Customer Reviews

Why I Left Jihad: The Root of Terrorism and the Return of Radical Islam

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Much of this extremely thorough and well written study is written from an autobiographical perspective, describing in some considerable detail the personal experiences and faith of the author, together with an often disturbing insight into the ongoing situation in the Middle East. Particular attention being paid to the Palestinian/Arab-Israeli conflict.

The writer describes himself at the outset as having been born in Bethlehem of Judea, Israel. The significance of this precise statement emanates from the text as the reader is confronted with the author's experiences and personal faith, first as a devout Muslim and then as a born again Christian.

The source pulls no punches as he declares himself to be a former Palestinian Liberation Organisation terrorist who has been imprisoned for his participation in acts of incitement and violence against Israel.

It is difficult to remain unmoved when confronted with the account of how, from childhood, the hatred of Jews is described as having been his "education" and how he grew up believing that it was a righteous thing to hate and kill Jews.

The book describes how Walid's life was turned upside down, when through his studies, he discovered that "..everything that he had been taught about the Jews was a lie..."

The context surrounding this profound change of heart/mind, and what is cited as an "addiction of hate", presents the reader with a series of events encompassing Walid's attempt to convert his wife to Islam.

The book narrates how his wife refused to accept the validity of Walid's virulent hatred of the Jews and how he recounts her saying "show me in the Bible the bad things the Jews did". To accommodate her he then began to diligently study the Bible, factual history and other sources in order to substantiate his indoctrinated hatred.

What transpired becomes the platform for this excellent study, which is not only an autobiographical account of Walid, but also a detailed investigation into anti-Semitism, the Middle East, Christianity and Islam itself.

As the book progresses the writer declares that "...I am no longer a terrorist. I am a Christian, dedicated to peace and truth..."

Indeed, the entire message of this book cited as being written with the declared intent of bringing love and truth to anyone who is prepared to listen.

The brutal yet gripping honesty of the writer's involvement in terrorism, hatred of the Jews, and his uncompromising look at almost all the fundamental tenets of Islam is often quite disturbing.

The author describes how he found it amazing that when he was a self confessed terrorist, and a hater of the Jews, he was hailed as a freedom fighter. Yet, by way of comparison, when he became a Christian and began loving the Jewish people, he was suddenly abused as a "racist" and a "traitor".

The former PLO terrorist leaves the reader with the clear message that terrorists recognise no ethics or moral code and that the Israelis face an enemy with whom they cannot negotiate because the primary goal is not the territory. Basing such statements on personal knowledge/experience, the reader is shown that such aspirations are purportedly only secondary issues with the primary intent being the elimination of Israel itself. A plethora of references are provided to support this assertion.

The book illustrates how vigorously the West today is focussed upon creating a Palestinian state, while allegedly sidestepping he Palestinian Charter that is cited as calling for an Arab state in the place of Israel, with no Jews, and with Islam as the official state religion.

The book also investigates the alleged misinformation in the media together with what is called the "miasma of words that insulates the public from the evil of terrorism" in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. The book demonstrating how it is not difficult for extremists to allegedly explain Islam in a completely untruthful fashion to the unquestioning moderates and win them over by the droves. Such a statement being made within the context of sincere concern as to how so many Westerners, especially on the far left side of politics, allegedly demonise Israel and exonerate Islamic-Arab terror.

In the text (page 28) another issue expounded & discussed is that the alleged mentor of Osama bin Laden and the actual inspiration for Al-Qaeda was purportedly a Palestinian named Mustafa Azzam. The implications of this are addressed.

Through an abundance of references the reader is shown how Palestinian schools/textbooks are allegedly required to portray the existence of Israel as a catastrophe and how hatred of the Jews is purportedly an integral part of their curriculum.

The study also proceeds to investigate the Jewish claim to the Holy Land as described in the Hebrew Christian Scriptures. The book discusses how some elements of the professing Church within the Middle East allegedly adhere to the doctrines of replacement and liberation theology and do not recognise what he cites as the true place of Israel as literally cited in the Bible. One senior Church leader in Jerusalem is quoted on page 39 as being recorded on tape by the author as stating that "Israel must be eliminated, by whatever means".

Indeed, the entire situation in the Middle East is also discussed from a Biblical perspective, including the prophetic sections of the Hebrew Christian Scriptures pertaining to the end times and how such compare with those within the Islamic faith that the writer once adhered to.

Having studied the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Middle East for some three decades, I personally consider this to be one of the most timely, gripping and relevant studies of recent years and an account which is an absolute "must read" in relation to the ongoing situation in the region.

Walid Shoebat has risked his life to write what you will read in this book. Who else do you know that has a $10 million bounty on his head for the things he speaks and writes about? That alone should make a hundred thousand people curious enough to read what is in his book. What raw nerve has he struck? The Islamo-facist totalitarian haters obviously do not want Walid to share his insights and thoughts, simply because he is both annointed and effective as he shares. He is an unassailable spokesman for truth in the Middle East and Israel and this shines through in these pages. Walid shares with the reader his spiritual journey into truth, from hate to love. He explains his theological journey as well as his collision with reality and how he dealt with the darkness that he found in own heart. A unique and amazing book.

