I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad

by Souad Mekhennet

“I was told to come alone. I was not to carry any identification, and would have to leave my cell phone, audio recorder, watch, and purse at my hotel. . . .”

For her whole life, Souad Mekhennet, a reporter for The Washington Post who was born and educated in Germany, has had to balance the two sides of her upbringing – Muslim and Western. She has also sought to provide a mediating voice between these cultures, which too often misunderstand each other.

In this compelling and evocative memoir, we accompany Mekhennet as she journeys behind the lines of jihad, starting in the German neighborhoods where the 9/11 plotters were radicalized and the Iraqi neighborhoods where Sunnis and Shia turned against one another, and culminating on the Turkish/Syrian border region where ISIS is a daily presence. In her travels across the Middle East and North Africa, she documents her chilling run-ins with various intelligence services and shows why the Arab Spring never lived up to its promise. She then returns to Europe, first in London, where she uncovers the identity of the notorious ISIS executioner “Jihadi John,” and then in France, Belgium, and her native Germany, where terror has come to the heart of Western civilization.

Mekhennet’s background has given her unique access to some of the world’s most wanted men, who generally refuse to speak to Western journalists. She is not afraid to face personal danger to reach out to individuals in the inner circles of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS, and their affiliates; when she is told to come alone to an interview, she never knows what awaits at her destination.

Souad Mekhennet is an ideal guide to introduce us to the human beings behind the ominous headlines, as she shares her transformative journey with us. Hers is a story you will not soon forget.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, History, Middle East, Biography, Religion

368 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2017

About the author

Souad Mekhennet is a German journalist of Arab descent. Focusing on Islamic extremism, she has written for the New York Times, Washington Post and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. She is the author of several books. Mekhennet speaks Arabic, German, French and English.

Reviews

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was a remarkable book. Souad Mekhennet is a woman to admire. She's a journalist of a Morrocan descendant, who lived most of her life in Germany. She wrote for some of the most popular papers like the NYT and the Washington Post, met some of the most wanted Jihadists risking her life meanwhile. Souad pushed the limits and went to interview Jihadists trying meanwhile to change not only the West's views about Islam but also Jihadists' views about the West. Islam isn't terror just like not all the westerns are their politicians. "Why do they hate us so much?" is the question that kept her going to go where no ever went, write about her beliefs, and made her who she is right now.

I listened to the audiobook and it was well narrated. Highly recommend this book if you're looking for non-fiction about Jihad told from the personal experience of a Journalist with mixed beliefs. She isn't afraid to tell what was truly happening in the world without being biased to any side. I need to find more books like those.

[Murtaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The type of writing that exists about jihadism in the West generally ranges from nauseating action-movie style jingoism to purely utilitarian analyses written for intelligence officials and policymakers. The reported pieces that exist tend to focus on one or two specific episodes, often in a purely correspondent manner, and if there is any meaningful big picture view of the conflict at all it is just tacked on in a few pages at the end. Most irritatingly these books almost invariably fail at the basic task of portraying all sides in the conflict as human beings; instead reducing the world to a battle between some well-developed "good guys" and a group of swarthy, sinister terrorists whose lives are ultimately a mystery.

This book is very different. Mostly, I suspect, because its author is not one of the usual white Westerners writing about the War on Terror. Souad Mekhennet had a working-class upbringing as the daughter of Muslim immigrants in Germany, before growing up to become one of the few Muslim journalists in the West writing about jihadism. This book is her memoir and traces back over much of the reporting she has done in her life, as well as her own background growing up as a traditional, culturally-rooted Muslim in Europe, a continent where many people consider people of her religion to be either irritants or threats. I found her personal story moving in part because I'm a journalist who writes about many of the same themes, but also because I know she is speaking for the experience of many people whose voices are never heard in the media.

The book starts with Mekhennet's early life in Germany and Morocco, tracing her experiences being raised in Europe and how she came to be involved in journalism as a young woman. It then moves to cover her reporting on the Iraq War, global jihadism and the aftermath of the Arab Spring. Her work really makes her a witness to history, placing her at the center of some of the biggest national security stories of the past few decades. Unlike many other reporters (and largely because of her background) she is deeply sourced among Islamists both in Europe and the Arab World, and even in Pakistan. Her sourcing allows her to get close to these people and give a holistic picture of who they are. In both good and bad ways she is able to humanize them and to provide a genuine picture of how they see the world and what motivates them. Many of the jihadists she knows show her a level of warmth that they undoubtedly would never show to a white Western man who had come to report on their movements; interlocutors that they would be far more likely to consider as either hostile or dishonest. Some of the jihadists Mekhennet interviews are driven by ideological fanaticism, while others are driven by moral anguish over instances of torture, oppression and general mistreatment. Oftentimes it is a mixture of both. But everyone is complicated, including the Iraqis whose children are killed by U.S. soldiers during the war and the 9/11 victims she meets who complain that the media had never informed them that so much anger had been building against their country in the Middle East.

There are no polemics in this book. To the contrary, there is a remarkable amount of humanity and a rare level of fairmindedness afforded to the experiences of both Easterners and Westerners. Given Mekhennet's experience of life straddling two worlds, she is able to depict both sides in the War on Terror as something beyond the one-dimensional caricatures that usually prevail. She is brave and honest in speaking about the reasons for radicalization, openly wondering whether the anger she felt as a teenager suffering racism in Germany would have made her vulnerable to the terrorist recruiters that exist today, a haunting thought that I believe many Western Muslims in their 30s and 40s share. In one very poignant passage, Mekhennet meets with a Belgium-raised Islamic State commander on the Turkish border, telling him that he "took the easy path out" in response to the fear and alienation that she also grew up with in Europe. He seems to get what she means, like a lot of people do.

The reporting in the book is thrilling, but what truly makes it great is the writer herself, who you come to respect for her intelligence and bravery but also for the aspects of her own story that she shares. Throughout all of the reporting, Mekhennet interweaves her personal life: her fears, anxieties and hopes for her future, amid the challenges of being a woman and a minority doing this type of work. Even as a successful journalist in the West she still hasn't escaped the suspicion of colleagues or intelligence agencies and the frustration and fear that this causes. You really get an understanding of where she is coming from, and I would argue that her personal story is an important part of the broader geopolitical phenomenon that she reports on.

This was a tour de force of a memoir, and certainly one of my favorite books on jihadism in recent years. It's one that I wish that all Westerners, and Americans in particular, would take the time to read.

