November 3, 2007

The Al Qaeda Reader: A Review

By Gary H. Johnson, Jr.
A review ofThe Al Qaeda Reader Raymond Ibrahim, Editor/translator.$15.95, 282 pp.Recently, Raymond Ibrahim edited and translated into English a decade's worth of public releases by al Qaeda's leadership.  Published by Broadway Books, with partial proceeds donated to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Ibrahim's The Al Qaeda Reader is not only a timely fountainhead for the United States citizenry's understanding of our Jihadi enemies, it is also a necessary release for all Muslims living under secular governments to grapple with in the coming years.  The text focuses on the prepared statements of both Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leading authority figures of the Al Qaeda forces, which coordinated and carried out the devastating attacks of 9/11/2001.   Since Muhammad's definition of war is "deceit", and al Qaeda has declared war against America, we can only assume that these al Qaeda releases hold a two-fold purpose:  to provide sound,...(Read Full Article)