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To the Mountains: My Life in Jihad, from Algeria to Afghanistan
The Algerian Islamist Abdullah Anas, 'perhaps the greatest warrior of the Afghan Arabs', fought the Soviet Union for a decade. As one of the earliest Arabs to join the Afghan jihad, he counted as brothers-in-arms the future icons of Al-Qaeda's global war, from Abdullah Azzam to Osama bin Laden to Omar Abdel-Rahman, and befriended key Afghan jihadi figures such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Lion of Panjshir.
To the Mountains is an intimate portrait of this brutal war, tracing Anas's involvement in the conflict, as well as his experiences of the Algerian civil war (1992-8) and his sojourn in 'Londonistan'. Brushing shoulders with everyone from Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi to Jalaluddin Haqqani, Anas opted for his own independent route, seeking to persuade the Afghan Arabs that they should not be distracted by attacks on the West. Paradoxically, he remains committed to the broader Islamist movement, believing that jihad will continue till the end of time, yet has also spent years talking to the Taliban, seeking to build a lasting peace in Afghanistan. This is his story.
Co-written with investigative journalist Tam Hussein, Anas's memoir will doubtless become a seminal primary source on the rise of global jihadism.
To the Mountains is an intimate portrait of this brutal war, tracing Anas's involvement in the conflict, as well as his experiences of the Algerian civil war (1992-8) and his sojourn in 'Londonistan'. Brushing shoulders with everyone from Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi to Jalaluddin Haqqani, Anas opted for his own independent route, seeking to persuade the Afghan Arabs that they should not be distracted by attacks on the West. Paradoxically, he remains committed to the broader Islamist movement, believing that jihad will continue till the end of time, yet has also spent years talking to the Taliban, seeking to build a lasting peace in Afghanistan. This is his story.
Co-written with investigative journalist Tam Hussein, Anas's memoir will doubtless become a seminal primary source on the rise of global jihadism.
224 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 6, 2019
This is a memoir of the Algerian Abdullah Anas, one of the famous generation of "Afghan Arabs," as well as a brief history of Afghanistan's sad recent past from the perspective of its Arab friends. Before jihad became a frightening word sullied by the actions of extremists, it represented a noble tradition akin to Just War and calling back to ideals of knighthood. The concept of jihad is intended to preserve the concept of chivalry and moral limits within war. It is meant to represent the martial tradition of Islamic civilization. Anas was a "jihadist" of the old sort, who went to Afghanistan out of a sense of duty to protect a people being crushed by the Soviet Empire. He was not inspired by hate and has a positive attitude towards the West and all those (including Russians) who have sought to deal with Afghans and Arabs on just terms. Despite the criminals and lowlifes who have monopolized our idea of jihad in recent years, there are still people who follow the high tradition of Abdelkader Djazairi and Omar Mukhtar.
The book is an informal history of Anas's experiences before, during and after the war. The jihad and running the Arab Services Bureau brought Anas into contact with historic figures. As it turns out, many Arabs went to Peshawar but far fewer actually crossed the border and engaged in serious combat with the Soviets. It was interesting to me to see Anas's appraisals of men I have met through my work like Abu Qatada and Abu Muhammad Maqdisi, both of whom he considers inveterate extremists. I would have liked to meet Ahmed Shah Massoud and the other figures of the Afghan jihad that he considered more noble. It seems there were clear warnings about extremism infiltrating the Arab ranks. The extremist tendency came mostly from members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which one could describe as an ideological progenitor to ISIS. I have read this appraisal in other jihadi memoirs as well, including The Arabs at War in Afghanistan by Mustafa Hamid.
The Afghan jihad was a great historical endeavor. It only appears bitter to us in retrospect because of what came afterwards. The civil war, punctuated by the al Qaeda-directed atrocities of 9/11 changed our understanding of history. It is disheartening to think that Afghanistan has not been at peace since the first Soviet tanks rolled into the country. Anas seems like a responsible voice and someone genuinely interested in excising the bad aspects of modern Islam, while keeping the good. Maybe it is because of his age and maturity, but he seems like a more promising "reformer" than many of the charlatans who like to throw around this term.
I would recommend this book to those interested in Islam and modern Islamic militancy. It is an unpretentious memoir.
