Rating: 
Summary: Anyone Misusing Allah's Words Cannot Be Blessed!
Review: I found the book enlightening, frightening and entertaining that makes me pity Al Qaeda and anyone believing the killing of innocent victims is noble and godlike. There are some errors in the book, but not enough to disregard it overall. The writer enlightens me on the creation of Al Qaeda. A worldwide consortium of intelligence agencies created Al Qaede for a noble purpose to fight tyranny. What I found ironic is that German Intelligence once sent a young spy named Adolph Hitler to spy on a new Nazi Party in 1920's. Osama Bin Laden like Hitler took over by assassinating Al Qaeda officers. The world is changing fast and many feel human principles, values and morality are fast disappearing in a world of entertainment, pornography, and plentiful decadence. What I find frightening is how such well educated wealthy, religious and devoted individuals can actually think they are changing the world for the better. Yet, Al Qaeda thinks the solution is killing people when it is just playing into the hands of the very influential who created such societies. Current governments will grow stronger by Al Qaeda actions and individual freedom will slowly disappear for future tyrants to take advantage of not for any people, culture or religion to prosper. One of three pillars of Judaism is educating its children so that they may live productive lives. Yet, Al Qaeda fatalists are misusing religion to have the best-educated Islamic children kill themselves. Father's brag they train their children how to die as mothers speaks with pride. Yet, in solitude I know they weep from such losses. In the end, this keep such outstanding Islamic minds in darkness, squalor and behind all other races, cultures and religions. Al Qaeda can never succeed because it is based upon a great lie. The fact remains that one sign that the Islamic world will change is when the Quran' words disappear from each book. This has not happen! What has happen is that a group of government paid Clerics and Mullahs changed Mohammed's message in Arabic in certain Qurans' with blood curling hate misguiding their own children. I do not pretend to speak for Allah for that would be committing blasphemy. I never disrespect the many believers of Islam who live such pristine lives full of values. What I do know is the book shows Al Qaeda is impertinently belittling Islam based on lies not ideals of Islam. What is ironic is even if Al Qaeda or the Fundamentalists Islamic Fanatics succeed in their mission to destroy the Western World, Moderate Arab Governments, and Israel. They will destroy the very markets that they need to survive. I came away after reading this book that if Al Qaeda would devote such time to building wealth, educating the young to believe in themselves, and help the poor over attacking the innocent, they could change the world instead of blowing it up! Anyone misusing Allah's word cannot succeed in the end and that fate in written in the true Quran, practice by true believers of Islam, and not cowards hiding in caves wearing women clothing to escape from their deeds of devastation and death.
Rating: 
Summary: A Disappointing But Exhaustive Study of al-Qaeda
Review: It is shocking when a major university press publishes a book as sloppily edited as this one. In addition to the factual errors other reviewers have noted, there are numerous typos and sentence fragments. The notes at the back are also very inconsistent in their level of citation. All of this is particularly unfortunate, since the author clearly has amassed a great wealth of detail on al-Qaeda's worldwide operations, including much "new" evidence hitherto unpublished in English. But given the carelessness of so much of the editing, how can we be sure the author's information is accurate and trustworthy? I did think this book had two virtues. The country-by-country survey of al-Qaeda operations gave a very thorough and complex picture of the ways in which al-Qaeda infiltrates and liaises with local groups and causes, while retaining its global ideology and focus. And the reporting is happily free of the America-centric emphasis of so much recent work on al-Qaeda. Although sympathetic to the American position, the author lets al-Qaeda 'speak for itself' and stresses the danger it poses in many countries, not just the United States. Frankly, I would not allow such a shoddily edited book (obviously hastily rushed to press to capitalize on the current crisis) to be published under my name, particularly when I clearly had such a detailed command of a subject, as this author seems to.
Rating: 
Summary: Infinitely Pathetic Book
Review: It's ok if you are ignorant. And it's ok if you write a book. It's just not ok if you are an ignorant and write a book at the same time. As the previous reviewer mentioned, the author confuses many concepts not to mention straight linguistic symantics in Arabic like the "ulama" and "umma" words. This author knows nothing about the subject he is addressing. He cooks up stories out of nowhere and presents them as facts. The very few correct information pieces is stuff we already know from the media. If there were less than one star, this book deserves it. I returned my book as well.
Dont buy this "book"!