[Rachel Dows · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was slow going, but definitely worth it. It was fascinating, but a thinker. Several times I had to put this down and get a little distance because the topics hit so close to home. As someone who has tried to gain a full understanding of the Muslim faith, this account sharply highlights the struggles that modern Islam faces in the modern world.

More than anything, this book is fair. It truly delves deeply into all sides of every argument. Mekhennet searches for truth above all else, and shows readers the slivers of truth she has found thus far, allowing them to put the puzzle pieces together themselves and form their own opinions.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mekhennet's memoir/essay/investigative reporting drew me in from the first page. She opens the book meeting with an ISIS lieutenant in Turkey in 2014. From there, she traces the steps leading up to this meeting: her own path to this point, and the Muslim world's path to extremism and the formation of ISIS. Her unique childhood in Germany and Morocco, her early interest in journalism (she put a film poster of All the President's Men on her bedroom wall in the way any other girl would post a boyband or a unicorn), and her aptitude for languages, writing, and cultural understanding and dialogue are all on display in each chapter.

The structure of the book is based on Mekhennet's postings and journalistic assignments throughout Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan working for various German media outlets, the Washington Post, and the New York Times. She is regularly threatened with abduction, rape, torture, and death, yet is also welcomed as a guest into the homes of extremists in Al Qaeda and its syndicates, the Taliban, and ISIS for frank interviews and discussions. She cultivates quality sources, arranges clandestine meetings, and is tailed by intelligence services. She is a strong and educated Muslim woman, and many - even in these fundamentalist circles - seem to respect her for that.

It was her work in London investigating the identity of the British ISIS member "Jihadi John" that lead her to biggest break yet. Along with a handful of colleagues at the Washington Post, she uncovered this Kuwati-born British man's name, history, and his path to radicalization. You can read the entire chapter from the book on Longreads here: https://longreads.com/2017/08/16/how-a-journalist-uncovered-the-true-identity-of-jihadi-john/.

A phenomenal book that never lost momentum, and only increased my admiration for the work of journalists and truthseekers. Highly recommended.

Related: another brave journalist doing amazing work and writing her memoirs is Lynsey Addario. These books would be great read together.

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. There is a lot of territory covered geographically from Germany to Iraq to Morocco and many other countries in the Middle East.

Given the author’s fluency in the Arabic language and its dialects we are provided with an on-site feel to many of these countries. She was very skeptical of the media assertions of a “liberal Arab Spring uprising”. She saw it as an opportunity for Islamists to take control and assume power – events since have proved her correct. She even gives examples of the recent migrations to Europe where not all migrants are legitimate refugees. The chapter on a bride for ISIS was particularly moving and revealing of the mindset of the lost souls who are converted to this fundamentalist religious outlook.

However the book at many times felt cursory as she reports from so many different troubled areas. It felt like I was reading a John le Carre spy/thriller with the author tracking down different informants and leads. The overall feeling is autobiographical (with emphasis on “I”).

I felt her insistence on “they hate Americans” overdone. She doesn’t dwell enough on the religious indoctrination and the martyrdom mindset of some branches of Islam. I want to stress that she condemns the outrageous murders of the Charlie Hebdo staff in Paris. However she seems to not comprehend the secular liberalization of the West towards religion. At times she can be somewhat defensive of Islam and unable to see how permissive Western countries have become in regards to religious criticism of Christianity and Judaism. To provide just three examples: an art exhibit called “Piss Christ”; a marvelous theatre show “Book of Mormon”; and Woody Allen in some of his movies pokes fun and chastises both Christianity and Judaism. No one has been killed for this. There are artists and performers today who are scared and too intimidated to critique Islam. This has nothing to do with hate. Killing people for caricatures is not about hate – it is a deep religious intolerance of the “other”.

At one point in the book she expressed interest to interview the ISIS terrorist Jihadi John (page 282). What would be the value of interviewing a man who sawed off the heads of her fellow journalists and filmed this for YouTube? Was she just looking for a scoop?

[ScrappyMags · Rating 5 out of 5]

ScrappyMags.com one of my best of 2017!!!

Scrappymags 3-word review: Alarming. Entrancing. Disturbing.

Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir

Shortest summary ever: Our author Souad Mekhennet is a reknowned German journalist who has written for many top publications like the NYTimes and Washington Post. Her many interviews with Jihadists and insiders in ISIS and Al Queda is astounding. She grills them, asking important questions, trying to remain unbiased, veering to that key question, “Why do they hate us so much?”

What’s good under the hood: This should be required reading. Everything is good. I was visibly tensing despite knowing she is safe (duh she’s written this book). My anxiety level was at an 8, nearly too high for me to settle down to read, yet I flipped through pages like a Tom Clancy novel. Written with candor and class, Mekhennet’s story captures her Muslim upbringing, which I appreciated, because as much as journalists (and myself as a teacher) try to stay unbiased, we have them and Mekhennet made clear statements about how difficult this was for her. Her own memoir as a Muslim youth was notable, where often she was ostracized in German society. In that respect, she could understand some of the anger jihadists grew living (and born in) Western nations feeling unwelcomed, but her upbringing (with strong parents and the beauty of Islam) turned her one way, while jihadists turned another. The book then focuses on her travels while reporting, the many faces of both sides of the story from those in the government to those in the middle of the desert – hiding. Straight up jihadists. I remember a professor telling me in college, “One person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter” and Mekhennet touches on this, staying in the middle yet challenging both sides with issues of torture, lack of due process, and questioning the logic of jihadist views that oppose mainstream Islam along with their depolorable actions. Her experience shows a balance of both sides, yet make it clear – she does NOT support terrorism in any shape or form, but the book vividly shows WHY these jihadists came to be. The remaining question is – how do we deal with this on a global scale?

Watch for the lines of Mekhennet’s marriage proposals/wooing by jihadists and government officials. It adds just a touch of laughter in an otherwise serious and intelligently laudable narrative.

What’s bad or made me mad: The surprising part, nothing was the author’s fault that made me mad, it was merely the truth that angered me. Mad at Western governments for not caring about Muslim people and mad at jihadists for spreading terror and hate. In that respect, it’s a thinking book, and it will pull at your mind long after the final page.

Recommend to:

Everyone. Most appropriate for those age 16 and up as it does mention jihadist beheadings.
I used to teach AP Human Geography and this would be a fantastic book to read for that class or many Poli Sci classes (Politics and Revolution).
Anyone looking to answer the question “why do they hate us?” It certainly opens that question to consideration and understanding.

