Rating: 
Summary: The War on Terror didn't begin on 9/11
Review:
Emerson traces the history of what went on in the Muslim world and shows the seriousness of the Jihad that was put into motion many years before 9/11.What surprised me was how extensivw this netwokk of evil is around the world and particularly in the US.He spends very little time describing the situtation here in Canada;but I don't feel it is any different than in the US.
The greatest thing we have in North America is our freedom and basic trust of one another and also extend it to people from other countries.These Terrorists take advantage of that goodness in every way;and while it will be a long difficult journey to defeat this scourge;good,as always, will triumph over evil.
Emerson has awaken us to the evil and danger that has spread worldwide and is rampant right in our neighborhoods.We must all be constantly vigilant of theat threat for a long time.
If you have been lulled into believing that the Terrorists just consist of bin Laden and a ragtag bunch hiding in some far off caves;maybe this book will wake you up.
Rating:
Summary: Gives Citizens More Intelligence Than FBI Can Handle
Review:
The FBI--as shown by the recent Congressional testimony of its Director--is still hapless, flailing and clueless when it comes to understanding the specifics of terrorist fund-raising, recruiting, training, and planning based in the USA. Pakistanis are fleeing to the Canadian border as this review is being written, because they know something the FBI is unwilling to compute: the greatest threat is not Al Qaeda, but rather Hamas and militarized Pakistanis, most of whom are legitimate US residents.
Steve Emerson, who first made history in the mid-1990's with his Public Broadcast Service documentary on mullahs in American mosques calling for the murder of Americans deep in the heartland of America, has produced a "citizen's handbook" that is vastly superior to anything the FBI or the White House has been able to offer its taxpayers--and we can buy this for under $12, which compares rather favorably with the $3 billion or so we pay for the FBI, and the $35 billion or so we pay for national intelligence overall. There are really three stories in this book, which I urge every American--and every other citizen of the world--to read. First, and most importantly, the book documents the wide-spread and robust network of Islamic "charities" and other front organizations--the most important based in Texas where they have been ignored--that do fund-raising for terrorism overseas as well as terrorist recruiting and training in the US. The map at the end of the book showing over 50 terrorist nodes in over 30 US cities, is along worth the price of the book. *More than 20% of the addresses and phone numbers in a top terrorist's phone book, when captured, where in the US.* Second, the book provides insights into why the US Government is failing in the war on terrorism. The reasons for failure are balanced between policy failures--a pure unwillingess to confront Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran and other governments that nurture terrorists--and intelligence failures, including such mundane things as refusing to demand police record checks on individuals from countries known to be exporting terrorists, and poor relations (and a lack of unilateral clandestine penetrations) with key intelligence services such as the Sudanese, which knew about the "Day of Terror" well in advance but did not tell us...and if it did tell us, our Intelligence Community failed to notice and failed to communicate the warnings. The third story in this book is about sources and methods and mindsets, and the bottom line is this: an open mind can use open sources of information to such advantage, that it makes our closed source and closed mind bureaucracy look pitiful in comparison. The US taxpayer is not getting their money's worth from the US Government with respect to national security expenditures. Finally, although perhaps not intended by the author, his insights are helpful in identifying four specific strategic psychological operations (PsyOp) or "cultural outreach" themes that the US should have been pursuing these many years since the Soviets left Afghanistan: 1) Arab-Afghans isolated and despised; 2) Arab arrogance in relegating all Pakistani's to "untouchable" nonentity status; 3) Oneness of umma fanatically pursued actually attacks and undermines the many varied Muslim cultures, especially non-Arab Muslim cultures; and 4) US has made mistakes--in crime, in morality, in support for repressive regimes--and seeks to change in the true spirit of the Koran. The book's documentation of the crimes against the US of the American Muslim Council, to name just one ostensibly legitimate organization that is revealed in this book (which has been "lawyer-checked" and is bullet-proof against false claims of slander), and other similar "charitable" organizations, constitutes "citizen intelligence" at its best. Every Muslim in America should read this book before donating another dollar to any organization pupporting to be helping Muslims. There is one other cautionary note: the book addresses the specific strategy of bin Laden and other terrorist leaders of deliberately seeking out Muslim youth with US passports who can be used as couriers and suicidal volunteers. The actual examples provided--real people with real terrorist support missions--easily destroy the common misperceptions of terrorists as "foreign." As the author documents, they are within us, they are of us, and what we are doing now to defend ourselves is not likely to work in this context. This is an easy to read, informative book with an excellent map, several tables of Islamic extremist organizations based in America, good notes and a good index. I recommend it without reservation.
Rating:
Summary: Revealing facts the left & jihadists don't want you to know
Review: Finally America is waking up to a world filled with the hatred she thought she had vanquished at the end of the cold war. Islamism and its jihadist hordes, represented in the Western World by leftists and liberals, are all embarking on the conquest of YOU and YOUR freedoms. Islam as the self-proclaimed "religion of peace" wants you to bow down and be submissive - "Muhammed's believe it - or else..."
