From New York City to Bali, Indonesia, ideologically motivated terrorist groups have chillingly demonstrated their global reach. And terrorism is now far more lethal than before.
But what is causing it? Only as new reports have emerged about Saudi Arabia's links to terror has the United States begun to look closely at the Saudi kingdom, America's purported ally. Now, in Hatred's Kingdom, Middle East expert Dore Gold provides the startling evidence of how Saudi Arabia not only is linked to terror, but in fact has spawned the current wave of global terrorism.
Using previously unpublished documents, Gold, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, exposes how the deeply ingrained hatred that has provoked the new terrorism has its roots in Saudi Arabia's dominant religious creed, a radical Islamic offshoot known as Wahhabism.
But the Saudi kingdom has supplied more than just the ideology that compels terrorists to commit mass murder. As Gold reveals the Saudis have provided terrorists with manpower and seemingly endless supplies of money.
In Hatred's Kingdom, Gold exposes:
- Shocking, never-before-seen evidence of how the Saudis have financed the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations, including al-Queda and Hamas; Gold has hunted down canceled checks, payment schedules to the families of suicide bombers, high-level intelligence reports, and much more.
- How prominent Saudi Wahhabi clerics have justified the September 11 attacks and supported further hostile acts against the United States; Gold reproduces numerous sermons and writings that expose such incitement.
- How September 11 was only the most dramatic example of a horrifying new breed of terrorism, even now posed to strike again.
Middle East expert Dore Gold provides the startling evidence of how Saudi Arabia not only is linked to terror, but in fact has spawned the current wave of global terrorism. Using previously unpublished documents, Gold, the former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, exposes how the deeply ingrained hatred that has provoked the new terrorism has its roots in Saudi Arabia's dominant religious creed, a radical Islamic offshoot known as Wahhabism.
Through meticulous research, Dore Gold connects the dots, tapping into his rich knowledge of the history of the Middle East and his years of hands-on diplomatic experience. He also shows what is being overlooked in the current war on terror. As Gold stunningly reveals, unless the United States and its allies change their approach and cast a cold eye on supposed partner Saudi Arabia the war on terror will not be won. It will be only a matter of time before another Osama bin Laden emerges.
Most books that examine the causes of terrorism consider only its modern roots. Dore Gold, however, examines the development of Wahhabism, a radical branch of Islam that has fomented the fanatical views that led to events such as the 9/11 attacks. Gold explains how the government of Saudi Arabia has countenanced the leaders of Wahhabism by aligning itself with the movement and heavily funding its terrorist activities. Nadia May is an unusual choice to narrate; as the book is written by a man, one expects a masculine narrator. But May's soft-spoken, sweetly accented voice is well suited to the material. She reads with a calm that allows the listener to concentrate on the material, which offers a fascinating, seldom heard perspective on the history and growth of terrorism. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
"If you read one book to understand the roots of al-Qaeda's fury and the hostility to us within the Muslim world, it should be this-Dore Gold's superbly told history of the Wahhabis."