Read with an open mind and always try to place yourself in the life of the “other” person. My remaining questions are how to reach these youth who turn to radicalism and not a more positive path and how do we hold all accountable for atrocities, both jihadists and those who commit crimes under the guise of “government”. Those thoughts haunt me…

Sincere “shukraan” to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Co. and the Ms. Mekhennet for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review and for making me consider, think, ponder, wonder and feel.

[Panna Sasna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

[Maree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely a book I feel like all Americans should read in this day and age. Other people too, of course, but I think it makes a couple great points that Americans are often light on, coming from an outside/inside perspective, and detailing a lot of the background on the Middle East that many (including myself) are fuzzy on.

The background on how we got to this point, following Mekhennet's journey as a reporter, is just fascinatingly well-told and fairly easy to follow. From her perspective, you can see a lot of the warning signs and understand why the US wasn't greeted with thrown rose petals in the streets, as our VP at the time had said would happen. There's no judgement passed, just truth in reporting.

You can see the unrest, the changes that took place after dictators were felled. I was particularly surprised to note that under many of the dictators, women tended to be a lot more free; the rights of minorities were protected a fair amount under many of them. It wasn't until the more extreme majority religious groups took over that women had to start wearing the full religious coverings and stopped being able to hold offices, etc. There was a lot of movement backwards in terms of equality when these dictators (who, granted, killed people who opposed them and were corrupt in many other ways) were toppled, and the stability that those countries had seen under them vanished into a new system of confusion.

Just makes me think of the prime directive to not interfere in other cultures that you do not understand.

In addition to learning about the backgrounds of many of the current situations we find ourselves in with Middle East countries, there were a couple quotes that I picked out that really spoke to me, mostly about the perspective of the media and public reaction to reporting:

"Could this kind of impartial journalism about jihadists and the War on Terror be safely practiced in the West only by someone whose parents had been born and raised there, rather than someone whose Muslim descent made her and object of special interest and suspicion? ...These were dark thoughts that made me question the foundations and ultimate success of the West's supposed openness to outsiders and its commitment to freedom of speech and thought." p155

Mekhennet clearly shows that her Muslim descent was an advantage in her reporting. She was able to get interviews others were not because of her understanding of religion and because of her background. But it's also not a bad thing to look at reporting and examine it with a critical eye, as she says herself in regard to citizen journalism:

"'Citizen journalism' seemed to be the new big thing, but I worried about what such activist reporting would do to what we call the 'truth.' If readers and viewers got used to a kind of journalism that told them only one side of the story, how would their views of the world change?" p226

I realize that reporting for the Washington Post and NYT is not the same, but I think it's fair to think about the motives of reporters, especially in this day and age. At the same time, it's obviously ridiculous to group all Muslims in with terrorists, which some famous people we won't mention have done many times.

Overall, be thoughtful in your readings. Don't make assumptions, but don't be blind, either. This book can help a lot of people better understand where we are now and how we got there, and ideally would help prevent us from making the same mistakes in the future. Though I'm not sure how often we actually learn from history. :-/

[Eressea · Rating 5 out of 5]

今年讀完的第八本...
勉強能算伊斯蘭的相關藏書吧
剩下沒讀的伊斯蘭電子書
都是一時沒興趣的簡體書
倒是還山積一堆沒出電書的磚頭
但現在有點懶得拿紙本起來看Orz

本書用作者職業生涯中各個重大報導的經歷
按時序排列成一本自傳
可以看到身為穆斯林移民的作者
面對西方自由民主口號下的黑暗面時內心的掙扎
作者還算好，沒有被扭曲成人盡可殺的瘋狂心態
但其他社經地位更差的人，就難免變成極端份子了

我覺得作者最神的地方是
有辦法找到那些恐怖份子的高層的聯絡方法
還能讓這些高層接受訪問或是提供情資
同為穆斯林應該有幫助
但可以想見作者人品應該是很高的
才能取得對方信任

正有一搭沒一搭慢慢看本書時
發生哈馬斯攻擊以色列的大事件
讓人覺得中東的衝突
根本不可能有解決的一天，唉~

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This memoir of a Muslim journalist reporting on jihad was interesting, though I wasn’t blown away in the way most reviewers seem to have been. Souad Mekhennet grew up primarily in Germany, the daughter of guest workers from Morocco and Turkey. She encountered racism and xenophobia on her way to becoming a successful journalist, but speaking Arabic and her familiarity with Middle Eastern cultures went a long way to ensure her success.

Aside from some description of her childhood, this book is focused almost exclusively on her professional life, with chapters organized around a visit to a particular place or an act of terror on which she was reporting. Mekhennet interviews dangerous people – on occasion braving serious danger in order to reach them – is arrested by Egyptian security forces, and impresses a lot of jihadists, who are willing to vouch for her and sometimes even propose to her. She asks everybody tough questions though and challenges everyone’s views.

I liked this book and learned from it, and I’m impressed by Mekhennet’s gutsiness. We need reporters like her to dig deep enough to get the real story, and to be skeptical and push back on what they’re being told. That said, I didn’t love her book. As a work of nonfiction about the state of the Muslim world and its relationship to the U.S. and Europe, I found it a little disconnected, as it focuses tightly on Mekhennet’s specific assignments and experiences. It reminded me of how much I don’t know about the Muslim world without filling in many of those gaps. But learning about how jihadists and their family members and supporters view the world was certainly enlightening.

As a memoir, it’s rather impersonal. Even as a teenager Mekhennet portrays herself as a powerhouse whose only obstacle to overcome is xenophobia; nothing more mundane like shyness about approaching important people or soliciting internships, or issues with dating, seems to faze her. (As an adult she often mentions wanting to marry, and briefly discusses dating, where her primarily stumbling block seems to be concern for her safety, such that she wants to chat anonymously for months before meeting a man.) Though I do give her credit for discussing the alienation she, like many other Muslims teens in Europe, felt after seeing hate crimes on the news and experiencing harassment and discrimination. Fortunately she had a strong support network, positive role models, and opportunities to succeed, but less lucky kids who feel despised are vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organizations that understand their mindset very well.

Overall, I’m glad I read this, but didn’t have strong feelings about it. The book is a somewhat dense read that takes some time to get through, but it is informative, and the author has definitely had some interesting experiences.