The book is an informal history of Anas's experiences before, during and after the war. The jihad and running the Arab Services Bureau brought Anas into contact with historic figures. As it turns out, many Arabs went to Peshawar but far fewer actually crossed the border and engaged in serious combat with the Soviets. It was interesting to me to see Anas's appraisals of men I have met through my work like Abu Qatada and Abu Muhammad Maqdisi, both of whom he considers inveterate extremists. I would have liked to meet Ahmed Shah Massoud and the other figures of the Afghan jihad that he considered more noble. It seems there were clear warnings about extremism infiltrating the Arab ranks. The extremist tendency came mostly from members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which one could describe as an ideological progenitor to ISIS. I have read this appraisal in other jihadi memoirs as well, including The Arabs at War in Afghanistan by Mustafa Hamid.
The Afghan jihad was a great historical endeavor. It only appears bitter to us in retrospect because of what came afterwards. The civil war, punctuated by the al Qaeda-directed atrocities of 9/11 changed our understanding of history. It is disheartening to think that Afghanistan has not been at peace since the first Soviet tanks rolled into the country. Anas seems like a responsible voice and someone genuinely interested in excising the bad aspects of modern Islam, while keeping the good. Maybe it is because of his age and maturity, but he seems like a more promising "reformer" than many of the charlatans who like to throw around this term.
I would recommend this book to those interested in Islam and modern Islamic militancy. It is an unpretentious memoir.
January 20, 2022
This was an interesting read in a topic that I have been quite vested in for some years.
The corruption of what the essence of jihad is has been frustrating to see, whether through the actions of khawarij (fringe, self-opinionated groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS) or the clear scaremongering and misinformation spread by Western media. And that is because anyone with firm emaan (belief) knows that Allah has ordered Muslims to fight oppression and not to perpetrate injustice, like those fringe groups.
Abdullah Anas:
He begins with how he found himself, a young and single Algerian man who had been a student of Islam but was not the most practicing Muslim, in Afghanistan. He was quite a common product of Islamic institutions throughout time.
Later he started practicing and saw an urgency to fly out and help the Afghans and fight the Soviets. After meeting Abdullah Azzam, his life was about to change. He lived in the terrains of Afghanistan for many years as a foreigner. Within some time, he learnt the language and culture and followed his Sheikh to assimilate into the culture and not try to impose himself and his Algerian culture there.
Anas took part in fighting but very importantly, he was a peace-maker. Many times the different groups of Muslim fighters had fallen out and he was there, a mediator, and a well respected one at that due to his closeness to Abdullah Azzam. He became used to the harsh lives they led after a while and even was a teacher of Quran and the seerah to Ahmad Shah Massoud and many other military commanders.
Abdullah Azzam:
Sheikh Abdullah Azzam was the father-in-law of Abdullah Anas. Known quite widely as the "father of global jihad". His fighting was initially restricted to the Palestinian cause in his homeland and later he was focused as a coordinator and leader of the Afghan Arabs, who went to fight the Soviets.
Well loved by the mujahideen, he aimed to stop their different factions in-fighting to focus on ousting the Soviets. It seems that one such relationship caused his name to be soiled years after his death, that is the one with Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden had given a lot to the fight against the Soviets as a wealthy aide of the al-Saud family but after the Soviets fell, he began to tread a separate path.
This relationship made it that Azzam was falsely attached to the foundation of al-Qaeda, as the supposed Sheikh of bin Laden. Abdullah Anas strongly refuted these accusations as slander of his comrade in arms, teacher, and guide. By the end of Azzam's life, it seems that bin Laden neither respected him nor followed his ideology. Sheikh Abdullah's ideology was simple, I read it in a book he wrote, you will fight the enemy like Muhammad ﷺ did and ordered. There was no other way around it, anyone who exceeded these limits would be held accountable. Anas spent a lot of this book in clearing his name.
Abdullah Anas also had a friendship with Osama and he remembers when he drifted away towards those who held extreme views, it began with a change in his attitude towards Abdullah Azzam. The claim of a great friendship between them was no longer true, there was mutual respect but the friendship was dead long before al-Qaeda was founded by bin Laden and his followers.
Ahmad Shah Massoud:
Ahmad Shah Massoud has a whole chapter dedicated to him as Anas spent a lot of his time in Afghanistan in his company. The Lion of Panjshir was a great military commander with an ability to win with small forces and to avoid getting captured.
Anas says that Massoud was the master of hide and seek, he used to play the game with children during times of war to keep the people's spirits up. But that was not it, the Soviets found it impossible to capture and defeat him, if they could find him in the first place. His demeanor was soft and gentle, brought up with more luxury than the common fighter, he did not fit the looks of a military commander. But his frustration at war led him to leave his comfort and retreat to the mountains until he understood war. Then he came out, transformed as a warrior, with a handful of forces and a mountain of tactics.
