Icon of Evil: Hitler's Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam - Softcover

Dalin, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1412810779 ISBN 13: 9781412810777

Publisher: Routledge, 2009

Synopsis

A chilling, fascinating, and nearly forgotten historical figure is resurrected in this riveting work that links the fascism of the last century with the terrorism of our own. Written with vigor and extraordinary access to primary sources in several languages, Icon of Evil is the definitive account of the man who, during World War II, was called "the führer of the Arab world" and whose ugly legacy lives on today.

With new and disturbing details, David G. Dalin and John F. Rothmann show how al -Husseini ingratiated himself with his hero, Adolf Hitler, becoming, with his blond hair and blue eyes, an "honorary Aryan" while dreaming of being installed as Nazi leader of the Middle East. Al-Husseini would later recruit more than 100,000 Muslims in Europe to fight in divisions of the Waffen- SS, and obstruct negotiations with the Allies that might have allowed four thousand Jewish children to escape to Palestine. Some believe that al-Husseini even inspired Hitler to implement the Final Solution. At war's end, al-Husseini escaped indictment at Nuremberg and was harbored in France.

Icon of Evil chronicles al-Husseini's postwar relationships with such influential Islamic figures as the radical theoretician Sayyid Qutb and Saddam Hussein's powerful uncle General Khairallah Talfah and his crucial mentoring of the young Yasser Ararat. Finally, it provides compelling evidence that al-Husseini's actions and writings serve as inspirations today to the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations pledged to destroy Israel and the United States.

About this title

About the Author:

David G. Dalin is the Taube Research Fellow in American History at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His books include Religion and State in the American Jewish Experience and The Presidents of the United States and the Jews.

Review:

“Dalin and Rothmann newly establish the importance of [al-Husseini’s] connections to Hitler and the genocide machinery.... With verve and insight, [they] show al-Husseini to be a criminal and a truly consequential figure.”—Daniel Pipes, director, Middle East Forum

“Gripping...Dalin and Rothmann meticulously outline the mufti’s role as Nazi collaborator and contributor to the Holocaust.”—Dov S. Zakheim, former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense

“[A] lively account of the career of Haj Amin al-Husseini and his legacy as a founding father of modern jihadist terrorism. This is a thought-provoking work.”—Douglas J. Feith, former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy

“A gripping, full-scale portrait...a must for anyone seeking to understand what is happening today in the Middle East.”—Ruth Gruber, author of Exodus 1947

“A comprehensive study.... David Dalin and John Rothmann have told an important story in a com­pelling and authoritative style.”—Joseph Telushkin, author of A Code of Jewish Ethics

“A riveting and disturbing book, replete with surprising revelations and cautionary lessons.”—Jonathan D. Sarna, author of American Judaism

“A full-scale portrait of Haj Amin al-Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem. Once the most powerful Muslim leader in Palestine, his goal was to drive every Jew out of Eretz Israel. Written with passion and often hair-raising detail, the book de scribes how this “Icon of Evil” cozied up to Adolf Hitler in January 1941 while war and the Holocaust raged...” —Ruth Gruber, Hadassah Magazine

“Should be read by all Americans seeking to understand current geopolitical reality...(the authors) make a compelling and well-documented case that we are actually fighting the quasi-spiritual off - spring of Nazism and Fascism.” —David R. Stokes, townhall.com

 

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1412810779
• ISBN 13: 9781412810777
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256