In the aftermath of 9/11, America has been haunted by one question: why do they hate us? This book is an attempt to answer that question, tracing the roots of the crisis back to American's involvement in the Middle East, and in particular Lebanon. Journalist Lawrence Pintak was a correspondent for CBS in Beirut in the 1980s, where he witnessed the birth of the current 'terror': its tactics were honed there. In Seeds of Hate, he explores how America's flawed policy in the Lebanon transformed Muslim perceptions of the US -- from impartial peacekeeper to hated enemy of the Lebanese Muslims. Seeds of Hate is required reading for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of how and why the relationship between America and the Middle East is now more volatile than ever. Pintak explores the links between those who carried out the terror war in Lebanon and the current wave of terror, examining in-depth the ongoing -- but little publicised -- role played by key figures behind the Beirut bombings. He considers how the template for shaping would-be terrorists is being replicated from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia and speaks with victims of the earlier wave of terror. Pintak also explores the differences between terrorism of al-Qa'ida and its allies, and that of Palestinians on the West Bank. 'One of the most perceptive accounts of the nightmare in Lebanon' The Washington Post (reviewing Beirut Outtakes)
Lawrence Pintak is founding dean of The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. A former CBS News Middle East correspondent, Pintak has reported for many of the world's leading news organization from more than 60 countries.
Pintak has been called "the foremost chronicler of the interaction between the Arab and Western media worlds." He has been much in demand by news organizations around the world for commentary on the role of media in the Egypt revolution (see blog for links). He recently created "Covering Islam in America," a free, online course (IslamforJournalists.org).
A veteran of more than 30 years in journalism, Dr. Pintak specializes in the role of media in shaping policy and the perceptions of policy; the intersection of media, religion and conflict; and the impact of technology, culture and globalization on journalism.
Middle East Journal described his 2006 book, Reflections in a Bloodshot Lens: America, Islam & the War of Ideas (2006), as "an example of the best of contemporary journalism" and Amb. William Rugh, author of Arab Mass Media, said Pintak's latest book, The New Arab Journalist: Mission and Identity in a Time of Turmoil, is "a must read for anyone interested in media and in Arab politics.
Prior to his current post, Pintak spent four years as director of the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research at The American University in Cairo, where he ran the only graduate journalism degree in the Arab world and a variety of training programs for professional journalists. He also created the online publication Arab Media & Society(www.arabmediasociety.org), several internet resource sites for Arab civil society and media and the first "virtual newsroom" in Second Life.
As CBS News Middle East correspondent in the 1980s, he covered the Iran-Iraq War, the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the rise of Hezbollah and the birth of modern suicide bombing - including the 1983 destruction of the Beirut U.S. Marine barracks. In the 1990s, he reported on the overthrow of Indonesian President Suharto for The San Francisco Chronicle and ABC News. He has received two Overseas Press Club awards and two Emmy nominations.
His columns and op-eds appear in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, The Daily Star Beirut, The Daily News Cairo, Arab News, Gulf News, Tempo (Indonesia), The Jakarta Post, Al-Shurooq Egypt, the Turkish Daily News and other newspapers in the Middle East and Muslim world, along with Columbia Journalism Review online, Newsweek. WashingtonPost.com, CommonDreams.org, and a variety of U.S. and European outlets. His articles are at www.pintak.com.
Pintak has served as editor of an alternative weekly newspaper, editorial director of a major internet news site, and strategic communications consultant to a variety of governments, NGOs, industry groups and news organizations around the world. Previous books include Seeds of Hate: How America's flawed Middle East policy ignited the jihad (2003) and Beirut Outtakes: A TV Correspondent's Portrait of America's Encounter with Terror (1988).
Personal website: www.pintak.com
Twitter: @lpintak
