritical) religious conservative and there Philistine ideas about women, abortion, gays, etc. "Why, they are just a bunch of closed-minded, bigoted, religious fundamentalists!"

But is America's left as scornful of Islamic fundamentalists, who make Jerry Falwell look like Jane Fonda by comparison? Hardly, in fact there is often sympathy for them. The current leader of Iran denies the Holocaust and threatens Israel daily - but where is the outcry against him? The Democrts in Congress attack Bush when he stands up to Iran, not the other way around. New York Times journalists discuss why Ahmenididjad is such a "puzzling" figure.

This guy is a dangerous madman, but he doesn't deserve harsh condemnation from the LEFT; he deserves "understanding." Nice.

Have a look at this book, at least with an open mind. See what it says both about us and our enemies. While I tend to see as the people that want to kill us as the "enemy" we should be mindful of the cultural signals we send that identify our ultimate intentions as a society.

For aiding this discussion, this book deserves more than passing attention or scorn.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Necessary argument but incomplete, June 22, 2008

By 

J. Davis (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11 (Paperback)

D'Souza is onto something here. His thesis, that Muslim terrorists hate America because of our permissive (degenerate) society, has more than a grain of truth. It's hardly conjecture: Bin Laden said as much in his Letter to America in 2002: "we call on you to abandon fornication, adultery, gambling, and usury." It is the realization of this often missed variable that makes the Enemy at Home a necessary read.

Unfortunately, D'Souza regrettably grapples with only part of the reason for anti-American hatred. Al-Qaeda also hates our support of Arab secular dictators and our support of Israel. D'Souza barely mentions those causes, and this lack of understanding gravely weakens the book's impact. Nor do I agree with his support for the Iraq war as necessary to fight Bin Laden. The main opponent in Iraq now is Iran. If U.S. troops left, Iran, not Al-Qaeda would be the main player there.

Overall, while I do recommend reading it, I urge the reader not to accept The Enemy at Home as the final word on the subject.