Rating:
Summary: Readable Account of Al-Qaida as a Global Menace
Review: One of the earliest books on Al-Qaida that offers comprehensive insights into the organization's structure and activities. In terms of explaining the 'what', 'how', 'who' and 'where' behind Al-Qaida's operations, this book is impressive. However, compared with others in the discourse, the book is weak in explaining the 'why' behind the controversial role of Salafism and Al-Qaida's rise using Islam as a battle cry.
Rohan's book is among the first to highlight that Al-Qaida is focusing on Asia as its new theater of operations. The parts on Jemaah Islamiyya, arguably an Al-Qaida ally, is especially enlightening for its time. His readable exploration of Jemaah Islamiyya's operations in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore provides a concise overview of how Southeast Asia is one of the new fronts in the 'war against terror'.
Skeptics have myopically slammed the book citing the reason that Rohan is not an authority on the Middle East or Islam. However, the book is instead mainly about terrorism, and after reading Rohan's engaging book, it becomes clear to the reader that Rohan knows what he is writing about.
Rating:
Summary: Best book on Al Qaeda
Review: Rohan Gunaratna's book on Al Qaeda is the most thoroughly researched available. The level of detail is impressive; he even gives the exact address of the former Al Qaeda headquarters in Brooklyn and Osama bin Laden's cell phone number! This book provides Americans with credible specifics we need to fight terrorism. I wish to point out to the reviewer from Alexandria, VA, that if he/she had read the book carefully they would have understood that the twentieth highjacker Rohan Gunaratna referred to was Moussaoui, who was arrested by the FBI three weeks before the 9/11 attack.
Rating:
Summary: Al-Qaeda is a Manufactured U.S. Intelligence Front
Review: Rohan Gunaratna's Inside Al Qaeda: Global Network of Terror only covers the same U.S. government fabricated lies reported by the mainstream media to the American public. From the September 11th attacks to hostages being kidnapped and decapitated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, the state-controlled corporate media has feed the American public that these crimes were committed by "Islamic Terrorists" apart of or connected to Al-Qaeda. Throughout Gunaratna's book, he blames Islamic fundamentalism for the creation of the terrorist network Al-Qaeda. I have never read any Islamic rule in the Qur'an which allows the killing of innocent people whether they are Muslims, Christians or Jews, for any reason whatsoever. I have never read an Islamic rule which states that the killing of kidnapped hostages is allowed. All what I remember that Islam has to say in this matter is that somebody who kills a "believer" unlawfully is sanctioned the same as if he had killed all humanity. The word "believer" means "anyone who believes in God" in this context, not only Muslims. The Qur'an states that the place where faith in God is held, and equally where the faith in God is broken, is in the heart. The Qur'an states that nobody can read what is in the hearts of others, or judge them as a believers or disbelievers. Even if their hearts are cut open, it is not possible to know if a person is a believer or not. Knowledge in this matter belongs only to God and God alone. This should be understood as meaning that Islam expressly forbids killing for religious reasons. The Prophet Muhammad recommended good treatment for hostages and prisoners during the past Islamic wars. He said: "You should not kill an old man, a child, or a woman. You should not cut a tree or destroy a church..." Murdering and killing is outside of Islamic morals and principles, which are inviolable. This means that nobody has the right to put an end to another's life. While Islam expressly forbids suicide, it is still more acceptable to put an end to ones own life than to kill another person. What does the word "Al-Qaeda" mean ? In Arabic, "Al-Qaeda" has many different meanings, among them "Base", "Ground", "Norm", "Rule", "Fundament", "Grammar". The exact meaning is dependent on the context in which it is used. It depends on the word which follows "Al-Qaeda" in the sentence. "Qawa'ad Askaria" is an Army Base, "Qawa'ad Lugha" stands for Grammar Rules (the Bases of Grammar). "Qa'ada" is the infinitive of the verb "to sit". "Ma-Qa'ad" is a chair. "Al-Qaeda" is the base or fundament of something. "Ana raicha Al Qaeda" is colloquial for "I'm going to the toilet". A very common and widespread use of the word "Al-Qaeda" in different Arab countries in the public language is for the toilet bowl. This name comes from the Arabic verb "Qa'ada" which mean "to sit", pertinently, on the "Toilet Bowl". In most Arabs homes there are two kinds of toilets: "Al-Qaeda" also called the "Hamam Franji" or foreign toilet, and "Hamam Arabi" or "Arab toilet" which is a hole in the ground. Lest we forget it, the potty used by small children is