[Raghu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is unique in many ways. It is even difficult to classify it. It is part autobiography, part memoir, part sociology that mediates between two cultures which are at odds with each other today, and a substantive contribution to some of the highest quality investigation and reporting from behind the inaccessible Jihadi frontlines in the Middle East. I found it a thrilling read, wanting to put it down only reluctantly when something more important needed my attention. Author Souad Mekhennet is a German born Muslim, whose mother is Turkish Shia and father, a Moroccan Sunni. She has been a Washington Post and New York Times correspondent on contract at different times and speaks Arabic, German, French and English. The insights and perspectives in this book are a timely contribution in today’s highly polarized atmosphere in many communities in Western countries, in the middle-east, in North Africa and in South Asia.

The book’s main theme comes from trying to answer the question that has been posed for many years now - the question of ‘Why do They hate us so much?’. Unlike most other journalists and experts, Mekhennet realizes that she cannot find an answer unless she takes the big risks of journeying deep inside the hotbeds of Islamic extremism in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria, Egypt and Pakistan. Interestingly, the more she journeys to the middle east, the more she realizes that she needs to come back to the German, French and Belgian neighbourhoods in Hamburg, Paris and Molenbeek to understand the complete picture. She disregards personal safety to reach out to individuals in the inner circles of Al Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS and their affiliates in order to get their side of the story. She uses her assets of being a Muslim, an Arabic speaker and her Moroccan ethnicity to gain permissions for the elusive interviews which are denied to journalists of non-Muslim origin. Oddly, her being a woman helps as well with some extremists wanting to even take her as a ‘second wife’! More seriously, it is her passionate commitment not to take sides in this war on terror and her compassion towards all victims in this ‘war’, whether Western or Muslim civilians, whether Sunni or Shia or Arab or Persian, that opens so many doors for her in the hearts and minds of the jihadis. As a result, we get a book that is deep in its exploration into the problems relating to ‘why they hate us so much?’. Her interviews are mainly with Sunni extremists and not with major Shia groups like Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen or others supported by Iran. Hence, the question ‘why they hate us?’ is basically answered by ‘why the Sunni extremists hate us?’.

After reading the book, I would say that the main catalysts for the intense anger that Sunni Islamists around the world feel towards the West are as follows:
1. The way the Western countries deal with Islam and Islamic nations, particularly Palestine, which is seen as exhibiting blatant double standards.
2. The West’s military actions in the Middle-east which have emasculated Sunnis and helped the Shiites to emerge as the dominant power in the Gulf, causing serious dislocation of millions of Sunnis, rape of their women, torture, kidnappings and destruction of their economic well-being
3. Incarceration, physical torture and livelihood destruction of innocent Muslims on suspicion of being terrorists in many Western countries
4. Acute alienation among European Sunni Muslims due to joblessness, poverty, broken homes and ghettoisation.
5. Incessant wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and now Syria, not to mention drone strikes in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan killing large numbers of civilians.

The Sunni extremists see the the United States, the US-backed Iraqi Shias, Iran and any nation where Islam is threatened as their principal enemies. Senior Sunni leaders like Shaker-al-Abssi of the Al-Qaeda tell the author in 2006 itself that only an islamic Caliphate can protect Muslim interests in the world. So, establishing a Caliphate will have to precede the liberation of Palestine and other nations. This shows that the idea of a Caliphate long predates the emergence of ISIS. Abssi and others believe that they have a right to hit the US in its home because the US hits hard in their homes. On the face of it, it looks as though these are mostly already known facts and that Mekhennet need not have taken such immense risks to end up saying things which are known already. But the book’s purpose is more than that. Most of us in the world form an opinion in this matter by reading only one side of the picture in this conflict, which is that of the affluent West. The author’s efforts help to humanize and present the view from the the other side as well - the Muslim side. On the Arab Springs, the author says that it only confirmed that the majority in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya or Syria want an Islamic way of life and rule rather than western-style democracy, contrary to what our media would like us to believe.

Souad Mekhennet makes some incisive arguments on the question of ‘where freedom of speech ends and hate speech begins’. She takes an explosive, contemporary example to discuss this question. There has been intense controversy regarding the offensive cartoons on the Prophet Mohammed in the Danish newspaper ‘Jyllands-Posten’ in 2005 which were later reprinted in the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo. What we all remember are the violent protests in various countries in the middle-east with radical groups calling for the killing of the cartoonists and Islamic nations boycotting Danish products. We saw endless discussions on TV in the West, with politicians and journalists talking about freedom of speech and about Muslims being incapable of living in a democracy. Author Mekhennet says that the truth is a bit more nuanced than this. She goes to Denmark to research the story along with co-authors of an earlier book of hers. She learns that before the Prophet Mohammed cartoons were published, Jyllands-Posten had refused to print cartoons depicting Jesus in a derogatory manner because they believed that those drawings would hurt its readers’ feelings! Prior to all the violence, Muslim groups had also sued Charlie Hebdo for insulting Islam and inciting racial hatred, but their claims were dismissed. Mekhennet says that she had met earlier a number of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust in the US, They had told her that the Charlie Hebdo cartoons reminded them of how the Nazis insulted Jews and Judaism in the 1930s. She makes these arguments in a well-known German TV talk-show. In return, she receives some kudos from some people but there were many who abused her on Twitter and threatened her with death and calling her ‘enemy of the German race’. She had to hide her home address for fear of her family being harmed. The author’s point is that it has been an issue of ‘freedom of speech’ only when Islam was targeted.

The book reveals certain disturbing truths about the Moroccan immigrant Muslim families in Molenbeek, Belgium, which only a person of Moroccan origin like her can perceive. The alienation of Muslim families in Molenbeek has been well documented by many. Mekhennet says that most Muslim parents in the area do not understand their children nor care much about how they are doing in school. The kids do not know if they are Belgian, French or Moroccan and the parents do not care if their children integrated. These kids are born in Europe but they see their parents invest all their money in trying to build a reputation back home in Morocco. The kids and their families live on a pittance most of the year in Belgium only to see their parents lavishing gifts on their friends and relatives back in their native countries. They see their parents caring mainly about making money and building businesses and, especially about becoming somebody in the eyes of people back home. It is all about showing Moroccans back home how they have made it in Europe. It is no coincidence that large numbers of Western jihadists have come from troubled or broken homes, where poverty, joblessness and upheaval are the norm. Young Muslims and Muslim converts in Europe seem to have a fascination for the Caliphate as a place where Islam prevails and a sense of community exists. However, the author is quick to balance this statement with its counter that poverty, joblessness and alienation are not justification to choose ISIS as the solution.

