The Nazi Connection to Islamic Terrorism

I have mixed feelings about The Nazi Connection To Islamic Terrorism. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I think it is book worthy of contributing a footnote, if not a line, to history. It is true there was, and to some degree still is, a Nazi connection to Islamic terrorism; the author, Chuck Morse, does a fairly good job of making his case.

The problem I have with the book is the idea that if somehow Islam became "de-Nazified" then peace would reign in the Middle East. I have seen this argument elsewhere, before reading this book, and it does not take into account the wealth of historical information that Islam since its inception has had issues with all things, persons, and people groups that are not Islam. Islam did not get hijacked in the early 20th century. In fact, one main (and obvious) question this book fails to address is that "if Islam is peaceful then how did so many Muslims (many of them leaders and clerics) from WWI until now readily ally themselves with National Socialism?" To put it another way - if Islam, at its heart, seeks political hegemony over non-Muslims then making a connection between Islam and Nazism is unnecessary.

This book, and this review, are a little bit different than others as I actually chatted with the author about this book and its premise. An account of that can be found here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5507284/my_appearance_on_the_fairness_doctrine_pg2.html?cat=37

The station that hosts the show, WDIS AM1170, sent the book to me in time for the show. I was able to read the front and back covers and the introduction in time for the show.

The "antagonist" of the book, Amin Al-Husseini, was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem before WWII. His picture is on the cover of the book. The "protagonist" was Emir Faisal. Emir was an Arab royal who represented the Arab people at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919; he recognized the legitimacy of a future Jewish state.

The optimism of the book is apparent. While Chuck does not now support the Oslo Peace process, he still holds out peace in the Middle East as it relates to Israel. It is worth noting that this book focuses on Muslim militancy towards Jews and the state of Israel and does not spend much ink on Islamic terrorism at large.

When I chatted with Chuck Morse on The Fairness Doctrine, he openly admitted that he may be overly optimistic towards the situation between Muslims and non-Muslims. Indeed, I think many in the world prey upon such optimism. The cozy relationship between Nazi's and Muslims before, during, and after WWII is outlined in great detail in this book and should cause one to pause. The reader will appreciate the numerous, historical photos that make their way into this book. This bolsters the author's position while linking people, places and events in a way that helps the reader put them all into a context.

Near the end of the book there is a section on Communism and Islamic terrorism. I did not see this chapter as necessary and I saw it as taking away from the title and purpose of the book.

The book closes with documentation and explanations of portions mentioned earlier in the book. While this section was rather boring, it was necessary to include in the book and the back is as good a place as any. Pick up your copy of The Nazi Connection To Islamic Terrorism and see a side of WWII that you probably have never seen before.