Book Review: Son of Hamas

Mosab Hassan Yousef (with Ron Brackin), Son of Hamas, (Tyndale, 2010). 281pp. Nonfiction. {Amazon}

BOOK SUMMARY

In 1987 seven Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza founded a new organization abbreviated "Hamas."  It was a group of very religious Palestinians who sought to fight against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  Hamas would eventually become more and more committed to violence to achieve its goals, and Hamas became a major supporter of  terrorism against Israel.  During the First and Second Intifadas, Hamas was a major player in the violence.

One of the founders of Hamas was a deeply religious man named Sheikh Hassan Yousef.  Although he himself never personally encouraged the violence Hamas sponsored, he became one of the most visible faces to Hamas as he became an influential leader and spokesperson for the group.  His eldest son, Mosab, was his father's right-hand man and most intimate confidant.  Unbeknownst to Sheikh Yousef, however, Mosab became a double-agent for Israel, working to undermine the violence being committed by Hamas.  For more than ten years, Mosab lived a double-life.  He walked a delicate balance between earning the trust of all the major Palestinian terror-players, including Khaleed Mashaal and Yasser Arafat, and helping Israel's Shin Bet security agency arrest these terror-players and thwart terror attacks.

Mosab grew up wanting to be just like his father, and in light of all the violence he saw from both Israelis and Palestinians, he should have grown up to be anti-Israel.  But while in an Israeli prison after being tortured by Israelis, his perspective began to change as he saw how his own people treated each other.  His Israeli handler treated him incredibly well, and his preconceptions about the "evil Israelis" began to change.  He saw what a terrible toll the violence took on his people, and he decided to do everything in his power to stop it.  Not only that, but Mosab came into contact with some Christians.  Through his interactions with them and through his reading of the Bible, he eventually became a believer.  After living a double-life for so long, he chose to leave Israel and take refuge in the US where he remains to this day in seclusion.

Son of Hamas takes you through the gripping story of Mosab Hassan Yousef's life.  He explains how his father changed from a peaceful, godly spiritual leader to a man who saw violence as a tool to release the Palestinian people from bondage.  Mosab explains how he slowly came to side with the Israelis.  He explains how he slowly became a Christian.  And he takes you behind the headlines of the news to expose what was really going on in the 1990's and early 2000's in the terrorism scene in Israel.  He recounts the terrible attacks of the intifadas and what he and Israel did to capture those responsible for the attacks.  It is a gripping account full of real-life events and real people.

BOOK EVALUATION
This book is a powerful, deeply moving book.  I could hardly put it down.  I very rarely finish books, yet I completed this book in only about half-a-dozen sittings.  The chapters are very short.  One can read them quickly, and you always feel compelled to read "just one more chapter."  The format is more or less chronological, tracing Mosab's life as a youth through his involvement in Hamas and his collaboration with Israel to the events surrounding his arrival in the US.  It is extremely readable, written in very easy-to-understand writing.

The content of the book is both fascinating and compelling.  On the one hand, it is terrible to read how much loss of life occurred on both the Palestinian and Israeli sides during the intifadas.  On the other hand, though, it is astonishing to read how one very influential Palestinian terror leader worked to protect Israeli lives during this violent time.  And, of course, it is astonishing to read how God worked in this bleak and dark time period to save Mosab.

The book is fairly well balanced.  It portrays Israel's good and bad sides.  It doesn't pull punches when it describes Israel's torture of prisoners or the contempt of some Israeli settlers and soldiers for Palestinian life. On the other hand, though, it shows how Israel as a whole values life and treats people well.  The book also describes the good and bad sides of Hamas and Palestinian people in general.  It certainly shows how difficult life under Israeli domination was for the Palestinians, but it also shows how poorly Hamas itself treated the Palestinian people.  It also gives an interesting, negative perspective on Yasser Arafat and other Palestinian leaders.

BOOK CRITICISM
Although the book overall is quite excellent, I do have two slight problems with it.  First, some events in the book are described in long and detailed terms, while other events are summarized far too briefly.  It was a little frustrating for me to read about an event, have my curiosity and interest piqued, then have the author move on to another event without giving enough detail to satisfy my curiosity.  This happens more often the later into the book you get.  Some of the most interesting and terrible events of the Second Intifada are described in the briefest of terms.  Second, following one of my Palestinian friend's criticisms, I am a little cautious about the way the book is written.  It is clearly written to an American Christian audience.  Thus, it does not purport to be a detailed historical account.  This makes me a little curious about the accuracy of some of his evaluations and assertions, though I give him the benefit of the doubt.  The book is also published by a publisher that, for the most part, specializes in Christian fiction.  This fact gives me a little pause in trusting everything the author (or the secondary author) says.  I don't doubt what is said, I just want to be cautious in accepting everything said.

CURRENT EVENTS
The book describes events that took place within the last two decades, but it is also incredibly up-to-date.  Many of the people and events described in the book came up in the news just in the last three weeks, since many of the terrorists who committed the acts described in the book were released in exchange for Gilad Shalit, the captive IDF prisoner released by Hamas in mid-October.  Thus, as I read this book, it was fascinating to read about what the people being released from Israeli prisons had done, and how Mosab had helped bring them to justice the first time.

I first became interested in this book when it first came out in 2010.  At that time, the US was seeking to deport Mosab as a terrorist.  I followed the news at that time to watch how the US government could send a good double-agent back to the country he spied against.  Thankfully, at the last moment, the US granted him asylum after several Congress members supported him and his former Israeli handler broke cover to protect him.

Moreover, yesterday something especially up-to-date happened.  After serving a six-year prison sentence, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founder of Hamas and the author's father, was released from Israeli prison just two months ago.  Yesterday he was re-arrested by the Israelis.  I just happened to see this on the news yesterday, and it made this story even more real and powerful to me.

RECOMMENDATION
This is must-read material for anyone wanting to learn more about Israel, the politics of this region, terrorism, or spy-stuff.  You won't be able to put it down, and you'll learn a lot about what happened in Israel and the Palestinian Territories in the last 20 years.  What is particularly moving is to read the author's preface, addressed to his father and family, wherein he shares his love for his father, acknowledges that he has (in their eyes) betrayed them and his people, and prays that they come to realize that he did what he did for the good of everyone.  It is one of the most moving letters I have read.  I absolutely recommend this book.  I also recommend that anyone who reads this book prays for Mosab and his father and family.

I thank God for what He did for Mosab and for Israel, and I pray that He would be more active in this part of the world, to save more people for Himself.