I must say that I didn’t come away with much hope for the future of relations between the Islamic and non-Islamic world after reading the book. We read that in Nahr-al-Bared camp in Lebanon, a father, who is a militant, praises his teenage son for killing an infidel in a video game and eggs him on to continue doing so. In Zaqar, a mother shows a violent video of Shia atrocities on Sunnies in Iraq to her four small children. When Mekhennet questions her on this, she says that it is necessary conditioning for their future. In Amman, the author reports hostility in the eyes of onlookers just because her colleague, an American, walks with her, an Arab woman in ‘abaya’. All along, whether in Hamburg or Molenbeek or Lebanon or Egypt, there is the ever-present chasm between Muslim and non-Muslim, Westerner and Arab, Shia and Sunni. There are some balancing, hopeful accounts as well but they are only in the past. For example, Mekhennet meets with Armenian Christians in Iraq who tell her that they lived a secure and happy life under Saddam Hussein and that they could worship freely. They tell her that the Ba’ath party was secular and kept religion away from politics. The Armenian pastor even tells her that it is wrong to say that the Shia was deprived of rights completely in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.

The epilogue in the book poignantly recounts the death of a fourteen-year-old boy, son of the author’s cousin, in a terror strike in Munich in 2016. The narrative brings graphically the pain that a family undergoes on the death of its loved one in a terror attack. The author says tellingly, “a mother's screams over the body of her murdered child sound the same, no matter if she is black, brown or white; Muslim, Jewish or Christian, Shia or Sunni. We are all buried in the same ground.”

A powerful and courageous book, straddling cultures and seeking truth.

[Duha AlGasrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“ و في الشرق الاوسط ، كان الكثير ممن ينادي بالسلام قتلى ، اما من بقي على قيد الحياة فقد كان جرحهم عميقا لدرجة قد تمنعهم من مسامحة الجانب الاخر على ما فعله .. "

😪

"فالدين ليس السبب في تطرف البشر ، لكن البشر هم السبب في تطرف. الدين "

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" لا يواجه العالم صدام حضارات او صدام ثقافات ، بل ان ما يواجهه هو صدام بين من يرغبون في مد جسور التفاهم و بين من يودون رؤية العالم في حالة استقطاب دائم و هم يعملون لنشر الكراهية و تفريقنا .... الا ان هناك جماعه من كل جيل يمؤمنون بعقيدتهم و يسعون بل و قادرون على ايجاد ارض محايدة تسع الجميع "
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هكذا ختمت سعاد مخنت روايتها في عالم الجهاد و الربيع العربي ، قالت " اليوم يتوقع الناس ان ينحاز المراسل الصحفي الى احد جوانب الصراع ، لكن تلك ليست وظيفتي ، و كم هو صعب ان يقف المرء في المنتصف و ان يناى بنفسه عن الانحياز لاحد الفريقين ، لكني اؤمن ان فقدان القدرة على الاستماع هو اشد تدميرا"

[Fran Soto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. I could barely put this down. It is a Muslim woman journalist's account of her exploration of jihadists, al-Quada and ISIS. Everyone should read this book for a better understanding of why much of the rest of the world hates America and Americans so much. I highly recommend this, and I especially hope that government and military leaders will read it.

[Nicole R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first-hand account of journalist Souad Mekhennet tells her story of growing up Muslim in Germany, and her career of covering Muslim politics and current events in the Middle East, particularly surrounding jihad and ISIS.

I, admittedly, know very little of Middle Eastern history, politics, or current events. I thought I was reasonably knowledgeable until I read Mekhennet's book, which really drove home the fact that these tensions and conflicts with the Muslim world are not new, did not start with 9/11, and are equally as—if not more—prominent in European counties such as France, Germany, and Britain than the U.S.

Mekhennet did a great job of describing the divide within Muslims themselves, between Shia and Sunni and those who support currently jihad-associated actions (think violence, oppression of women) and those who believe that the way jihad is currently used by violent factions is very much not in accordance with the laws of Islam and teachings of Muhammed. She also has made amazing contacts with the underground jihadists/ISIS, partially due to her being a Muslim and partially because she has a desire to find and tell the truth coupled with the ability to stay calm in extremely dangerous situations.

I learned a lot from this book, and while her storytelling was engaging, it was less informative that I was hoping. It is not an explanation of Middle Eastern politics, but was instead a chronological account of her experiences focusing on discrete events/interviews.

There were a few things I did not like about it as well. Mekhennet's tone was sometimes....too self-aggrandizing? Too poor me due to discrimination based on her race (not that I am saying the discrimination wasn't real or that it is downright illegal, she was just super fixated on it at times, which struct a wrong note given the context of the rest of the book)? I can't really put my finger on it, but it was just odd at times.

But, my biggest complaint is the narrator of this book. It is an American narrator which is not Mekhennet's voice at all. She is German, with German and Arabic as her first languages, followed by French then English as an adult. While she has worked for the NY Times and WaPo, she spends little time in the States but is based in Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. She speaks excellent English, but her accent is affected by her geographic roots. She also is not telling the story of Americans, she is telling the story of non-American Muslims. The narrators voice should have reflected that and shame on the audiobook producer for American-washing the story and the voice.

Overall, this was a great book. I learned a lot, including learning that I know very little about the complicated religious, historical, and geopolitical climate of the Middle East! I need a history of this for dummies....

[Elisabeth Manley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If I've learned anything, it's this: a mother's screams over the body of her murdered child sounds the same, no matter if she is black, brown, or white; Muslim, Jewish, or Christian; Shia or Sunni."

4.5**

This book is dense and full of names, dates, and historical events; but I stayed interested the whole time. I feel ignorant even trying to relay some of the things I learned because I know I still don't fully understand. This was educational for me in a necessary way. I was young when 9/11 happened and didn't understand then, and even since have never taken the time to understand the Western World vs Islam conflicts, not to mention the Islam vs Islam conflicts within that which I didn't even know about. I think this is a well written account of interviews with jihadists, from a journalist with the ability to show both sides of the equation, and a good read for anyone willing to learn about it.

[Chris Steeden · Rating 4 out of 5]

.‘I was told to come alone. I was not to carry any identification and would have to leave my cell phone, audio recorder, watch, and purse at my hotel in Antakya, Turkey. All I could bring were a notebook and a pen’.

It is July 2014 and the author, Souad Mekhennet, a journalist of Moroccan-Turkish descent but born and raised in Germany, wants to speak with someone ‘who could explain the long-term strategy of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS’. This was three weeks before the beheading of American journalist, James Foley. As a journalist she had watched the group take shape. She meets Abu Yusaf who it turns out was a torturer of hostages. ‘If everything worked out, I would be the first Western journalist to interview a senior ISIS commander and live to tell the story'.

