Souad MekhennetReviews

Exquisite.

​I Was Told to Come Alone

​The author of "I Was Told to Come Alone", ​Souad Mekhennet, is a journalist well equipped to investigate and write about radical Islam and the draw of ISIS, especially among young Europeans. Ms. Mekhennet, born and educated in Germany, was brought up in the Muslim faith by her Moroccan and Turkish parents. She has covered radical Islam as a freelance journalist, and as a reporter for the New York Times and Washington Post. Her Muslim faith, language skills, and understanding of the religion allowed her access to people and places most western journalists could not access. And she used that access well in gaining the insights she shares in this book.

Since 9/11, I, like many others, have asked the question "why do they hate us?". And over the past several years, I've also tried to understand the draw of ISIS, especially among young Muslims brought up and living in western societies. There are several good books which touch on addressing these questions, including Joby Warrick's "Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS"; Graeme Wood's "The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State", Peter Bergen's "United States of Jihad"; Jessica Stern's "ISIS: The State of Terror"; and Jeremy Scahill's "The Assassination Complex". But I found "I Was Told to Come Alone" to be as informative and interesting as any of these others.

Ms. Mekhennet tells her own story, and how she came to become the go-to expert in radical Islam for several Western newspapers. She developed a trusting relationship among several leaders of radical groups, allowing her to gain insights into these movements and break several stories in western media.

Her book provides a number of insights into the current Middle East turmoil, including why young Europeans of Middle Eastern​ descent join(ed) ISIS​;​
​the practical and political impact of the Arab Spring​ on several Middle Eastern nations, and how Europe's policy to admit refugees from war torn Syria and Iraq was easily abused by immigrants from many other Middle East and African nations looking to gain access to Europe. She also give examples of main-stream Muslims trying to combat radical teachings and providing assistance to police authorities to prevent terrorist attacks or help arrest those who have committed crimes.

Her interviews with family and friends of several young men and women who went to Syria to join ISIS were valuable, explaining why many Middle Eastern immigrants in Europe, especially the younger 2nd generation among them, often feel out of place, lost in a system where they're not integrated nor welcomed. With poor job prospects, often due either to prejudice, lack of job skills or education, many of the young are susceptible to the propaganda of ISIS and radical Islam. They're taught that the Islam of their parents is a westernized, incorrect version of "true Islam". They become angered by YouTube videos showing deaths of non-radical Muslims killed in collateral damage in war torn areas or killed by errant drone strikes, and further corrupted by distorted teachings of Islam by these radical groups.

How did Souad Mekhennet do it? How did she make such deep inroads behind the lines of Jihad? This is not what the memoir is about but I was quite fascinated by this question when I was reading this memoir. You get an inkling from the book, she did it by plain old journalism i.e. talking to people and making contacts. This began her amazing and incredible journey, She mentioned some of her escapades in the book. The memoir provides very good insights into why young Muslim men chose Jihad. Crucially, Mekhennet made the distinction between those who chose radicalism and those who didn't like the West but didn't choose this path.

Souad Mekhennet, a German born to parents of Moroccan and Turkish descent, becomes a journalist and goes into the Middle East where Americans often cannot easily go. I found this book so interesting. Ms. Mekhennet shows us the other side of the story as she works independently for the New York Times, Washington Post, Der Spiegel, and others. She asks the questions that need asking and does not shy away from pressing her point when she does not receive an answer. I liked her strength and the sense of humor that comes through. She is in a tough profession. She astonishes the people she goes to write of with her knowledge of the area and language. She is not to be taken lightly. She keeps going after the story until she gets it even if she has to do it from afar when her life is threatened. This book makes me think of what we don't hear in the U.S. about what is really going on and how we respond to the events. It also makes me think that we overstep too often. An enlightening and fascinating read.

