Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror 
asked by bookworks on November 28, 2006 2:29 AM
One woman's story of why she left the culture of Islamic Jihad to support American liberty and tolerance
Why are so many Muslims embracing jihad and cheering for al-Qaeda and Hamas? Why are even the modern, secularized Arab states such as Egypt producing a generation of angry young extremists?
Why are so many Muslims embracing jihad and cheering for al-Qaeda and Hamas? Why are even the modern, secularized Arab states such as Egypt producing a generation of angry young extremists?
Nonie Darwish knows why. When she was eight, her father died while leading Fedayeen raids into Israel. Her family moved from Gaza back to Cairo, where they were honored as survivors of a “shahid”—a martyr for jihad. She grew up learning the same lessons as millions of Muslim children: to hate Jews, destroy Israel, oppose America, and submit to dictatorship.
But Darwish became increasingly appalled by the anger and hatred in her culture, and in 1978 she emigrated to America. Since 9/11 she has been lecturing and writing on behalf of moderate Arabs and Arab-Americans. Extremists have denounced her as an infidel and threatened her life.
In this fascinating book, she speaks out against the dark side of her native culture—women abused by Islamic traditions; the poor and uneducated mistreated by the elites; bribery and corruption as a way of life. Her former friends and neighbors blamed all the their troubles on Jews and Americans, but Darwish rejects their bigotry and calls for the Arab world to make peace with the West.
The only hope for the future, she writes, is for America to continue waging its War on Terror, seeding the Middle East with the values of democracy, respect for women, and tolerance for all religions.
Reviews
0%
0%
Through her own remarkable life journey Ms.Darwish offers a deeply insightful and commendably honest view of her own culture of origin. Her personal life story opens for the western reader a clear window into the puzzling and little known world of Middle Eastern Arab life and the radical Islam that endangers the world. I salute her bravery in bringing her experience as an Egyptian Moslem into the eye of the American public when such honesty endangers her own life. I hail her rejection of the institutionalized hatred, bigotry and oppression in her culture of origin that is poison to the human soul. I commend her courage in opening our eyes to the fact that the adherants of radical Islam are not a fringe minority in the Middle East, as Americans would very much like to beleive, and to the fact that the seeds of this very same blind hatred are being sown right here on American soil as we sleep. Everyone on my Christmas list will receive a copy of "Now They Call Me Infidel".
reviewed by jan1975 on November 28, 2006 2:51 PM
0%
0%
This is such an interesting book because of the way the author's life has provided her with many more views on the issues of the Arab view of the world - especially Israel and America, Islam versus the rising militant strands, the role of women within Islam and how the rising militant strands are affecting women even or especially in the West, how Muslim polygamy contributes to the role of women in Islamic countries, and what it means to be the daughter of a martyr. Nonie Darwish knows all these things from her own life and her family experiences and I strongly recommend this book to you. Darwish provides perspectives on Islam that I have not read elsewhere and I found them quite valuable.
She recounts her childhood under the Nasser regime and being taught to hate Jews. She recounts the pleasantness of Egypt and then her family being sent to Gaza. It is interesting to read her comparisons of the way people lived there shortly after the establishment of Israel versus the artificially horrible (but horrible) conditions of today.
Her father led fedayeen attacks into Israel and was targeted and killed because by Israel because of these raids. This made things complicated for her family. Because of her father's status Nasser actually visited their home and promised support to the widow and children. To this day there is a school and a street in Gaza named for her father.
Darwish recounts going to a Catholic school. Here she encountered her first contradiction between what she had been raised to believe about Christians and what she saw in reality for herself. Nasser soon nationalized such schools and the indoctrination of hate became the norm. This never took with her because she had seen the reality and the lies seemed like lies. Unfortunately, for millions of children, the lies about Jews and Christians are all they know since they have never met a Jew or a Christian.
Her mother was widowed while young, and the description of her status becomes and springboard for a fascinating description of life as a woman in Muslim countries. The ways in which polygamy is used to oppress women is something I had never read before. For example, the author's mother was a young widow. One would expect that her female friends would rally around her. Instead, the drew away because a single woman becomes a threat and competition in a polygamous society. A husband can take a new wife without even telling his first wife (or other wives). He can also abandon her because of the way divorce is put in the hands of the man without any say from the woman. She can also be punished by being abandoned but not divorced so she cannot remarry or have the power to change her own status. There is a lot more to this you will get from reading the book.
A current trend of more Muslim women wearing full covering is also discussed. It is occurring especially in the West where no one is compelling them to do so. Darwish states that she believes this is really about making an aggressive statement and standing apart rather than something coming from being devout. Her belief is that if these women were living in societies that were compelling them to wear a burqua they would be among those standing apart and burning them. A few conversations she recounts with such women is quite, well, revealing.
Another interesting topic is she shows us how the Arab mindset blames everything wrong in their society on conspiracies from outsiders. But that only goes to a point! When her brother was facing a likely fatal condition he could either go to a hospital in Egypt or in Israel. He chose Israel and was saved. Later, she asked him if he thought differently about Jews now and he indicated that he still had real misgivings about them and was still quite against Israel.