Wow, what a prologue. The book then moves onto Souad’s life in Frankfurt which is equally interesting. Souad means ‘the happy fortunate one’. She covers the 2003 war in Iraq and her time out there. This is an important time for her as a journalist and a person. Her mother is Shia and her father is Sunni and she attempts to understand the roots of the Sunni-Shia conflict. The region, people and the war certainly has a profound effect on her. She says ‘Iraq changed me’.

The chapters are set in chronological order with different countries that she visited as a journalist like Iraq, Algeria and the Lebanon. She goes over her journalistic projects of that time. The writing is clear and never dull with events coming at you constantly. For a time in history, when so much is happening and it is difficult to keep-up I think Souad does a remarkable job of making it easy to understand. I learnt so much. Some of the situations she found herself in are, let’s say, a little scary. OK, a lot scary but it makes for compelling stories. Just wait to you get to the Egypt chapter. My word. This is not a cosy travelogue.

Honest, thought-provoking and hard hitting. Great book.

[Oliwia · Rating 5 out of 5]

najważniejsza książka, jaką kiedykolwiek przeczytałam

jeśli macie przeczytać w życiu jedną książkę, niech to będzie ona

[أمينة الحسن · Rating 4 out of 5]

قراءة كتاب كهذا لابد و أن تكون مرهقة ، أولا لجرأة الطرح و ثانيا لصعوبة التوصل لمنطقة وسطى في المجال السياسي العالمي و المحلي . رغم تصورى الحالي - خلال قراءة الكتاب - بحيادية سعاد بن مخنت كصحفية و ناشطة ، إلا أنني واجهت صعوبة في تقبل و فهم أسئلتها الاستفزازية لبعض من قابلتهم ، و كذلك إخفاقها في ملف قضية البحرين فلم أجد فيه ما وجدته في بقية الفصول من قوة في الطرح و فهم عميق لمجريات الأحداث ، فبدا هامشيا مقارنة ببقية القضايا .

كتاب يستحق القراءة و يفتح أمام القارئ الكثير من الأسئلة التي نحن - في عالمنا العربي و الخليج - بحاجة للبحث عن أجوبتها و خباياها .

[Janola · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must-read. I am hoping it gets translated into as many languages as possible, and reaches as many Europeans as possible.
Definitely not an easy pill to swallow, and leaves you wondering about your own behavior and moral code - what more do you expect from a journalist?

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is a must read for anyone who wants to know the answers to "Why do they hate us so much?" "How can a young man or woman who was raised in an upscale home be attracted to ISIS?" "What is the difference between Sunni/Shia?" "Does religion radicalize people or do people radicalize religion?" What is the history of Al Qaeda and ISIS?" and many, many more. In this very readable memoir, multilingual, multi national, muslim journalist, Souad Mekhennet, my vote for the bravest person the world, investigates for western news sources by gaining the trust of those who would harm us. She listens and reports fairly but although Souad gives a voice to terrorists there is never a doubt as to her core values. My favorite of many quotable passages:

"The world is not facing a clash of civilization or cultures, but a clash between those who want to build bridges and those who would rather see the world in polarities, who are working hard to spread hatred and divide us."

This book is on several lists of best books of 2017.

[Susan Scribner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to break the chain of 5-star reviews here, but I was underwhelmed by this book. I found it to be repetitive and the large number of characters confusing (it would have benefited from a "who's who" list). I didn't learn anything I didn't already know about the factors contributing to the radicalization of certain Muslims, nor did the author provide any helpful solutions other than, "we all have to respect each other and not assume that the West knows what is best for the rest of the world." I think I would have been better off reading Mekhennet's original articles than her recollections of what she had to do to get the stories.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Inside Look at Islamic Extremism

Despite the domination of Islamic extremism in world news, the West has very little insight into the perspective of those carrying out acts of terrorism. As the Arab Spring unfolded, challenging the established order throughout the Arab world, Western journalists — even those who were Middle East “experts” — found it difficult to fully understand and interpret the vortex of competing ideologies.

Typically, argues author Souad Mekhennet, western journalists are influenced by talking to elites or by conducting a few “man on the street” interviews with ordinary citizens. Since English language reporters typically rely upon interpreters who may have their own biases or connections with one side or another, they may not access the candid opinions that an Arabic speaker is able to achieve.

In any event, access to extremists from Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or ISIS has been rare. We have little insight into the reasons for their mistrust and extreme hostility. Moreover, there is not a single view even among those who choose violence. In countries such as Iran there is ideological competition within the regime itself.

Mekhennet has risked her life to talk to extremists. She is the rare journalist who has pierced, to some extent, this communications barrier. Her background is extraordinary as are her linguistic skills and bravery. This book provides an account of her ability to establish rapport with hardened radicals while not being afraid to challenge their views. Most important, on several occasions she demonstrates the talent to talk her way out of being kidnapped, tortured or killed.

Mekhennet has an extraordinary background, born in Germany to Muslim guest workers — a mother of Turkish Shia descent and a father of Moroccan Sunni descent. Early on, she was influenced to stake out a career in journalism by the Watergate coverage of reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Part of her story is how through unpaid internships and drive she came first to be a freelancer for German publications such as Der Spiegel and ultimately worked for the Washington Post and New York Times among other western news outlets.

Once 9/11 occurred, Mekhennet’s fluency in Arabic was in demand and she was paired with more experienced Western reporters. She became fluent in English as well as Arabic, German, and French. Her travels took her far and wide, ranging from interviews with extremists in Hamburg and Britain to Turkey, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain. In Britain she tracks down those who knew “Jihadi John,” the British-accented terrorist who appeared on videos of the beheading of Western journalists, and she ultimately identifies him publicly.

Mekhennet makes it clear that she is against religious intolerance and terrorism. But she also helps us understand the viewpoint of the Islamic extremists:


- People who see themselves as victims don’t notice when they become oppressors.

- Some in the West don’t see the hazards of setting standards for others, as if our way is the right way and only way. This is the same argument that ISIS makes. Meanwhile western democracies have set up detention centers, sanctioned torture, and engaged in surveillance violating their own stated “core values”. This is of great propaganda value to extremists.

- The West doesn’t always recognize its own biases. In a discussion about “free press” on German television, her other panelists defended the right to run a caricature of Mohammed but balked at a caricature of Jesus.