Can you feel it? Can you see it in what I type? This book is resonating through me, pulsing through me. I am not a new student to the issues affecting the world surrounding the apparent clash -- Did I say clash? The author has this to say about the clash: "The world is not facing a clash of civilizations 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." Say the word, "jihad", and the clash between Muslim and Western Judeo-Christian culture (and the equally intense clashes within those cultures) immediately fills our brains with imagery of conflict, war, hatred, and religious zealotry, overladen with powerful, often devastating economic weaponry. I reflected back on the many books I have read, both fiction and non-fiction, involving some aspect of these clashes, both modern and ancient. I counted 27 altogether. Some were intentionally broad in scope, such as a history of Islam and another one specifically of Afghanistan. Others were fictionalized or highly personal nonfiction accounts showing individuals trying to survive the storms around them. Many were middle east war related, both from a military and political perspective. Despite all that prior scholarship(?), this book easily does more than any other to pull it all together, and it does it in a personal, highly and consistently suspenseful, and extraordinarily lucid, balanced manner. It is very simply a memoir, but it is a memoir that reads much more like a John Grisham novel, albeit from a journalist's, rather than an attorney's, perspective. There is not a single chapter in the book without palpable suspense to one degree or another. I ask you: when was the last time you read a book that dealt so keenly with political policies and religious behavior that could repeatedly stimulate your base emotions? Needless to say, I'm terribly impressed with this book and with the individual that wrote it. Recommended without reservation.

McKhennet is a journalist who strives to answer the question of why Muslims hate us. She makes it clear that, even ignoring history, there are plenty of reasons, including Abu Graibe, why this may be so.

A compelling account of a female, Muslim journalist, born and educated in Germany, who is determined to investigate, understand, and show all sides of the story of the radicalisation of young Muslims in the West and their decisions to follow extremist doctrine into a life of jihad. I like to think that I'm fairly well informed. This book educated me in ways I didn't expect, and positively influenced my thinking.

This is the first time that I have heard the name Souad Mekhennet. I am a fan of memoirs/non fiction books. Yet, the last several that I have read missed the mark with me. Not this book. From the very beginning, I was hooked on what Souad had to say and her journey. Reading her journey into dangerous locations...interviewing ruthless men, who were responsible for torturing and beheading; all while doing her job of a reporter was courageous and scary at the same time. I tried to imagine myself in Souad's shoes and I am not sure if I would have been that dedicated to get the "story".

Although, what I admired the most about Souad was her strength. While, she was visiting all of these dangerous locations, she was scared for her life. Yet, she did tried not to show it. Another aspect of this book that I enjoyed is that it did not try to make a political statement. Once, I started reading, I could not stop. Readers of non fiction will be pleased with this book. Don't be the last one to read this book.

I'm really glad I read this book. It's fascinating and challenging, but if you do pick it up don't expect to feel better about anything. The picture looks pretty bleak all around. Mekhennet gives the reader some insight into what make the jihadi world tick and it's fairly depressing.

This starts with Souad’s unusual childhood and how it impacted her thoughts and her determination. Her background is a unique blend of Muslim with western influences. This brings out her convictions and her courage which runs throughout this book. I will say the first part was a little slow for me. I kept wondering when I was going to get to the jihad section. But this is a vital area of her story. This background into Souad’s way of thinking is so important as the book moves along.

This memoir takes you all over the globe. The differences in customs and cultures are fascinating. And! I have to say I am impressed with Souad Mekhennet! She is a tough journalist. She has been in some tough, scary situations but, she keeps pounding away to find out the truth. Really, I don’t think much frightens this woman. And I know nothing stops her!

However, the tone of this narrative is a little stiff or rather more matter of fact. I would have loved to have known more of her feelings during many situations.

I learned so much about many areas of the Middle East. I just thought I knew about these places. Souad takes you to so many countries and teaches you so much in this memoir. I do admire her courage and her tenacity.

I received this book from the publisher for a honest review.

As a German Muslim journalist born to Moroccan & Turkish immigrants, Mekhennet is in a unique position to research and report on how jihadists are radicalized, particularly young ones from Western nations (European/American). She is granted interviews with members of the often cellular but increasingly centralized movement, including ISIS, because of her pieces, critical and inclusive of many sides. Understanding and acknowledging as many aspects as possible of a problem leads to a more comprehensive and lasting solution. Crazy interesting and terrifying - humans are the scariest monsters.

Also, daaaaamn girl - nerves of steel.

Extremely timely book. The author helps one to understand the mindset of the Islamic people who are hellbent on destroying America. Kudos to her!

Note: I received a free copy of the audiobook for this work through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.

This is the memoir of Souad Mekhennet, a journalist raised in Germany but whose parents are from Turkey and Morocco. Inspired by All the President's Men, Mekhennet goes to journalism school and enters into the business just as the September 11th attacks change the way a woman of Islamic heritage will be received in Europe and the United States. She covers the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the rise of Al Qaeda and Isis, and the major terrorist attacks in Germany, France, and England. She gains unique access to meet jihadists face to face for interviews, goes into war-torn Iraq, visits the Islamic communities in European cities where the attacks on Paris were planned, and helps people mistakenly captured by the CIA. It's an interesting life story and offers a unique perspective of the past 20 years from someone is both western and Muslim.