His killer, bin Laden, was also known by many as a master of hiding. Bin Laden ordered two men to act as journalists and kill Ahmad Shah Massoud, getting to him with deceit, while large armies could not fight, approach, or find him. It is quite clear that he was a strong figure. He had no consideration for power, he became a problem due to his independence. He would submit to no man and was opposed to brutal leaders like Hekmatyar, who he fought and defeated later when this foe attempted to take Kabul.
Abdullah Anas on Jihad:
Abdullah Anas speaks a lot in the end about how men like Abdullah Azzam and Ahmad Shah Massoud never fought for the sake of fighting. They did not buy into a love of warfare and only wanted justice. They are people that Anas refers to as true mujahideen. Those whose character was excellent and fighting was not savage. And one may see this and ask, how can fighting be anything but savage? It does need much convincing that no matter its violent nature, sometimes war is necessary. We cannot be people who see oppression and evil and think sitting in silence is better than fighting back, pacifism is a parasite of modern society that has let the likes of Assad butcher Syrians, and many other Muslims and non-Muslims around the world face the same situation.
Abdullah Anas says what he and his comrades fought for in Afghanistan was a true jihad. Not the spoilt version that groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS fought, those were often crimes against civilians.
He is of the opinion too that offensive warfare has been rendered redundant during a modern age with nation states. While his idea of warfare is experienced and well-informed, the idea of expansive warfare is something that will never end. And for him to speak of it like it should not have been done or be done by Muslims due to the impacts of these incorrect groups is strange, as it is probably far-fetched to think that a powerful group of allied Muslims never attempt offensive warfare in the future, nor can we claim that people like the Sahaba were wrong in doing this. Likewise, it is not impossible to imagine China and Russia annexing more parts of Asia or for India to still fight for Kashmir or for Israel to continue to loot Palestine. It seems his proposal is unrealistic in a world where warfare is "normal" no matter how protected we may be from it in the West. But that should not take away from his good intentions and this excellent piece of work that many would do well to read.
The corruption of what the essence of jihad is has been frustrating to see, whether through the actions of khawarij (fringe, self-opinionated groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS) or the clear scaremongering and misinformation spread by Western media. And that is because anyone with firm emaan (belief) knows that Allah has ordered Muslims to fight oppression and not to perpetrate injustice, like those fringe groups.
Abdullah Anas:
He begins with how he found himself, a young and single Algerian man who had been a student of Islam but was not the most practicing Muslim, in Afghanistan. He was quite a common product of Islamic institutions throughout time.
Later he started practicing and saw an urgency to fly out and help the Afghans and fight the Soviets. After meeting Abdullah Azzam, his life was about to change. He lived in the terrains of Afghanistan for many years as a foreigner. Within some time, he learnt the language and culture and followed his Sheikh to assimilate into the culture and not try to impose himself and his Algerian culture there.
Anas took part in fighting but very importantly, he was a peace-maker. Many times the different groups of Muslim fighters had fallen out and he was there, a mediator, and a well respected one at that due to his closeness to Abdullah Azzam. He became used to the harsh lives they led after a while and even was a teacher of Quran and the seerah to Ahmad Shah Massoud and many other military commanders.
Abdullah Azzam:
Sheikh Abdullah Azzam was the father-in-law of Abdullah Anas. Known quite widely as the "father of global jihad". His fighting was initially restricted to the Palestinian cause in his homeland and later he was focused as a coordinator and leader of the Afghan Arabs, who went to fight the Soviets.
Well loved by the mujahideen, he aimed to stop their different factions in-fighting to focus on ousting the Soviets. It seems that one such relationship caused his name to be soiled years after his death, that is the one with Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden had given a lot to the fight against the Soviets as a wealthy aide of the al-Saud family but after the Soviets fell, he began to tread a separate path.
This relationship made it that Azzam was falsely attached to the foundation of al-Qaeda, as the supposed Sheikh of bin Laden. Abdullah Anas strongly refuted these accusations as slander of his comrade in arms, teacher, and guide. By the end of Azzam's life, it seems that bin Laden neither respected him nor followed his ideology. Sheikh Abdullah's ideology was simple, I read it in a book he wrote, you will fight the enemy like Muhammad ﷺ did and ordered. There was no other way around it, anyone who exceeded these limits would be held accountable. Anas spent a lot of this book in clearing his name.
