Nonie Darwish

The author is billed as a woman who converted from Islam to Christianity; if so, that isn't reflected in the book. The author left Egypt for the United States, and has joined the ranks of conservative Republicans. It's an interesting book, but the author gets so much wrong about America and Christianity that it's hard to be sure if she is equally wrong about Islam and Egypt. Worth reading, if it's not the only book you read on Islam. Much less than the books by Ayaan Hirsi-Ali, because this show more author seems much less willing to reach down inside herself and put herself into the story as thoroughly as Hirsi-Ali. show less

Overall: some interesting insights into Egyptian culture and definitely worth a read. However, not as strong as Ayaan Hirsi Ali's "Infidel".

Strengths: Reveals how Muslim politicians manipulate populace into blind hatred of Israel, America and the West. Also shows how poorly women are treated in modern Muslim society and attempts to provide answers as to why moderate muslims in the west don't speak up against the Wahabbists. The most powerful part is how she's able to forgive and love those show more who killed her father. She's also able to objectively evaluate his role in this whole process.

Weaknesses: Like I said, definitely not as riveting or moving as Ayaan Hirsi Ali's "Infidel" nor as well written. Overall, the book didn't flow as smoothly as I would have hoped and also more religious theory/background would have been useful. show less

They say that there are two sides to every story. When it comes to terrorism, there are many more than two sides. Nonie Darwish's father was a Muslim Shahid who was the head of Egyptian military intelligence in Gaza when he was killed in 1956. She grew up in Gaza and then Egypt and was educated in British and American schools there and moved to the US at age 30. She shares about the extreme poverty in Egypt and the many problems caused by the government, the Muslim religion and the culture show more of the Arabs. She calls for a change in the way Arabs conduct themselves and how they react to the terrorism that arises out of their culture. This book is very revealing and enlightening and I highly recommend it. show less

Darwish has important points to make for an American audience. She points out how major mainstream media outlets do little more than repeat Islamist propaganda. Organizations such as CNN put little time into research and uncritically repeat Middle Eastern Arab sources. She issues a warning in this volume that Muslim elements in the U.S. are aggressive and seek to supplant Western political traditions and the Christian religion.