Quite simply, the most honest representation of modern Islamic Terrorism in print- why? Because the author lived it before turning his back on te violence and hatred that had consumed his life.

For the layman, acedemic, or expert, this book must be read.

This author exposes radical Islam for what it really is. Not political correctness in this book. The person who wrote the review, "A Murky Mase" completely misses the point of the book.

When Walid Shoebat was a Muslim, his goal was to spread death and destruction. And, under no uncertain terms was this 'extreme'. This was MAINSTREAM. ALL Palestinian children sung songs of killing Jews, dismemberment of Jews, and Jews' "heads rolling". ALL Palestinians were taught from childhood (yes, and infancy) to hate the Jews, that Israel was the Little Satan and the U.S. was the Great Satan, and ALL Palestinians were taught that there was no greater method of dying than to die in the process of killing Jews or Christians. They lived by the credo, "First Saturday, than Sunday", which refers to first killing those that have the Sabbath on Saturday (Jews) and then killing those that have the Sabbath on Sunday (Christians). The author specifically talks about looking forward to his 72 virgins in paradise as a teen. These are MAINSTREAM teachings (that began, by the way, before Israel became a country!).

Mr. Shoebat proves the point unequivocally that the wars in the Middle East, including Israel, has absolutely NOTHING to do with occupation and NOTHING to do with land. It is completely about Jihad and dar al-Islam (a world under Islamic rule or Islamic 'submission'), and he proves this point beyond any doubt.

Now that Walid Shoebat has left Islam and became a Christian, he spends every day risking his life to speak the truth of Islam and Jihad. Consequently, his own father has disowned him for leaving and his own brother has threatened his life and the lives of Walid's children. When one leaves Islam, he is branded an apostate. When one speaks negatively about Islam, he is branded a blasphemist. Both of these labels are punishable by death in Islam.

I want to recommend this book wholeheartedly because I believe the message is a positive one and I really want to support the author for writing it. However, as much as I admire Shoebat's bravery in speaking out against Islam's ideology of death and destruction, I am reluctant to do so unless the reader is a Christian or unless the reader can ignore the very many (bulk of the book) scriptural references. Some of us, for instance, are aware of Islam's danger, but are not evangelical Christians. I think this book might be a bit off-putting for those. For those readers interested in the subject, but not in religious references, I think there are other books that may be more helpful. I do want to stress, though, that Mr. Shoebat's life is fascinating, and his ability to leave absolutely everything he had been taught is very admirable. In addition, the scriptural references can be looked at in this vein, too. He uses the Christian references to argue in favor of Israel's right to exist, Judaism and religious freedom, and Zionism. I found it mostly very interesting, but his book is less of a personal story or memoir and more of a theological debate.

I saw Mr. Shoebat speak the other night and was completely impressed. If one has the opportunity to see him speak anywhere, please do so. He's entertaining, charming, and very interesting. His lecture is not peppered with religious references and is for absolutely everyone, everywhere, to hear.

Walid Shoebat is a brilliant man, a biblical scholar, and a jihadist who as been there and done that. First, he describes his journey from Islamist terrorist to Christian, starting with his Islamic education. He provides a comparison of the myths and reality of Jewish history, and a realistic appraisal of Palestine. The reader receives his first shock on page 26, the Hebron massacre. Next we the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a truly evil man, a man ignored by the West, and Yassar Arafat's role model. The man who met with Hitler, endorsed the "Final Solution," and founded the Bosnian-Muslim Dagger Division of the Nazi SS. Shoebat explains how the Nazi philosophy was included in his Palestinian education.

The remainder of the book is devoted to debunking common assumptions and a comparison of Islam to the Bible and Torah. The book ends with a discussion of Islam and the End of Times.

Shoebat's book is filled with quotations from the Qur'an and hadith, quotations from the Bible, and comparisons. The reader is left with much to contemplate.

A must read for all who seek to understand the basis of the growing conflict between Islam and the West. This book has found a prominent place in my growing library of reference books on Islam.

"If every Jew in the world were dead," Walid Shoebat writes in his personal memoir, Islamic jihad "would not end. The rest of you are infidels, too: Koreans, Japanese, Britons, anyone--even other Muslims who don't adhere to this cult of violence. The motto is 'Islam to the world.' The earth, they claim, belongs to 'Allah and His prophet'."

This book will be extremely significant to Christians seeking to understand their relationship (and that of their faith) to Israel and the Jewish people. Shoebat is amazingly proficient in biblical texts, and also extraordinarily adept at comparing the Christian and Islamic claims and texts.

But the book is also a valuable resource for all non-Christians who seek an understanding of the radical ideologies that dominate so much Middle Eastern Islamic and Christian discourse. He very well explains the importance--and what he considers errors--of Christian replacement theology, which argues that God's promise to the Jewish people was replaced with a promise to Christians after the Jewish people were dispersed from the holy land of Israel. Shoebat argues persuasively against the replacement theology, which he contends began erroneously to dominate Christian thinking with its introduction by St. Augustine.