Abdullah Anas also had a friendship with Osama and he remembers when he drifted away towards those who held extreme views, it began with a change in his attitude towards Abdullah Azzam. The claim of a great friendship between them was no longer true, there was mutual respect but the friendship was dead long before al-Qaeda was founded by bin Laden and his followers.
Ahmad Shah Massoud:
Ahmad Shah Massoud has a whole chapter dedicated to him as Anas spent a lot of his time in Afghanistan in his company. The Lion of Panjshir was a great military commander with an ability to win with small forces and to avoid getting captured.
Anas says that Massoud was the master of hide and seek, he used to play the game with children during times of war to keep the people's spirits up. But that was not it, the Soviets found it impossible to capture and defeat him, if they could find him in the first place. His demeanor was soft and gentle, brought up with more luxury than the common fighter, he did not fit the looks of a military commander. But his frustration at war led him to leave his comfort and retreat to the mountains until he understood war. Then he came out, transformed as a warrior, with a handful of forces and a mountain of tactics.
His killer, bin Laden, was also known by many as a master of hiding. Bin Laden ordered two men to act as journalists and kill Ahmad Shah Massoud, getting to him with deceit, while large armies could not fight, approach, or find him. It is quite clear that he was a strong figure. He had no consideration for power, he became a problem due to his independence. He would submit to no man and was opposed to brutal leaders like Hekmatyar, who he fought and defeated later when this foe attempted to take Kabul.
Abdullah Anas on Jihad:
Abdullah Anas speaks a lot in the end about how men like Abdullah Azzam and Ahmad Shah Massoud never fought for the sake of fighting. They did not buy into a love of warfare and only wanted justice. They are people that Anas refers to as true mujahideen. Those whose character was excellent and fighting was not savage. And one may see this and ask, how can fighting be anything but savage? It does need much convincing that no matter its violent nature, sometimes war is necessary. We cannot be people who see oppression and evil and think sitting in silence is better than fighting back, pacifism is a parasite of modern society that has let the likes of Assad butcher Syrians, and many other Muslims and non-Muslims around the world face the same situation.
Abdullah Anas says what he and his comrades fought for in Afghanistan was a true jihad. Not the spoilt version that groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS fought, those were often crimes against civilians.
He is of the opinion too that offensive warfare has been rendered redundant during a modern age with nation states. While his idea of warfare is experienced and well-informed, the idea of expansive warfare is something that will never end. And for him to speak of it like it should not have been done or be done by Muslims due to the impacts of these incorrect groups is strange, as it is probably far-fetched to think that a powerful group of allied Muslims never attempt offensive warfare in the future, nor can we claim that people like the Sahaba were wrong in doing this. Likewise, it is not impossible to imagine China and Russia annexing more parts of Asia or for India to still fight for Kashmir or for Israel to continue to loot Palestine. It seems his proposal is unrealistic in a world where warfare is "normal" no matter how protected we may be from it in the West. But that should not take away from his good intentions and this excellent piece of work that many would do well to read.
March 6, 2021
This is a necessary read for anyone interested in what went on in Afghanistan from the invasion by the Soviet Union to just after 9/11, a period of about 25 years during which the United States vigorously supported Muslim Afghan guerillas to when it invaded the country, killing thousands, in pursuit of one man, Osama bin Laden, who was known personally to the author of this book.
Adbullah Azzam (not the author, who is Abdullah Anas) was a Palestinian Arab who preached jihad against any invader of any Muslim land, not only Afghanistan but in his homeland, Palestine, against Israel. During the 1980's Azzam traveled freely in the US looking for recruits for the fight in Afghanistan where he directed the Arab Services Office (with several branch offices in the US) dedicated to introducing Muslim recruits, including the author of this book, into the guerilla movement.
The author, an Algerian Arab, was very impressed with Azzam, becoming close to him in the joint effort, along with bin Laden in the beginning, to provide whatever assistance could be given to the Afghan resistance. The primary directive for Arabs was to avoid taking charge; to never tell the Aghans what to do. Distributing supplies, weapons and food by way of caravans into the mountains was of primary importance as was mediating disputes between the fractious groups of fighters that kept the guerilla effort from being more effective.
Author Anas entered the fray as so many did, an idealist. Though devout in his religious practice, he is a reasonable and clear thinker describing for the reader in fascinating detail the nature of the work he did and the people he came into contact with while doing it. Abdullah Azzam had a powerful effect on Anas, the two becoming fast friends joined in their determination to help all they could while at the same time being frustrated by the discord among the Afghani warlords.