Rating: 
Summary: The Details Are Still Hidden
Review: I finished this book with two overriding feelings, disappointment and confusion. I was disappointed in the book and its reporting and I was confused over the tempest in a tea pot up roar over the supposed anti Muslim "racism" supposedly detailed in the book. According to the dust jacket, this book sets out to describe the militant Islamic terrorist networks that seem to be littered across America and just how difficult it will be get rid of them. The author starts the book by telling us that he has spent the last ten years studying this topic and has had a staff of any where from 2 to 20 working with him. He also takes every opportunity possible to work in that he has also made a documentary covering the topic of the book. So I am thinking that with all this time, staff and material for a movie the book should be a jam packed treasure chest of what is going on in the States in regard to Islamic terrorist organizations. Well, either the author is not much of a reporter or we can all rest a little easier, because the book is just a bit light on the details and does not describe much of a threat.
Sure the author details out a few men here and there that had something to do with Islamic terrorism, but the only group he covers that really appeared to be somewhat dangerous and motivated were the group responsible for the first World Trade Center bombing. That being the case, there are many other books out there that cover this topic much better and in far more detail. Most of the rest of the bad guys detailed in the book are all practicing their nefarious trade craft in the Middle East. Not terribly dangerous to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Six Pack in the mid west. The area I felt the author hit the mark on the best was with his coverage of the many different Islamic charities that operate in the U.S. and the damage that can be caused by this fountain of money flowing back to the Middle East. Yet here again the danger is off shore, similar to the funding the IRA got in the 70's and 80's.
Lastly, I was confused as to where all the supposed anti Muslim reporting was in the book. Both in reading some reviews and in a few other books, it has been reported that this book paints an unfair if not down right racist view of Islam in American. I found just the opposite. This author was forever inserting in to each chapter that Islam is a religion of peace and that just of few radicals have taken it to an extreme. He then offers up one chapter on his Islamic hero's. Even without this pandering, I thought the book was fair. The most damaging words come not from the author, but by interviews many of the people detailed in the book make. You just can not spin it away when someone says that all Jews need to be eliminated.
Overall I was disappointed with the book. It reminded me a of college student tiring to get the required length of a report by increasing the font, shrinking the margins and adding in long winded and off topic quotes to beef up page count. The book offered too little detail on the main theme of Islamic terrorists in the States and not enough to be a good broad overview of the problem.
Rating:
Summary: Necessary, insightful, and well documented!!
Review: It saddens me that some of the 1 star reviews posted here seem to be from people who likely haven't read this book. I write this because Steven Emerson is in no way attacking the Muslim community. In fact, he champions them in one chapter and shows how true followers of Islam (those who celebrate peace, love, and tolerance of other religions) are being hurt by the extremists hiding behind the guise of Islam. This is an investigative report that every American should read. The extremists have infiltrated our cities and are operating under the appearance of goodwill and charity. This is not a book against Muslims--- it's a book that shows (very specifically!!) who the terrorists are. These extreme fundamentalists are dangerous to Muslim Americans and non-extremist Muslim leaders as well. Their hatred doesn't discriminate-- they love to attack even the moderate Muslims. Steven Emerson should be applauded for his bravery and committment to a cause that could save American lives.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful Look at Islamic Fascism's American Roots
Review: Steve Emerson's "American Jihad" is a thoughtful, excellent overview of Islamic fascism (militant Islam) and its American roots, brilliantly showing how American support aided and abetted terrorists ranging from Hamas to Al Qaeda. Emerson notes that Islam - as practiced by most of its believers - is a far more tranquil faith than the one espoused by fundamentalist Islamic militants, of which Hamas and Al Qaeda are among their most deadly, virulent strains. He also portrays courageous battles being waged by moderate Islamic scholars and religious leaders against militant Islam, especially here in the United States (Unfortunately while few in number, Islamic extremists have exerted substantial influence over American mosques, setting both their political and religious agenda.). Emerson depicts how Islamic fascists have successfully raised money here in the United States, from such unlikely outposts as Islamic cultural centers in Tucson, AZ and Islamic conventions held in the Midwest. In an appendix at the end of the book, Emerson provides an excellent thumbnail historical overview on the rise of militant Islam, which is a splendid coda to the rest. Without question, "American Jihad" should be regarded as required reading for many interested in understanding the rapid rise of militant Islam and its strong financial and cultural ties to the "Great Satan", the United States.
Rating:
Summary: Necessary, insightful, and well documented!!
Review: This book is an enlightening look into the world of Extreme Islam as it exists right here in America. Reviewer Ford needs to read the book! In it, when asked by a television reporter, Mr. Emerson clearly makes a distinction that Islamist Militant Extremists "might" be responsible for the Oklahoma bombing. This was the thought of many people at the time especially since the bombing on February 26,1993 in which Islamist Militants tried to destroy the World Trade Center. The point being Mr. Emerson has never made the assertion they were 100% responsible for the Oklahoma bombing and I would challenge the reveiwer to provide proof otherwise. This book gives the reader enough knowledge to know that the threat is far more serious that once thought. This book is riddled with facts that can't be denied. It does not in anyway represent an attack on the "good people" of Islam. I believe the reveiwer from San Jose never read the book! The book only addresses and exposes those Islamist Militant Extremists and those who support them. Gary L.
