Rating: 
Summary: A knock out
Review: Dore Gold documents the Saudi role in bankrolling and inciting international terrorism up, down, and sideways. If I had any complaint about this tome, it is that it is too densely packed with information. The proof he presents is irrefutable and devastating. Everyone who wants to know what is going on needs to read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Entirely Correct
Review: As if we don't get enough of these talking heads over the airwaves, each trying to convince, yet all failing to persuade, today's environment and media saturated culture has now founded a target rich environment where they can peddle and advance their viewpoints without the redirected question of a host or moderator, the interruption of the guest in the other half of the screen crying "foul", or the inconvenience of the mandatory pizza commercial break, all through the magic of the hurriedly pressed written word. So what's the point here? Contrary to the old adage, in some instances a book should be judged by its cover, or at least by its author. Yes, Mr. Gold has a long list of credentials; yes he writes reasonably well; and yes, he, or his staff, have done some excellent research into his subject matter. However, I ask you, would you read a history of the ghettos of Soweto written by the white South African settlers, or an accounting of the Kurdish situation by the monster in Baghdad, or would your credulity permit you to entertain an accounting of the WWII Jewish experience written by the German SS? I think not. Mr. Gold is after all a right wing Israeli political representative and has a long and unabashed history of servitude to a particular cause for a particular government advocating a particular ideology, whose purposes are wholly served by portraying anyone in the opposition (Saudi Arabia is still "technically" in a state of war with Israel), in the blackest most evil terms possible, as is always the case in such matters. To the thinking man then Mr. Gold's motivation is therefore highly suspect for he comes to this endeavor from a very biased and prejudicial corner, and this work must then be automatically considered, rightly or wrongly, of doubtful sincerity. Under these circumstances, which I'm sure are well recognized by him, why he did not publish under a pseudonym is utterly beyond me. Having said that, let us take a look at what this book really has to offer. In brief: Nothing that we did not already know, suspect, or intuitively feel in the first interval after Sept 11, when the identity of the hijackers was released. While it is true that many of the elements discussed in the book do have some basis in fact; that the House of Saud is infinitely corrupt; that they have sold their souls to the devil (my words) in their unholy pact with the violently extremist and intolerant Wahhabi faction by letting them develop a ripe breeding ground for their evil and wholly warped and misguided interpretation of Islam, and have acquiesced to, and are complicit in, the worldwide export of this repugnant ideology in order to save their own reptilian skins; that they have attempted to further "buy" their own security by giving generously to those very same extreme elements who would eagerly turn upon them given half of a chance; and have allowed these supremely repressive clerical authorities in Saudi Arabia to terrorize and subjugate the impotent, hapless and deeply frightened populace to a degree one step above the Taliban, it is equally true that they have done so with the support, compliance and blessing of their Western overlords, and their intelligence services, in order to serve some particular ends which I'm sure that Mr. Gold is fully aware of, yet oddly never touches upon. Additionally, Mr. Gold uses as evidence excerpts of sermons and speeches, and hitherto unpublished documentation which although seemingly supportive, are none the less isolated remarks and unofficial or private transactions to the better informed eyes and ears of those of us who have been intently involved, well in advance of Sept 11, in the study of the country, history, religion, culture and machinations of the Saudi regime, and who unlike Mr. Gold have actually lived there "among the natives" for extended stretches of time. It is a patent case of exhibiting the exception rather than the rule, and the presentation of "evidence" that is as incriminating as the cancelled check in the hands of the IRA originating from a US account of an Irish fellow in Boston, who gave innocently to his favorite Irish charity. However, what really should be the clincher for the interested buyer reading this review is the fact that the information presented here is dated. While the assertions may have been somewhat verifiable before Sept 11, the truth is that since that fateful day when the Saudis got a very rude wake up call upon seeing what their hands had wrought, and becoming persona non grata the world over overnight, the security situation in Saudi Arabia has changed dramatically. No mention is made of the post Sept 11 crackdown by the now highly paranoid Saudis on the more extreme members of the Wahhabi clergy, and their seemingly successful attempts at tracking the movement of terrorism suspects, the incarceration of those same suspects, and the institution of tighter controls over transfer of funds in and out of the country. This is not to say that all is well and rosy in the kingdom; far from it in fact. But as far as this reviewer is concerned, the material presented by Mr. Gold is no longer apropos to the present situation in Saudi Arabia. This book is therefore in my humble opinion imbalanced for it sensationalizes where it should inform thus placing effect above cause, and symptom over disease. As for this book being a great expose of the recent history of the Middle East, well...that is the subject for another review entirely. There are infinitely better tomes available through this seller that will give a more comprehensive, less agenda driven biased view, which offer a more comprehensive and critically balanced look at the unfathomable dichotomy and social tragedy that is Saudi Arabia. If you must read it, then at least wait for the paperback edition; I'm sure your wait won't be that long.
Rating:
Summary: Superb!
Review: A brave and important book that should be read by the president, his cabinet and everyone in Congress. This is the real skinny on the danger that Saudi Arabia presents to the West and should be taken to heart by our policy makers to ensure our nation's future safety.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book Explaining the Complex Middle East
Review: Dore Gold has figured out the source of the new terrorism. It comes from Saudi Arabia. This book is a sweeping history that begins in the 18th century and moves right up to the present tense. It is extremely well-written. Everything is explained here: Saudi Wahhabism, Iraq and Saddam Hussein, the PLO, Israel, Osama bin Laden, as well as al-Qaeda. Thus although this is a book about Saudi Arabia, the reader picks up enormous background about the whole Middle East. I read this book just as America came under an Orange Alert and finally I understand who is standing behind the continuing threat. I agree with the former head of the CIA, James Woolsey, who wrote on the cover of Hatred's Kingdom, if you have to read one book that explains the hatred against America in the Middle East, it is this book. I hope the highest levels of the US government read this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but with a heavy bias.