While covering the trial of an accused 9/11 plotter, Souad Mekhennet met the widow of an FDNY fireman who died at the World Trade Center. This woman blamed the American government and the media for failing to adequately inform her of the level of hatred for the West that exists in the Muslim world. As a Muslim and reporter, Mekhennet took on the challenge of examining the nature and scope of this rage. She has created a remarkable document that combines investigative reporting with memoir to bring the reader close to the world of jihadi terrorism. In doing so, her intent was not only to examine the sources of that hatred but also to provide the reader with an experience of that world. Along the way, she shares the dangers involved in covering these stories and scores some journalistic scoops. In the end her work highlights the complexity of managing terrorism.

Mekhennet was ideally positioned to tell the inside story of jihad. Raised in Germany, the daughter of a Moroccan father and Turkish mother, she was fluent in the languages and cultures of both Muslim and Western worlds. Moreover, as a journalist, she was proficient with objective reporting. Despite these obvious advantages, little of this book would have been forthcoming if Mekhennet had also not been fearless in her approaches to some really scary people and places.

In her travels, Mekhennet penetrated Al Qaeda, the Taliban, ISIS, and their affiliates, all during a time when journalists were being kidnapped and even beheaded. Not unlike herself, she discovered that many of the jihadists were intelligent young people, often educated in the West, but with roots in the Muslim world. They felt isolated and alienated in the Western cultures that treated them as outsiders and second-class citizens, thus becoming easy prey for radicalization. At one point, Mekhennet muses: “This guy could have been somebody different. He could have had a different life.” She even has the realization that her own background put her at risk for similar radicalization, except that her parents saw jihad as a personal struggle rather than one of revenge through terror. This, along with a desire to follow the trail blazed by Woodward and Bernstein, set her on a very different path.

Mekhennet travels to most of terrorism’s hotspots in pursuit of her story. She takes you to the Hamburg neighborhood where the 9/11 plotters were radicalized; to Iraq where Sunnis and Shia struggle for control of a broken country; to the border between Turkey and Syria where ISIS is active; to France and Belgium where jihadists are created; to North Africa where Mekhennet spent her youth; and to London where she discovers the identity of the infamous ISIS executioner nicknamed “Jihadi John.”

Her narrative is often chilling but filled with important insights, not the least of which is the complex nature of terrorist motivations. Some were torture victims others were refugees. Sunnis in Iraq told of U.S.-backed torture and murder by Shiite militias. North Africans described poverty and government distrust that made Al Qaeda seem attractive. Iraqis and Afghanis focused on the US occupation, while Pakistanis complained about the killing of innocents in drone strikes. A Moroccan-German woman even cited the aid of an imam precipitating her radicalization.

The danger and hardships associated with Makhennet’s interviews was never far from the surface. She was repeatedly reminded that these people were unpredictable and threatening. Surveillance by various intelligence services was also part of the picture. Meetings invariably involved multiple connections, as well as abandoning American colleagues and communications devices. Her title comes from instructions she received prior to one interview: "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. . . ." Makhennet overcame many of these setbacks with cleverness and occasionally a bit of humor. After being refused an interview, she suggested they just meet to have “tea,” a custom that is almost never refused in Muslim culture.

Unfortunately one is left with the understanding that there are no easy answers to terrorism. One can only feel despair at the end of the book when a tragedy strikes painfully close to Makhennet’s personal life. There are no winners and much that the West is doing to curb terrorism seems counterproductive. By adopting hardline tactics, the West fails to understand that it is forcing more young people into the hands of the radicals who preach the propaganda that the West is at war with Islam. Few actors on both sides seem to realize that honest and healthy dialogue is sorely needed. Ironically, Makhennet maintains that the promise of the Arab Spring was never realized mainly because people did not understand that a magical transformation of Muslim cultures into functioning Westernized democracies almost overnight was overly optimistic. Indeed the jihadists took advantage of the unrest brought on by the Arab Spring to increase inroads into those countries.