called "Ma Qa'adia" or "Little Qaeda". Those who founded the International Terrorist Organization, Al-Qaeda, probably knew little about common use of Arabic language to know that by using this name for their organization, they risked becoming the laughing stock of everybody who speaks the Arabic "public" language. To kidnap, torture and execute people are terrorist actions which are in no way related to God or to Islam, and these actions are not rewarded by paradise as some ignorant Western media figures would like to believe. The terrorist event of New York 11 September 20001, and the terror event of Madrid on 11 March 2004, and other terror events commonly connected to Islam, are clearly not related to Islam if we consider that the Al-Qaeda terror organization was established by the CIA in the 1980s. Al-Qaeda is nothing but a convenient "Islamic" front which enables the CIA to commit crimes in the name of Muslims. It is well known that the Mujaheddin of Afghanistan were organized, trained and funded by the CIA using the Pakistani ISI in order to remove the Soviet Army out of Afghanistan. The Mujaheddin can be seen as CIA terrorism with an Islamic name and "Islamic" perpetrators. Afghanistan has, for all purposes, been destroyed by these fanatics in furtherance of American interests. The Al-Qaeda terror organization has caused immense damage to Islam, to Muslims worldwide and to the interests of the peoples of all Arab and Muslim countries. The actions of Al-Qaeda have only served to promote the interests of the U.S. and Israel, which is clearly interested in "reshaping" the Middle East in such a way that they can more easily rape and plunder the region at will. In fact the CIA is using the terrorist actions of its proxy Al-Qaeda in order to give the U.S. an excuse to extend their power into and invade other Arab countries, first countries with rich plunder (Oil) like Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and second any country which is a "threat" to Israel, or more exactly which Israel dislikes for whatever reason. The third objective for which the CIA is using its proxy Al-Qaeda is to engender fear and hate of Islam and Muslims worldwide. This corresponds to an old and tried ploy of colonizers: to slander and denigrate the target population so that it is acceptable and even called for to commit genocide against them. The peoples of Ireland, Africa and the Americas have all suffered this tragedy, and these regions have been colonized. The next obvious victims are Arabs and Muslims by extension because they live in geographic areas rich in oil and other natural resources, such as the poppy fields in Afghanistan. But as usual Americans are kept in the dark by their mind locked mainstream media, surely more warped than the state-controlled Soviet press ever was, and are spoon fed magical tales of evil Al-Qaeda deeds that threaten the security of our nation. The American people are smart enough to think for themselves and read through the lies. Each of us should investigate what really is going on concerning the US government's "War on Terrorism". Who was really responsible for the 9/11 attacks and what do they stand to gain? So in closing I would like to say that I deny that the terror practices of Al-`CIA'eda represent Islam and Muslims in any way. I'm against the instrumentalization of Islam and all Muslims by the CIA through their front organization Al-Qaeda with its leader CIA agent Tim Osman a.k.a. "Osama Bin Laden". This disgusting criminal gang has already caused too much death and suffering toward innocent people of all creeds in many lands. I reject the Al-Qaeda announcement to killing innocent people under the name of Islam and all Al-Qaeda practices, as these crimes are against humanity. These crimes are all steered from Washington D.C. by the CIA and they only represent U.S. policy.
Rating:
Summary: Good country by country detailed anlysis of al qaeda
Review: The author who is an al queada expert traces the roots of the organization to the Soviet Afgahn war and from there a history and country by country list of its cells. He explains to the reader the mindset of Osama Bin Laden and the role of his Egyptian cohorts in radicalizing the movement and declaring war on the United States.
Rating:
Summary: Not the Best Book, Not the Best Writer
Review: There have been some informed and insightful commentaries on the terrorism problem. This is not one of them. Gunaratna has no real background in Islamic studies or the Middle East and it shows. It might impress people who have no real knowledge of the terrorist problem, but it is likely only to mislead them. Gunaratna is a former intelligence officer for the Sri Lankan Government. With that war largely over, Gunaratna has jumped on the counter-terrorism bandwagon and is marketing himself as an expert on international terrorism. Whether you buy what he says here or elsewhere is up to you. Some of the inaccuracies in this book were highlighted in an article in the Australian newspaper The Age.