Review: Though this book has many interesting things to say, it greatly worries me how many people are accepting it at face value. Remember who is writing this text, an adivsor, ambassador to the UN and foreign policy advisor for Israel. I'm sure that had someone less biased written an account of Saudi Arabia it would sound very different. Not to mention that many people have quite a few choice things to say about the actions of Israel itself. It is always a good idea to get many points of view, but we must remember that they are only points of view and are colored by circumstances.
Rating:
Summary: A "smoking gun" on the Saudi-terrorism connection
Review: I just finished "Hatred's Kingdom" by Dr. Dore Gold, a former Israeli ambassador and a scholar on Islam and, especially, Saudi Arabia. His book documents the connection between Saudi Arabia and terrorism, including the side-by-side translations (Arabic/English) of memos and official documents calling for terrorism against America, Israel, Jews and Christians. Included in the book is the written proof of Saudi financial contributions to terrorists and actual sermons of the top mullahs calling for jihad. This is a chilling book. Saudi Arabia is not a friend and ally of the U.S., as this book proves. Of course, many of us have known this for a long time (duh), but seeing the collected evidence drives it home hard. Whatever "usefulness" the Saudi's may be in the war against Saddam Hussein, it is superficial at best. Dr. Gold's book proves that the heart of Islamic terrorism beats in Saudi Arabia. I recommend this book to anyone who cares about freedom of religion and freedom from armed zealotry.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: A thorough analysis. To really understand what to most of us is incomprehensible, Dore Gold explains the historical, political and most importantly, the religious roots of this vile phenomenon. The fact that a supposed friend of America, Saudi Arabia, is supportive of this menace is unquestionable. What do we do with this information? No question about it, Dore Gold's book is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Well researched "cheap propaganda" by IDF
Review: The reader from Anywhere, USA writes a total contradiction. That reader states that Jews who lived in Morocco for over 900 years (contradicting him/herself, after they escaped genocide from Spain) were forced out of Morocco. How does that reader explain the millions of Moroccon Jews who still live in Morocco today and consider it home?!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Well-documented and insightful
Review: Sadly, the "extremist" Wahhabist ideology (or more accurately, Islam with a Salafist outlook) is winning the hearts and minds of Muslims all over the world, including in enclaves established within tolerant, all-too-often overly PC, Western societies.
Dore Gold exposes the threat posed by this ideology while at the same time following the "money trail" back to its proponents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a well-documented narrative, he traces the origins of salafist thought back to ibn Taymiyya and his followers, through the doctrinal revolution of Abd ul-Wahhab, the Muslim Brotherhood of Said Qutb, and their modern ideological spawn throughout the Middle East. He describes the origins of the modern Saudi state, sparing us no detail of the slaughter the early Saudis wraught in their campaigns (read: Jihads) to "cleanse" the Arabian penninsula and the Middle East. He then demonstrates how Saudi petrodollars have funded terrorist groups from the PLO to the Moro Liberation folks, and how that money is siphoned into institutions in the USA and western Europe. A disturbing look at a growing threat, one which politicians of every party are all too eager to ignore.
Rating:
Summary: There is plenty to worry about in regard to Saudi Arabia
Review: I have just read through the seventy- two previous reviews of this book on Amazon. I therefore will try to avoid repeating what has been said about Gold's historical analysis of Wahahabism his development of the thesis that present- day Saudi Arabia is a prime funder of terrorism worldwide, and a state which acts against the interests of its patron and as it were most essential ally , the United States. I will instead simply point to two other works which seem to affirm much of what Gold has to say, Craig Ungar's, 'House of Bush, House of Saud' where he links the Bush family to the Saudi corruption explaining how the US has not dared to really get to the sources of Saudi terror. I would also point to John Loftus work on ' The Secret War against the Jews' in which he traces the Nazi connection to what would become later a vicious Arab- anti- Semitic ideology of which Saudi Arabia( the chief distributor of the Anti- Semitic tract forged in Czarist Russia, " The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" ) is a principal proponent. Gold traces the role of the Evil Kingdom in sponsoring terror worldwide. He does not however do enough to show how US interests are so bound up with Saudi oil and money that acting against them in a real way could be detrimental. The fact is that the present war on terror conducted by the Bush Administration is in some sense hostage to Saudi terror.
This book goes a long way toward exposing the evil, racist ideology of Saudi Wahhabism. It goes a long way towards showing the negative role Saudi Arabia is playing in the war against Terror. It does not however offer a realistic way out for US policy. To cut off Saudi Arabia is to lose its oil and money. To force regime change is to risk radicalization and anti- American takeover. To go along is to go along with a corrupt regime one which educates to anti- Americanism but one which is still dealing with America.
I don't envy US policy- makers in this situation. The fundamental line of promoting democracy in the Middle East seems a joke when it comes to backward Saudi Arabia, a country totally unprepared for such a transformation.
Gold's book if nothing else teaches us that the free world as a whole and particularly the US have plenty to worry about in regard to Saudi Arabia. It does not teach us however how to deal with this worry.
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