I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad by Souad Mekhennet is a fascinating and timely look at the people in areas where radical Islamist groups have formed.
While it was necessary to give her writing context, the beginning of the book that focused on her family relationships and her education and path in journalism was somewhat slow going. As she moved into relating stories and detailing her travels into areas where she could talk with Islamists, the writing was a little more engaging.
Mekhennet’s unique access and insight into diverse areas in the Middle East, Northern Africa and those growing up in European countries offer some real insights into the current political situation that aren’t often heard in the news.½

Timely and fascinating memoir of a woman Arab journalist who speaks with various Jihadist groups, gives some real-life stories of people radicalized and why they followed the route of extremism. She posits they come from "troubled or broken homes, where poverty, joblessness, and upheaval are the norm." Also they may be subject to racism. They are not always poor; some may come from well-to-do backgrounds, but they are seeking a place where they feel they can "belong." These groups offer easy answers and prey on fear. Recommended to all, even if you skim.

The author does a fine job illustrating the complexity of being a woman of Muslim faith working as a journalist during the conflict between ideologies. She clearly shows the bias faced as a minority growing up in Germany and Morocco. Exasperated by personnel experiences and news headlines, the journalist faces danger and death threats to show the faces of men, women and children caught in the middle between faith and politics. The stories bypass generalizations and governmental policies to show how feelings of being disadvantaged, dismissed, belittled, and compartmentalized can easily fuel conflict and feuds. There are numerous examples of personal, economic, and societal costs that are support with extensive notes.

Goodreads Giveaway randomly chose me to receive this book. Although encouraged, I was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review of I was Told to Come Alone by Souad Mekhennet
What’s a nice young woman like you doing in a dangerous terrorist hideout like this?
German-born of Turkish and Moroccan parents, and raised in the West, Souad is blessed with the credibility that comes from a religious heritage of families that trace back to the Prophet Mohammad on both sides. Because of her parents, one Sunni and the other Shi’a—she has a unique background that opens doors to a variety of leaders in the shadowy world of Islamic extremists.
Clearly is torn between the moderate nominal Muslim culture of her parents and her western upbringing, where she experienced both the freedoms and prejudices of living as a Muslim in the West. As she interviews various leaders in a variety of Muslim organizations, she offers a balanced view into some of the stories and reasons why young men and women would choose to fight in the jihad against the West.
She never excuses what they do—always counts the human cost. However, she does offer their explanations of why they do what they do. There is a difference between an explanation and an excuse—justification and a rationale.
Numerous times she has put her life at risk to get an interview or to get a story, yet, refreshingly she tells about it in a matter-of-fact way without aggrandizing the story or making herself into some kind of hero.
I appreciated that she writes what certainly come across as an earnest and genuine account of the stories behind these terrorists while not taking sides with them. Along the way, we—as Western non-Muslims—can start to understand some of the mindset that drives these people to do what they do, without becoming sympathetic to their cause, yet empathetic to their position.
I certainly found myself cringing at some of the things we in the west have done vis-à-vis the Muslim world for several administrations—not just the current one. While the West is certainly not completely innocent, it is clear that terrorist attacks on innocent and random civilians is not only not justified, but is also becoming part of the problem.
I came away from reading this much more engaged in the conversation and much more interested in having an ongoing intelligent conversation on the subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Muslim-Western relations or current events.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book with the expectation I would provide an honest review

This memoir answers a lot of questions on how the jihadists evolved and what part our American politics played in the movement. Sound Mekhennet went looking for causes and explanations on how and why Muslims have become radicalized and I think makes it much clearer. Now, is it possible for the majority of the world people to find a way for all of us to live in acceptance of each other without all our crazy leaders, power hungry, and zealots who seem to have control of our earth?

Souad Mekhennet's status as a German-born woman of distinguished Arab descent, raised multilingual by a mixed Sunni-Shia working class immigrant couple in Germany and a Moroccan grandmother in Morocco then trained in US ivy league institutions has given her an almost unparalleled ability and access to report critical stories on the ever-escalating conflicts between Western and Islamic ideologies. She has bravely and resourcefully used the combined powers of her intellect/background/femininity/journalist tools to keep the strained lines of communications open between warring factions, often at great peril to her personal safety. A very interesting and important read. Highly recommended for all journalism majors and members of international diplomatic/security corps.½

Overall, this is an informative book examining what may be driving so many Muslim men and women to wage jihad--joining Al Qaeda, ISIS or similar radical groups. Souad Medhennet is a Muslim woman born to a Moroccan father and Turkish mother. She was raised in Germany and thus, has a firm foothold in the West as well. She also understands the split within Islam, having both a Sunni and a Shia parent, but argues that their union shows that the division and distrust is not necessary. Souad has worked for both the Washington Post and The New York Times as a reporter, traveling to Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and the border regions of Syria to conduct interviews with leaders of some the world's most menacing terror groups. She is granted access where others might not be because of her Muslim background and fluency in Arabic.