I also enjoyed the discussion of the poor treatment of Christian minorities in Muslim countries and especially in Egypt. They are not only treated as inferiors (which all non-Muslims are felt to be by all Muslims), they are brutalized and even killed. This was confirmed to me shortly after 9/11 by a Coptic Christian from Egypt that I met at the business school I was attending for my MBA. This is not only under reported in the West, but it is shockingly telling of the Muslim mindset and what they mean by a religion of peace (peace for all Muslims is all that it means).
Her recounting of coming to America and learning about freedom and liberty is quite moving. She also recounts her trips back to her homeland and how things continued to change. Darwish wants Americans to wake up to the very real danger that the Jihadists are to us and how much we stand to lose if we let them have their way through indifference or concession. Either way, our way of life will change forever.
A very interesting and valuable book.
She recounts her childhood under the Nasser regime and being taught to hate Jews. She recounts the pleasantness of Egypt and then her family being sent to Gaza. It is interesting to read her comparisons of the way people lived there shortly after the establishment of Israel versus the artificially horrible (but horrible) conditions of today.
Her father led fedayeen attacks into Israel and was targeted and killed because by Israel because of these raids. This made things complicated for her family. Because of her father's status Nasser actually visited their home and promised support to the widow and children. To this day there is a school and a street in Gaza named for her father.
Darwish recounts going to a Catholic school. Here she encountered her first contradiction between what she had been raised to believe about Christians and what she saw in reality for herself. Nasser soon nationalized such schools and the indoctrination of hate became the norm. This never took with her because she had seen the reality and the lies seemed like lies. Unfortunately, for millions of children, the lies about Jews and Christians are all they know since they have never met a Jew or a Christian.
Her mother was widowed while young, and the description of her status becomes and springboard for a fascinating description of life as a woman in Muslim countries. The ways in which polygamy is used to oppress women is something I had never read before. For example, the author's mother was a young widow. One would expect that her female friends would rally around her. Instead, the drew away because a single woman becomes a threat and competition in a polygamous society. A husband can take a new wife without even telling his first wife (or other wives). He can also abandon her because of the way divorce is put in the hands of the man without any say from the woman. She can also be punished by being abandoned but not divorced so she cannot remarry or have the power to change her own status. There is a lot more to this you will get from reading the book.
A current trend of more Muslim women wearing full covering is also discussed. It is occurring especially in the West where no one is compelling them to do so. Darwish states that she believes this is really about making an aggressive statement and standing apart rather than something coming from being devout. Her belief is that if these women were living in societies that were compelling them to wear a burqua they would be among those standing apart and burning them. A few conversations she recounts with such women is quite, well, revealing.
Another interesting topic is she shows us how the Arab mindset blames everything wrong in their society on conspiracies from outsiders. But that only goes to a point! When her brother was facing a likely fatal condition he could either go to a hospital in Egypt or in Israel. He chose Israel and was saved. Later, she asked him if he thought differently about Jews now and he indicated that he still had real misgivings about them and was still quite against Israel.
I also enjoyed the discussion of the poor treatment of Christian minorities in Muslim countries and especially in Egypt. They are not only treated as inferiors (which all non-Muslims are felt to be by all Muslims), they are brutalized and even killed. This was confirmed to me shortly after 9/11 by a Coptic Christian from Egypt that I met at the business school I was attending for my MBA. This is not only under reported in the West, but it is shockingly telling of the Muslim mindset and what they mean by a religion of peace (peace for all Muslims is all that it means).
Her recounting of coming to America and learning about freedom and liberty is quite moving. She also recounts her trips back to her homeland and how things continued to change. Darwish wants Americans to wake up to the very real danger that the Jihadists are to us and how much we stand to lose if we let them have their way through indifference or concession. Either way, our way of life will change forever.
A very interesting and valuable book.
reviewed by sumbuddy on November 29, 2006 11:54 AM
0%
0%
The writer is just one in a long series of dishonest writers that the world has never heard of them for any intellect they posses, and all of a sudden they seek fame by seeking the support of both the international zionism supported by Israil or the extremist right wing.
The lies and tweaks her books is filled with are appaling.
This book is by no means for intillegent readers who are going to immediately understand the dishonesty of the author.
The title of the book is an indication of the poor content. I would have appreciated the book had it contained a message that could be wrapped in and under an intellectual title.
Rather, she picked an empty title, provoking and confrontational as it is, to call the attention and gain some fame out of it.
I know she is going to be dissappointed when she gets ignored by Muslims.
The lies and tweaks her books is filled with are appaling.
This book is by no means for intillegent readers who are going to immediately understand the dishonesty of the author.
The title of the book is an indication of the poor content. I would have appreciated the book had it contained a message that could be wrapped in and under an intellectual title.
Rather, she picked an empty title, provoking and confrontational as it is, to call the attention and gain some fame out of it.
I know she is going to be dissappointed when she gets ignored by Muslims.
reviewed by markymark on November 29, 2006 1:41 PM