Its4gary@Pacbell.net
Rating: 
Summary: Eye opener
Review: This book, although I knew about some examples of Militants in America, was a real wake up call. The examples Emerson uses are mind boggling. Very interesting read and well written. This book will reiterate things most know but will also give some for-instances that many may not know.
Rating:
Summary: Ok, so what is to be done?
Review: This is a difficult book to read. Like other reporters on confusing issues that cannot be ignored, we are treated to something of a buffet of facts with limited organizing principle. For example, the dust jacket attempts to raise the celebrity of Mr. Emerson by noting his 1997 comment that "If anything, the threat [of a World Trade Center attack] is greater now than before. The infrastructure now exists to carry off twenty simultaneous World TradeCenter-type [truck] bombings across the United States". The quote displays the strengths and weaknesses of the book. Mr. Emerson is correct that something is incredibly wrong, but the danger is as mysterious as ever. The American terrorist network has proven to support a continuous wave of equivalent bombings in Israel, not the United States. Rather than pulling off 20 simultaneous US truck bombings, the infrastructure pulled on a single attack that was 100 times worse than the 1991 truck bomb. Emerson really never gets down to the fundamentals of terrorizing populations. Instead, he adopts the familiar 'reporters' perspective to organize his comments. The first two chapters are autobiographical. He simply explains how he got 'hooked' on tailing the Jihad. The justifications are not really satisfying, since his initial motivation seemed careerist rather than principled. The fuming Muslim Jihadis seemed a good candidate for a long term writing job. But, the autobiographic theme is then blended into the 'eye witness reporter' perspective. The internal self-inspection falls away and Mr. Emerson reports on his adventures while interviewing various mullahs and warlords who he is convinced will kill him if they only knew what he was up to. The story is somewhat surreal and diffused. The terrorists seem to suffer from an odd bi-polar disorder, being a courteous host in public, but dwelling in the sewers of murder when out of our author's sight. Perhaps knowing he has to deliver some sort of criminal conviction if he wanted to satisfy the reader, we are then told a detailed story of a terrorist recruiter, then of a terrorist trainee. Unfortunately, Mr. Emerson has to acknowledge that both are only 'linked' to terror organizations. Mr. Emerson cannot accuse either of specific crimes. And, there in lies the real pain for the reader. We are left hanging. What is to be done? Change US laws? Go to war? Close the borders? Start a civil defense program? Or, ignore it because it's just a bad dream that will go away... Based on my own reading between the lines, Osama Bin Laden's bombing of the World Trade Towers is the aberration that threatens to spoil the party. The US is the training ground and a major funding source for Islamofascist operations everywhere else! Hamas is probably just as interested in taking down Bin Laden as Bush. The guy is screwing up a sweet deal with an American bureaucracy whose only real interest is preserving the status-quo. Unfortunately, this is a message unlikely to cause many Americans to awaken with any sense of purpose. Rather than trot out the 'usual suspects' and the traditional plot line, I would rather Emerson had taken the next step and outlined the bigger picture. Maybe this was not his purpose. Maybe he just wanted to cause his reader to think. Maybe his publisher just wanted to take advantage of huge wave of fear caused by the World Trade Center. As a country, we are losing the war. It isn't lost, but the real problem is our inability to define the threat. Americans continue to define security in terms of very expensive mobility and weapons systems. The World Trade Center attack cost only a few hundred thousand to mount. The American response has be to divert billions to massive technological control systems and more billions to transport a conventional army (control system) to the middle east. We have been pouring billions down a rat hole over the so-call 'war on drugs'. Are Americans doomed to pour the last billions down the drain on a misguided 'war on terror'? It would be helpful if Emerson had addressed the American 'way' in terms of dealing with what should really be called 'NetWar'. What should the response be to network terrorists who are infrastructure parasites rather than competitors? What is the cost? Who should manage the effort? Mr. Emerson gets high marks for laying the ground work, but he failed to lay out the battle lines in understandable terms.
Rating:
Summary: Clear and important information on a vital subject
Review: This is an important book. What Mr. Emerson says is alarming without being alarmist. There are people who sympathize with the aims of Islamist radicals living in our country. The author explains which of these organizations are already HERE and working in this country. I had no idea that they held conferences in places as seemingly unlikely as Omaha! In this book we learn that there are many innocent sounding charities that are really front organizations doing fund raising for these groups. This is being confirmed in daily newspaper articles about this very subject. Mr. Emerson documents what the leaders of these organizations have said and what they have stated their goals to be. These goals are different than what their public relations people say on their behalf on the various talk shows. While the book isn't very long, it does contain some very strong stuff. We don't need to change America into a police state, but we do need heighten our awareness several levels. This book can help us know more about the threat and what we need to be aware of. Please read this book.
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