The book is well written and contains some fascinating stories from the years of Mekhennet's investigative reporting. For example, she learns the identity of Jihadi John through reaching out to her extensive network of contacts. She covers the attacks in Paris, Brussels, and, in a very personal encounter, the attack on a mall in Germany. She seeks answers to why so many Muslims hate the West and are willing to kill, and also questions some US or Western policies and techniques or practices in the war on terror. Her book reports on the widening sectarian violence in the Middle East as the split between Sunni and Shia intensifies. It is a highly readable and important book that is mostly balanced, though a clear ideological bent is detectable in her views.

This book is incredible: fascinating, terrifying, distressing, and totally absorbing. The places Mekhennet has been and the people she has met seem like something out of fiction, which makes this book hard to put down and perhaps blunts the edge of the deeply uncomfortable truths the book reckons with. This book is an excellent reminder of where America and the West in general have been over the last seventy years, geopolitically speaking, from the colonialism and its sometimes violent end through the cold war and into the modern era of conflict along religious lines: not very pretty places, mostly. Mekhennet is looking at the question of why people - people like her, even people she knows - choose one path, one way of thinking, over another, and the answers are deep and complex and heartbreaking and confusing in a way that even long-form journalism has difficulty addressing. Much of what has happened has deep roots in the past and is in no small part the result of decisions made by people - outsiders, foreign governments with specific goals - with too little information and too little forethought. It seems there is little reason to believe that that better-informed decisions on how, when, and why to become involved are being made now.

The feelings of exclusion and profound alienation that Mekhennet encounters in talking to people who have chosen to join groups like ISIS or Al Qaeda affiliates, and to those who knew them, should not be surprising. These stories hold a lesson that we would all do well to remember, which is that both deliberate and careless exclusion lead, perhaps not inevitably but quite regularly, to profound alienation, and whether that alienation is cannily exploited by others or simply runs its own course, it is a monster that feeds on itself, leading to actions that only serve to deepen divisions between individuals and between groups, between societies. This lesson has, I think, broader implications than the conflict Mekhennet studies here. Her writing is excellent, her story is vitally important. You should read this book.

In this thrilling memoir Souad Mekhennet recounts her upbringing and how it influenced her to always seek the truth. As a child of Sunni and Shia muslim parents, she saw first-hand that there is no need for the divisiveness that seems so prevalent in the muslim community today.

As a journalist, she used her muslim background to gain access to many of the people in the radical muslim community to try to find out why people became radicalized. In response to terror attacks, she actually went out and asked, "Why?" instead of using the standard western assumptions about the cause of terrorism.

She also spends much time in Iraq trying to understand why Sunni and Shia people that had previously gotten along together suddenly are killing each other. The answers are not encouraging.

This is a fantastic book, well written, and constantly engaging. Highly recommended to anyone trying to understand the evolution of extremist Islam.

(Note: This book was provided to me by the publisher as a LibraryThing early reviewer.)

This book is fascinating. The author is a wonderful writer and an accomplished journalist whose parents were Turkish and Moroccan. She was raised in Germany. As a journalist, she works for the New York Times and Washington Post covering stories about the beginnings of Islamic nationalism and radical Islamic groups. She is incredibly courageous and puts her own life on the line many times. Following her accounts, readers get a rare glimpse into how radical Islam developed and where it is headed. She understands how Europe became a hotbed of Islamic terrorism and she explains why Islamists hate America. There are interviews with leaders and political perspectives shared by those who participated in terrorism. If one wants to understand the political background of the Arab Spring and how Muslims feel about conflict with the USA in many countries, this is a great choice for reading material. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This book is fascinating. The author is a wonderful writer and an accomplished journalist whose parents were Turkish and Moroccan. She was raised in Germany. As a journalist, she works for the New York Times and Washington Post covering stories about the beginnings of Islamic nationalism and radical Islamic groups. She is incredibly courageous and puts her own life on the line many times. Following her accounts, readers get a rare glimpse into how radical Islam developed and where it is headed. She understands how Europe became a hotbed of Islamic terrorism and she explains why Islamists hate America. There are interviews with leaders and political perspectives shared by those who participated in terrorism. If one wants to understand the political background of the Arab Spring and how Muslims feel about conflict with the USA in many countries, this is a great choice for reading material. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.