In the Arab Spring, Christians in Egypt didn’t want Mubarak of Egypt to go. Even though he was a dictator, he protected vulnerable minorities. “Democratic rule” can be dangerous. The West wants democracy, but democracy as we know it in the West. In divided societies the majority can persecute the minority based on their own definition of “democratic values”.

One of the author’s most dangerous situations occurs not when she meets with extremists, but when she is arrested in Egypt. In the wrong place at the wrong time, she is caught in a broad roundup of protesters, is accused of being a spy, hears the sounds of torture of prisoners in other cells, and narrowly escapes being held by virtue of her western connections.

The author provides a particularly insightful and nuanced analysis of the situation in Bahrain, where competition between the Sunni (ruling minority elite) and Shia (majority population) is very complicated. The standard story in the West is one of repression by the government of the religious majority. But many Shia leaders in Bahrain are unbending, conservative, and anti-modern. Mekhennet interviews both sides. She discovers that the kingdom’s ruler is most concerned about Iran’s influence. The opposition movement, which claims victimhood, nevertheless discriminates against Bangladeshis and other foreign workers. The Shiite goal, therefore, is less about democratic values for all than about sectarian power.

One of the tragedies of American foreign policy is our ignorance of other cultures. We have paid dearly for this in treasure and lives in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. With little understanding of the culture and inability to interact and communicate with most citizens of the countries which we seek to influence, the US quickly comes to be seen as an oppressor.

Books such as this one help us understand how vast the gulf is between our own perceptions and much of the broad population in countries in which we have intervened militarily. If we are to reach better accommodation, we must understand what is behind the ideological attractiveness of extremists dedicated to violence not only against the West but also against those in their own country who hold more moderate views. Solutions won’t be easy, but perhaps progress can be made if we see ourselves as others see us and thus can better understand the attractiveness of extremism and refute those with a violent ideology.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Souad Mekhennet is of Moroccan descent and German birth. As such, she has always walked a line between the Muslim and Western worlds. Fortunately for the rest of us, she is a journalist of the first order and seeks to educate these two worlds about one another's beliefs, experiences, and cultures by writing for The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others.

I am in awe of Mekhennet's bravery, tenacity, and her ability to make connections with some of the most shadowy figures of jihad. Her memoir is a paean to investigative journalism and its increasing importance in our world.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Usually when I read books I feel it’s worthwhile because I’m entertained, but in this case it was worthwhile because of how much I learned - it opened my eyes to a lot of issues I was completely oblivious to. However, I found it became a bit repetitive which is why I ended up not loving it but overall I’m very happy I read this book and highly recommend.

[Leonie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute Leseempfehlung. Ich habe zwischendurch immer wieder Abstand gebraucht, weil eine Vielzahl der Namen einfach so bekannt sind, dass man direkt weiß, wovon oder von wem Souad Mekhennet berichtet, aber das lag definitiv weder am Schreibstil noch an der Erzählweise.

[KruemelGizmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Souad Mekhennet berichtet in diesem Buch von ihren teils lebensgefährlichen Recherchen. Sie möchte verstehen und erzählen, was hinter den Fronten des Dschihad vorgeht, warum sich junge Menschen dazu entschließen Attentäter zu werden oder sich dem Kampf anzuschließen und was in den Köpfen der Warlords vor sich geht. Dabei deckt sie Entführung und Folterung des Deutsch-Libanesen Khaled al-Masri durch die CIA auf. Obwohl Geheimdienste ihr versuchen zu folgen, führt Interviews mit den Führer von al-Qaida im Maghreb und bei der Recherche zu einem Buch in Ägypten lernt sie ein ägyptisches Foltergefängnis kennen. Nach intensiven Nachforschungen kann sie sogar den berüchtigten IS-Henker „Jihadi John“ enttarnen. Auch der Name des in Saint Denis erschossenen Pariser Attentäters war ihr vor der Polizei bekannt…

Nur wenn du alleine kommst stammt aus der Feder von Souad Mekhennet.

Das Buch beginnt mit einem packenden Prolog, bei dem die türkisch-marokkanisch und in Deutschland aufgewachsene Journalistin Souad Mekhennet sich mit einem IS-Mitglied trifft. Das Treffen konnte nur unter der Bedingung stattfinden, das sie alleine kommt, keine Ausweispapiere oder andere Dokumente bei sich führt, ein Handy oder ein Aufnahmegerät war auch untersagt, sogar die Handtasche musste sie zurücklassen, einzig ein Stift und ein Notizblock waren erlaubt. Den Mut aufzubringen zu diesem Treffen, aber auch zu vielen anderen Interviews zu fahren ist bewundernswert.

Die Autorin erzählt in diesem Buch nicht nur von ihren Interviews und Recherchen, sondern auch von ihrer Kindheit in Marokko und Deutschland. Schon in ihrer Kindheit erlebte sie Rassismus, aber auch viele Deutsche die ihr hilfreich zur Seite standen. Ihren Entschluss Journalistin zu werden verfolgte sie seit ihrer Jugend hartnäckig und zielstrebig. Als Journalistin war sie sowohl fürs Fernsehen, wie auch als freie Journalistin für die New York Times oder die Washington Post tätig, und baute sich dabei eine breites Netzwerk mit Kontaktpersonen auf, sowohl in den Medien als auch bei den verschiedenen Terrororganisationen.

In all ihren Berichten versucht sie objektiv zu bleiben und den Dingen dabei wirklich auf den Grund zu gehen und sie zu verstehen. Dabei gibt sie auch Islamisten eine Stimme und versucht auch aufzuzeigen was zu ihrer Radikalisierung geführt hat, ohne ihre Taten oder Gedankengänge dabei Gutzuheißen. Sie zeigt auch die Fehler der westlichen Welt auf, die mit ihrer Einstellung und Berichterstattung, ihrem Rassismus und Handlungen dazu beitragen, das sich Menschen radikalisieren und sich der Hass auf die westliche Welt im arabischen und nordafrikanischen Raum weiter ausbreitet. Auch versucht sie aufzuzeigen, das trotz gleicher Begrifflichkeit, Demokratie im Westen anders verstanden wird als zum Beispiel im arabischen Raum.

Sie beleuchtet auch den massiven Konflikt zwischen Sunniten und Schiiten untereinander, die sich seit Jahrhunderte bekämpfen und sich mit einem Hass verfolgen, der mir in dem Ausmaß nicht bewusst war.