Anas goes the distance in trying to present a fair account of each of the Afghan leaders, never resorting to extreme language yet presenting the good and the bad about each person, doubly legitimized because he was in regular contact with all whom he writes about often trying to bring them together and resolve arguments. If the reader followed the news in the 1980's then Anas will fill out the characters that we in the US heard about, superficially through US media, such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, General Abdul Rashid Dostum and Hamid Karzai among many others.
Most interesting to Americans will be Anas relationship to Osama bin Laden, a coworker he interacted with frequently, a man he initially admired for giving up wealth to live far from comfort in the service of what all considered a worthy cause. Bin Laden falls away from the Arab Services Office, going his own way to start his own band of followers who become increasingly extreme with the influence of the Egyptian, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Anas laments the influence of such takfiris, Muslims who denounce other Muslims as apostate resulting in internecine conflict.
Towering above everyone else in this book stands Ahmed Shah Masood, the "Lion of Panshir" as he was referred to in the West. Again, author Anas worked with him regularly as Masood became the bane of Russian forces, striking them successfully and repeatedly from his hideouts above the Panshir Valley. This book backs up the impression of Masood that I have received from other sources, that he was a very admirable, personable, reasonable man as well as being a skilled commander admired by his troops and the people living in the area where he operated. It is sad to read of the grinding down of Masood under an impossible task once the Russians were defeated and he is given the job of defense minister in the new Afghan government that soon disintegrates with civil war.
The two men Anas most admired, Azzam and Masood, are assassinated, two powerful punches to Anas' idealism. As for bin Laden, Anas is outraged that he would expedite the 9/11 attack knowing full well that the result would be an assault on innocent people in Afghanistan.
There's much to learn from this book for anyone who is not Muslim. Not just the cultural practices of the faith, but the thinking of the faithful are dealt with here presented not as a tutorial, but by being allowed into daily life. The definition of jihad is gone into, as is the history and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. Written in 2018, the author relates history to what has happened recently in Syria. Abdullah Anas does exactly what he set out to do, allowing the reader to walk for more than a mile in his shoes, not leaving the Western press to testify alone to what happened, though only 3 or 4 Western journalists ever appeared on the killing fields.
It was helpful that I had read the definitive account from a Western author of the very theater and period covered in this book, Steve Coll's outstanding, Ghost Wars. Any reader of Coll's book will immediately recognize the people described on a more personal level here. The two books are perfect companions.
Adbullah Azzam (not the author, who is Abdullah Anas) was a Palestinian Arab who preached jihad against any invader of any Muslim land, not only Afghanistan but in his homeland, Palestine, against Israel. During the 1980's Azzam traveled freely in the US looking for recruits for the fight in Afghanistan where he directed the Arab Services Office (with several branch offices in the US) dedicated to introducing Muslim recruits, including the author of this book, into the guerilla movement.
The author, an Algerian Arab, was very impressed with Azzam, becoming close to him in the joint effort, along with bin Laden in the beginning, to provide whatever assistance could be given to the Afghan resistance. The primary directive for Arabs was to avoid taking charge; to never tell the Aghans what to do. Distributing supplies, weapons and food by way of caravans into the mountains was of primary importance as was mediating disputes between the fractious groups of fighters that kept the guerilla effort from being more effective.
Author Anas entered the fray as so many did, an idealist. Though devout in his religious practice, he is a reasonable and clear thinker describing for the reader in fascinating detail the nature of the work he did and the people he came into contact with while doing it. Abdullah Azzam had a powerful effect on Anas, the two becoming fast friends joined in their determination to help all they could while at the same time being frustrated by the discord among the Afghani warlords.
Anas goes the distance in trying to present a fair account of each of the Afghan leaders, never resorting to extreme language yet presenting the good and the bad about each person, doubly legitimized because he was in regular contact with all whom he writes about often trying to bring them together and resolve arguments. If the reader followed the news in the 1980's then Anas will fill out the characters that we in the US heard about, superficially through US media, such as Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, General Abdul Rashid Dostum and Hamid Karzai among many others.
Most interesting to Americans will be Anas relationship to Osama bin Laden, a coworker he interacted with frequently, a man he initially admired for giving up wealth to live far from comfort in the service of what all considered a worthy cause. Bin Laden falls away from the Arab Services Office, going his own way to start his own band of followers who become increasingly extreme with the influence of the Egyptian, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Anas laments the influence of such takfiris, Muslims who denounce other Muslims as apostate resulting in internecine conflict.
