By Mosab Hassan Yousef
Tyndale Momentum, 2011
Summary
Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status . . . and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader. In Son of Hamas, Mosab reveals new information about the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to “love your enemies” is the only way to peace in the Middle East.
Son of Hamas is now available in softcover with an all-new chapter about events since the book’s release such as the revelation of Mosab’s Israeli intelligence handler’s true identity, and Homeland Security’s effort to deport the author.
My thoughts
I have never fully understood the Israeli-Arab conflict, and don't know if anyone really does, but Son of Hamas provides a lot of insight into both the Muslim faith and the conflict. "Islamic life is like a ladder, with prayer and praising Allah as the bottom rung. The higher rungs represent helping the poor and needy, establishing schools, and supporting charities. The highest rung is jihad."
Yousef is a fascinating character - an Arab who becomes a spy for Israel, and eventually becoming a Christian. His memoir is written in a style that is easy to follow - and more than a tale of espionage, it focuses on his questioning of beliefs with which he had grown up. Parts of this story were uncomfortable to read, while others were moving and inspiring.
Yousef's message is one of loving people on all sides unconditionally, and he closes with these words: "Truth and forgiveness are the only solution for the Middle East. The challenge, especially between Israelis and Palestinians, is not to find the solution. The challenge is to be the first courageous enough to embrace it."
Son of Hamas is an extremely relevant story for today. Highly recommended.
Mosab
Hassan Yousef
For blog updates from Yousef, visit sonofhamas.com.
Thank you to Tyndale House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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