However, whether or not one is a believing Christian, of any denomination, it is important to understand the conflicting Christian interpretations of the biblical promises outlined in the Old Testament, or Tenach. For these can and do have significant potential to effect current events and international attitudes and policies.

Far more important than Shoebat's explanations of varying Christian interpretations of biblical texts is his elucidation of Islamic theology dominating Palestinian Liberation Organization (to which he once belonged, as an avowed Jew-hater and terrorist)--and Palestinian Authority schools, media, mosques, churches (yes, churches) and politics.

The education he received, even in a Palestinian Christian school, Shoebat notes, was a Nazi education--which continues to dominate all schools, both Islamic and Christian, in the Palestinian Authority today. In fact, with the advent of Hamas to political control of the Palestinian Authority government, the problem has only grown worse. But, according to Shoebat, there is actually no difference between Hamas and PLO ideologies.

Shoebat reaches these conclusions from his own experience, the writings of scholars such as Lebanese law professor Antoine Fattal and 19th century scholar E. W. Lane--and from contemporary pronouncements by Yasser Arafat, Mufti Ikrama Sabri, Sheikh Hamid Al-Bitawi, Palestinain Consumer Protection Council chief Maher al-Dasuki, articles from Al-Hayat al-Jadeeda, and many other major Palestinian Authority clerics and officials.

Moreover, Shoebat ties their pronouncements to classical Islamic history, theology and jurisprudence, as stipulated by events under the reigns of Harun al-Rashid (786-809), al-Mutawwakil (847-861) and in the writings of al-Kindi (d. 830), classical Shafi'i jurist Al-Mawardi (d. 1058), and many others. The persecution of Jews under Islam was not limited to the time of Mohammed, Shoebat notes. It also occurred with great regularity throughout the 1,400 years that followed the Islamic conquest and domination of the Middle East and North Africa. Shoebat relates many specific atrocities in history to support this view.

Shoebat is fully fluent and literate in Arabic, that being his primary language. Therefore, his reading of historical events, accounts and doctrines is based on his own personal ability to read classical Arabic texts, current day newspapers, and to understand the volumes of daily oral hatred broadcast via PA radio and TV.

Shoebat' also provides critical information regarding Palestinian Christian leaders--like al-Bushra chief Labib Qubti, al-Sabeel head Niam Ateek (also founder of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center), Jerusalem patriarch Michel Sabbah, Rapprochement Center leaders Ghasson Andoni and George Rishmawi (with whom Shoebat grew up in Beit Sahour), Emil Salayta, Elias Chacour and others.

These Christians, he writes, misrepresent the Islamic compact to subjugate Christians and Jews, alike. They glorify Islam, he contends, intentionally omitting "the fact that Islam declared the Jews to be Dhimmis, an act that placed the Jews under the Omar Charter."

Unfortunately, he writes, they ignore the fact that the pact of Oman "was applied by Islam to Jews and Christians from time immemorial." They claim "that 'for centuries and centuries' Christians lived in peace and harmony with Muslims." But they ignore, he continues, "the million Armenians butchered by Muslims" in Turkey, "the 1.5 million Sudanese Christians annihilated in the past few years by Muslims," the massacres of Serbian Orthodox Christians in Bosnia, and "persecution of millions of Christians around the world."

The book also exposes the Islamic eschatology--which envisions the mass targeting and slaughter of the world's Jews, and the slaughter of all Christians who do not, afterwards, accept Islam.

One need not accept the Christian faith, as Shoebat has done, to garner great value from his personal knowledge of Islam, the Palestinian Authority and the dangers posed to the West by Islam's vision of one Islamic world government.

I have personally been maligned for reporting this man's story, and its relationship with Islamic history.

But Walid Shoebat is a man who lived this ideology for the better part of his life. He is a courageous man who lost his birth family and everything he owned to absolve his personal guilt--and expose that dangerous ideology to the West. We owe him a hearing.

There is a lot of excellent information - quotes from various sources, excerpts from the Koran, etc. - but I had expected a somewhat different book. I thought it would be about his experiences as a terrorist, what the terrorist organization was like from the inside, and his effort to remove himself from it. It really is a book about what Islam really is and then a long part at the end is an interpretation of End Time references in the Bible. There is nothing personal in the book.

What an excellent book with many things I had never heard before! Be prepared to rethink many of your assumptions concerning the end times. Gives good reasons to support why I am a Christian Zionist. God has spoken, and His Word is clear. The book ties together Israel's prophets and the book of Revelation. If I had to recommend one book on prophecy, this would be it! As Walid Shoebat says, "To all who seek Israel's destructiion, I say, 'Think Again.'"

Not really an autobiography, but a detailed comparison of the Koran and Bible. Analyzes the Koran's tenets and its justification for murder, servitude, etc., to achieve Islam's goals. Written by a a former committed Jihadist who was ultimately convinced of the fallacy and intolerance of Islam after self-directed research and study.