Für mich ist dieses Buch ein beeindruckendes Werk, das sich oftmals so spannend liest wie ein Krimi oder Thriller, und mein Wissen über den Dschihad, die Radikalisierung von Menschen, ihr Gedankengut, den Konflikt innerhalb des Islams, der Arbeit von Journalisten und der westlichen Medien und auch die Tätigkeiten von Geheimdiensten damit mehrte.

Mein Fazit:
Ein beeindruckendes Buch, das sich spannend wie ein Krimi liest und dabei Wissen über ein sehr komplexes Thema vermittelt.

[Faisal Buzdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Souad Mekhennet's compelling blend of memoir and reportage! Souad is a German-born journalist of Turkish-Moroccan descent, who has covered global jihad around the world for esteemed dailies like the New York Times and the Washington Post. 'I was Told to Come Alone' is the story of Souad's upbringing in Germany and Morocco and her increased engagement with the Salafist jihad as an investigative journalist. She traveled to conflict zones as far as Iraq, Jordan, Algeria, and Pakistan and interviewed key Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Taliban leaders, sometimes raising the ire of both the authorities and militants. Souad is an incredibly courageous and resilient woman who doggedly overcame barriers to the rise of a Muslim woman reporter in a world beset with violence, discrimination, and harassment.

This book reads like a thriller and introduces the reader to the art of investigative journalism with all its attendant perils. Souad’s story on the identity of Jihadi John, in particular, is a paean to quality journalism. Her experiences are by turns funny, chilling, and heart-rending. At times, one is moved to tears, especially through the last pages of the book.

The central question this book poses is, "Why do they hate us so much?" Mekhennet seeks to answer this question by piecing together different narratives underpinning Islamic terrorism. She argues that the involvement of Europe-born Muslims in religious terrorism could be understood in the wider context of social exclusion and discrimination Muslims face in the West as well as West’s ill-advised campaigns in the Muslim world, creating fissures and allowing authoritarian regimes to exclude more people from the political process. It is here that one should have a few problems with Souad Mekhennet's analysis. Granted that poverty and disenfranchisement drive the Muslim youth into religious extremism, this is not a sufficient explanation to unpack the complex phenomenon of global jihad, and tends to ignore Salafism as an ideology with its historical roots and linkages to classical Islam, including some of the injunctions in the primary sources. Similarly, in her analysis Mekhennet does not lay enough emphasis on the need for reform in Islam and considers by default that Islam quintessentially is a religion of peace and that the actions of terrorists have nothing to do with the early and pristine form of the faith. It is only towards the end that she very briefly calls for a reform process in Islam. Despite these omissions, 'I Was Told to Come Alone' is an impressive work and demonstrates the courage of an Arab Muslim woman in the face of multiple obstacles. Every person believing in the agency of women must read this book.

[Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an informative, interesting book providing context to the jihadist attacks. Souad Mekhennet is a journalist who interviewed many Islamic jihadists that are compiled here in her memoir.

The Sunni and Shia divide is explained early in the book and, in fact, Mekhennet’s parents shared that divided which apparently was an issue for her parent’s families. This division has resulted in debate and conflict, persecution and prejudice, and war and terrorism.

I’m still learning about Islam and the regional conflicts across the Middle East. This book along with Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle East are both good reads to gain this perspective.

While the divide between Sunnis and Shias is explained early it is only a small part of Mekhennet’s book. Primarily, her memoir covers research and interviews she’s conducted on terrorist attacks and the reasons behind them. Mekhennet gives us a Muslim perspective on world events – especially that of the United States’ activities in Iran, invasion of Iraq, and war in Afghanistan.

Mekhennet developed a plethora of contacts she drew upon to meet jihadists from Al Qaeda and ISIS. One motivating factor she describes for her career was to provide readers with both the perspective of the Jihadists but also that of the vast majority of Muslims who do not support jihadist attacks.

It’s clear she is respected by all she worked with: governmental officials, security forces, journalists, jihadists, and all other Muslims. She was able to interview key terrorist leaders that required traveling to dangerous locales.

I gained new perspectives from this book. How the west perceived the Arab Spring is so different from that of the jihadists. Through this book I gained a better understanding of Islam and the Arab perspective of the west’s actions in the Middle East.

While a few of the later chapters felt a bit repetitive they cover some of the latest terrorist attacks. The last chapter provides a bit of an epilogue but also recounts how terrorism touched the Mekhennet family.

I think this is a must read for those wanting to learn more about Islam and the perspective of today’s jihadists.

[Chaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess the lesson here: A good journalist does not necessarily make a good storyteller.

The first 80-100 pages were fairly interesting... But it slowly goes downhill from there. Even though Souad Mekhennet finds herself in precarious, dangerous situations time and time again, this book is just so very... dull. I found myself speed reading the chapter in which, fearing rape, she is detained by Egyptian security. Her life flashing before her eyes as death looms... yawn. Her profiles of young adults dedicating themselves to the caliphate are monotonous. It's a shame... I think English being her fourth language shows. The writing just does not flow well. In the hands of a native speaker the storytelling could potentially be really compelling. She has certainly been in some pretty amazing situations. But this book is a slog. There are just so many characters, and it is so dense.

There is also a lot of planes, trains and automobiles. A flight here... A train there... A cab to meet an informant... On and on. And tea shops. Coffee shops. Sandwich shops. If you want to know what she got from room service while awaiting an encrypted message from a source, this might be your book.

One thing she will not let you forget: how many jihadist men are smitten with her and want to have sex with/marry her... Or how attractive she is compared to other Islamic women. Every Muslim man she encounters seems to eventually proposition her. She mentions it so many times it seems to be a little self-serving. What little she shares of her personal life seems to indicate her struggles in dating and relationships, so I wonder if those two things are related.

When I mouse-over the two star rating on GoodReads it says "It was okay" and that is exactly how I feel about this book. Not terrible by any stretch, but I just would not recommend it to too many people.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part memoir, part reportage, Mekhennet occupies a unique position in the world of reporting on terrorism. No, I’m not talking about her Muslim faith - I’m talking about her willingness to try to understand and to ask questions of all sides and all parties. Her ability to see the humanity in everyone is a crucial asset to her self-appointed mission of trying to help her audiences understand the phenomenon of terrorism and the various ways societies respond to it.

Although some of the material feels a little basic for anyone who’s been following international affairs closely for the past decade, that is also what makes it broadly accessible, and the insights she has certainly were new and enlightening at the time she was reporting them. And anyway the real value of the book is the very intimate perspective she provides on the people and groups involved, which she was able to gain access to because of her ethnic, religious, and familial background, as well as her tenacious and courageous approach to journalism.