Towering above everyone else in this book stands Ahmed Shah Masood, the "Lion of Panshir" as he was referred to in the West. Again, author Anas worked with him regularly as Masood became the bane of Russian forces, striking them successfully and repeatedly from his hideouts above the Panshir Valley. This book backs up the impression of Masood that I have received from other sources, that he was a very admirable, personable, reasonable man as well as being a skilled commander admired by his troops and the people living in the area where he operated. It is sad to read of the grinding down of Masood under an impossible task once the Russians were defeated and he is given the job of defense minister in the new Afghan government that soon disintegrates with civil war.
The two men Anas most admired, Azzam and Masood, are assassinated, two powerful punches to Anas' idealism. As for bin Laden, Anas is outraged that he would expedite the 9/11 attack knowing full well that the result would be an assault on innocent people in Afghanistan.
There's much to learn from this book for anyone who is not Muslim. Not just the cultural practices of the faith, but the thinking of the faithful are dealt with here presented not as a tutorial, but by being allowed into daily life. The definition of jihad is gone into, as is the history and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood. Written in 2018, the author relates history to what has happened recently in Syria. Abdullah Anas does exactly what he set out to do, allowing the reader to walk for more than a mile in his shoes, not leaving the Western press to testify alone to what happened, though only 3 or 4 Western journalists ever appeared on the killing fields.
It was helpful that I had read the definitive account from a Western author of the very theater and period covered in this book, Steve Coll's outstanding, Ghost Wars. Any reader of Coll's book will immediately recognize the people described on a more personal level here. The two books are perfect companions.
May 18, 2020
“Must read” for anyone wanting a better understanding of the conflict in Afghanistan and between Islamic peoples and the West in general. Every statesman and military professional, especially, should read this book.
June 24, 2025
Fantastic, now i need to read every book he mentioned in this book... “I was not about to be dragged into this bipolar world of good and evil, of light and darkness. The world was nuanced and complex, the Algerian and Afghan civil wars had taught me that.”
December 15, 2025
Upon finishing this book, my mind returned to a passage I encountered in an entirely unrelated work that I happened to be reading alongside it. The essence of that passage is worth recalling here.
In Das sogenannte Böse, Konrad Lorenz observes that animal species are rarely driven to extinction by the predators that feed on them. Rather, they are destroyed by competition and aggression within their own kind. He goes on to argue that in humanity’s modern cultural and technological age, the gravest threat we face does not come from external forces, but from human aggression directed against itself.
In much the same way, the challenges and problems confronting the Muslim world cannot be reduced solely to foreign policy, external interference, or outside hostility. The most formidable and dangerous threat to the Muslim community, whether on a local scale or on a global level, is not an enemy from without, but the enemy within.
The book was very informative regarding Afghanistan, The players involved in the fight against the soviets, and the terrible aftermath that had awful consequences for a lot of innocent Muslims around the globe. I also got introduced to some very fascinating people like Ahmad Shah Massoud, aka, the Napolean of Afghanistan. It's interesting to wonder how things might have played out for Afghanistan if he wasn't assassinated.
In Das sogenannte Böse, Konrad Lorenz observes that animal species are rarely driven to extinction by the predators that feed on them. Rather, they are destroyed by competition and aggression within their own kind. He goes on to argue that in humanity’s modern cultural and technological age, the gravest threat we face does not come from external forces, but from human aggression directed against itself.
In much the same way, the challenges and problems confronting the Muslim world cannot be reduced solely to foreign policy, external interference, or outside hostility. The most formidable and dangerous threat to the Muslim community, whether on a local scale or on a global level, is not an enemy from without, but the enemy within.
The book was very informative regarding Afghanistan, The players involved in the fight against the soviets, and the terrible aftermath that had awful consequences for a lot of innocent Muslims around the globe. I also got introduced to some very fascinating people like Ahmad Shah Massoud, aka, the Napolean of Afghanistan. It's interesting to wonder how things might have played out for Afghanistan if he wasn't assassinated.
October 19, 2024
A personal account of an Algerian man joining the war against the soviets, a pilgrimage to war. An interesting perspective on the tribal dynamics of warfare in Afghanistan but rather over long and dull on occasion.
November 9, 2021
Easy read about the sad truth of Afghanistan
July 16, 2021
Compelling.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews