Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices

Real Life Spy Story (2010-07-28) : 5/5
Son of Hamas is the account of a man who grew up as the son of one of the first founders of the Islamic group Hamas. Growing up, he lived in Palestine and maintained a relatively normal life despite his father being linked to Hamas. As he approached high school graduation, he became increasingly frustrated with the Israeli soldiers who occupied the area and generally harassed them.

He was arrested and sent to prison where he was interrogated for information about Hamas though he knew very little about them at that time. During the course of his incarceration he was eventually convinced to become an agent for Shin Bhet, the Isreali intelligence agency similar to the CIA. Though this went against everything he believed in and he did it partly to escape torture, he came to see the increasingly militant activities of Hamas as bringing destruction and harm to the world and saw that assisting to prevent these activities would be of greater good than advancing the cause of Hamas.

Over the course of the next 10 years he was involved in many operations that led to the arrest or death of many terrorists and their leaders. His inside connection within Hamas allowed him access to the highest level of leadership as well as interactions with the Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat. This provided invaluable insight and intelligence for Shin Bhet in fighting terrorist activities.

A seemingly random encounter with a British tourist led him to investigate the Bible and the Christian faith. Over time as he read the Bible, he found more and more truth in it which matched up more with the reality he experienced than the Koran which he had a firm foundation in. Eventually, he became a full fledged follower of Christ and was actually baptized. All of this is rather amazing given his upbringing and that his father was a sheik and imam of the Muslim faith.

After 10 years living this life, he loved the work but wanted more of a sense of normalcy so got out of Shin Bhet and moved to California. He now maintains a blog at [...].

The story reads like a spy novel but is an amazing real life account. It provides great insight into the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and anyone interested in gaining better perspective on the Mideast would benefit from it.
Interesting Perspective. I hope Mosab Hassan Yousef Continues to Write. (2010-07-26) : 4/5
I listened to the audio version of this book. It starts as a diatribe against Israel and I initially thought that the reviews of this book were to used to dupe readers. About a fourth of the way into the book, the perspective changes as Mosab Hassan Yousef realsizes that the Hama and PLO leadership are just using the Palestinians people to enrich themselves and not to empower their citizens. You get a sense that Mosab Hassan Yousef recognizes that all the average Palestinian wants is a job and the opportunity to take care of their families an improve their lot in life.

Eventually, Mosab Hassan Yousef has an epipany as realizes that the version of Islam that is being preached is so full of hate that it will never lead to reconcilation.

What is truly amazing is how a very young man could become so worldly in such a short time. By his mid-twenties, Mosab Hassan Yousef is a senior Hamas leader, a spy, and a successful entrepreneur. I hope he writes more because he brings a very unique perspective of a very convoluted situation.
Exciting and Fascinating Story (2010-07-25) : 4/5
This book is really interesting and contains at least three stories. The first would be the first hand look at the Israeli and Arab conflict told from someone with the ultimate inside knowledge. It really puts a face to news stories from the past 15 to 20 years. The second story is that of Yousef and his relationship to his father and fellow Arabs. This story is in my opinion the most fascinating one. It is obvious the Yousef thinks the tactics that his father has turned to are evil and ineffective, but he cannot distance himself from the father he loves. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for him to betray his father and faith. And finally the third story is Yousef's life as an Israeli agent. It is fascinating to read how torture did not turn him, but friendly actions by the Israelis along with his experiences in the prison camps. I wish the people in charge today would read this book to see how ineffective the harsh interrogation methods were.

Insightful (2010-07-25) : 4/5
Interesting first-person account of the conversion of the son of a Islamic Middle-East terrorist to a Christian who has rejected the violent path that he was following. Remarkable story of survival in one of the most dangerous parts of the world. The author of this book was recently granted asylum in the United States after being threatened with deportation following the publication of this book.
Nearly Unbelievable Story...Amazing Man (2010-07-20) : 5/5
This book was nearly unbelievable. If Mosab had done only a fraction of what he wrote about, it still would have been amazing! He is one amazing individual. God very definitely put him on this earth for a reason!

As I read, I began looking at the events going on in my life at the time of what was going on in his. He as a child and young adult saw/did so many things he shouldn't have had to. And being the same basic age as he, it brought me that much more appreciation for the life I have lived and respect for what he has done.

And in an amazing 'unexpected' way...if you are a Christian, you will know what I mean... you see God begin to work in him little by little. It is quite a testament to what God can accomplish within a person.

No matter who you are, or what reason you are reading this book for. Whether you like the political history, are curious about Muslim life/Islam , like a good 'spy-story' or to read about a journey to Christianity...this book offers it all! I would suggest it to anyone.