Rating: 
Summary: Failure to document a controversial claim...
Review: This book appears to be a good reference source. I don't have the expertise to judge its accuracy, but I'm willing to assume the author knows his field. There are problems. Foremost among them is Gunaratna's charge that Osama bin Laden acquiesced in the killing of his mentor, Sheikh Azzam, in 1989. This claim is worded more boldly on the cover flap: "[Gunaratna reveals] how bin Laden had his mentor and Al Qaeda founder, 'Azzam,' assassinated in order to take over the organization and how other Al Qaeda officers who stood in his way were murdered." Gunaratna may "reveal" this to readers who haven't heard the rumors, but he doesn't prove it. He simply asserts that there was a falling out between Azzam on one side, and bin Laden and Egyptian members of their group on the other, because Azzam opposed using terror tactics. He claims the Egyptians assassinated Azzam after having "won over Osama to their cause"--that he "sanctioned, if not condoned" the killing. A sample of Gunaratna's biased writing: "All this is of a piece with Osama's exceedingly duplicitous nature." How's this for evidence of involvement? "[Bin Laden's] cunning was...demonstrated by the fact that he left Pakistan for Saudi Arabia in the year that Azzam died. It has been impossible to pin down when exactly he left, and no sources on this have been forthcoming, but one should not in the least be surprised if it transpires he was not in Pakistan when Azzam was murdered, furnishing himself with a sound alibi and allowing him to distance himself from the act as much as possible." The only source Gunaratna cites in support of his claims is a statement made by a prisoner a decade later: that bin Laden ordered the assassination because he believed Azzam was aiding the CIA. That's a completely different motive from the one he alleges. What about those other murders of people who stood in bin Laden's way? More may be described in the book, but this is the only one I've found: "Mustafa Shalabi, who was close to Azzam, was killed on March 1, 1991. Although there is no evidence that Osama ordered his death, it is clear that Shalabi was not with the Egyptians who backed Osama." No evidence. Gunaratna admits it. Here's another blurb from the cover flap: "[Gunaratna reveals] how the arrest of Zacarias Moussaoui forced Al Qaeda to move forward on the September 11 attacks." This implies that the date was moved up, as others have speculated; but again, there's no hard evidence. All Gunaratna shows is that the hijackers' financial activity picked up in the week after Moussaoui's arrest. That could well have been the case, in a late August time frame, if the attacks were planned all along for about September 11. There are other problems. Gunaratna states in one chapter that some of the world's intelligence agencies aren't convinced al-Qaida #3 man Muhammad Atef is dead. It may be excusable that in another chapter, he says without qualification that Atef was killed last November. What's not excusable is that he also says Abu Hafs was killed in January. Muhammad Atef and Abu Hafs are or were the same man! [A later note, 8/29/02: A recent news account made clear that a second man, Mafouz Walid, used the same nom de guerre, but was usually differentiated from Atef by calling him "Abu Hafs the Mauritanian." Walid was supposedly killed in January, but it's now claimed he's still alive. Could this name-confusion have influenced the suspicions that Atef is alive?] Something else: Gunaratna tells us Sudan's President al-Bashir once offered to extradite bin Laden to the U.S. The wording implies this happened in 2001--when bin Laden was nowhere near Sudan. Gunaratna can't mean 2001; he says the U.S. President was Bill Clinton. But the passage is hopelessly unclear. The book's most interesting claim is that the 9/11 plot was meant to include strikes on the British Houses of Parliament, the Indian Parliament, and a target in Australia. This is based on statements made by a single prisoner, which may or may not be proven true as more facts come to light. Less startling, but new to me: Gunaratna says the men wounded in the capture of Abu Zubaydah included "1 Pakistani and 3 American officers." If he has more details, I wish he'd shared them. Despite my quibbles, I give the book four stars for its information on names, dates, and terrorist activities in obscure parts of the world.
Rating:
Summary: A must read to understand the mind set of Al Qaeda
Review: This book is not a pager turner, however well worth the effort to work through. Gunaratna's book helped me in understanding the threat as it exists in the world today. The ideological developement of Usma Bin Laden and his Q55 Brigade brought back flashes of the Brown Shirts of Germany in the 1930's. If you take your news from CNN or political talk shows, this is not the book for you.
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