Mini Review of Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices, by Mosab Hassan Yousef.
If you read to understand your world better, as I try to do, Son of Hamas is a must-read. It doesn’t attempt to explain all of the factors causing war in Gaza, but it does shine a light on the life of a Palestinian man with a very difficult choice before him. Should he support his beloved, gentle father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, by supporting Hamas, or should he pursue less death and terror by betraying his own people?
Author Mosab Yousef insists that his father helped start Hamas to peacefully help Muslim Palestinians. Hamas, while revering such perceived leaders as Sheikh Yousef, became an unwieldy organization that had no real leadership. Muslim leaders from elsewhere (such as wealthy Syrians) funded and directed attacks, and zealous Palestinians did the dirty work. Mosab Hassan Yousef was groomed for leadership in the movement, but never really became a part of the inner Hamas circle. (Perhaps because he spent so much time in Israeli prisons?)
I was most moved by the postscript of the book, when Yousef asks that Christian readers pray for him:
“Instead of looking at me as a spiritual trophy, pray for me, that I will grow in my faith…” (Post Script)
Israeli Prisons and Water Theft
Yousef’s inside look at Israeli detention centers, prisons (where Hamas runs its own sort of terrorist police network right under Israeli guards’ noses), and even everyday life in Palestine is eye-opening and saddening. When Yousef converted to Christianity, he found he could no longer support the goals of Hamas. He began work as a double agent for the Israeli internal security agency, Shin Bet, and he informed them of the torture carried out within their own prisons by Hamas. They responded that they knew all about it, but that they were allowing Hamas to destroy itself! It was not their job, they claimed, to make Hamas members be at peace with one another.
Throughout Son of Hamas, Yousef muses on all the factors that cause unrest in the region of Palestine and Israel. He points out the water is a key factor. “Water has always been a complicated issue in the land of the Bible…” (ch. 18) Yousef reports that much of the water in the region has been diverted by Israel for its own citizens, leaving Palestinians dangerously low on water. Americans have helped dig wells and establish other water sources, but there is never enough.
Surprises in Son of Hamas
Yousef on why many Muslim leaders in Palestine were against peace talks: “peaceful coexistence would mean the end of Hamas. From their perspective, the organization could not thrive in a peaceful atmosphere.” (Ch. 8) Yousef has the unpopular opinion that if Islam is followed to the highest degree, it is not a religion of peace but of jihad.
After being invited to a Bible study, Yousef began trying to join the principles of Islam and Christianity. “Reconciling the irreconcilable…” (ch. 15) He began to ask himself what would happen if Israel gave way to Palestinians and abandoned the Holy Land. “And for the first time, I knew the answer. We would still fight. Over nothing. Over a girl without a headscarf….Over who would make the rules and get the best seat.”
More Quotes from Son of Hamas:
“The occupation was not to blame for our sufferings.” (Ch. 15)
“Islamic life is like a ladder, with prayer and praising Allah as the bottom rung. The higher rungs represent helping the poor and needy, establishing schools, and supporting charities. The highest rung is jihad.“
This mini review is running a bit long, so I’ll stop with just encouraging you to pick up a copy of the book on Amazon or at your local library! You won’t regret spending time on this story.
More short book reviews here!
