For more than a decade; French journalist Nicolas Hénin has reported from the front lines of conflict in the Middle East; much of his time spent in Iraq and Syria. He witnessed the events leading to the rise of Islamic State; and in June 2013; he was himself captured by ISIS and spent ten months in captivity with James Foley and others who were beheaded soon after Hénin was released. Those barbarities; and the first strikes against Islamic State; prompted Hénin to present in Jihad Academy what he knows IS to be; in contrast to the misperceptions he sees perpetuated on an ongoing basis.Hénin sees Islamic State as a political entity; having arisen out of a sense of injustice and lack of hope; and as the natural result of the Western inability to support Syrian democracy activists. The West; however; sees IS only as a terrorist organization; ignoring its political message and goals; by doing so; we act as a recruitment agent for Islamic State and largely overlook the greatest victims of IS violence--civilians on the ground. IS will only be ultimately defeated; he argues; by the people of the region; just as others have overthrown groups that practiced political violence on their people. Jihad Academy is a fresh and powerful assessment by a writer with the perspective of a historian; the passion of a journalist long committed to the region; and the credibility of someone who has witnessed terrorism first-hand. Hénin's is an important new voice in the ongoing debate about our role in the Middle East.
#2861798 in Books 2005-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.40 x 1.20 x 6.40l; 2.65 #File Name: 9023237153456 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. One cannot deeply engage in textual criticism of any kind ...By V. K. InmanOne cannot deeply engage in textual criticism of any kind without being aware of this book. Not only is it a primary textbook for textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible by the leading scholar in the field; it says a lot about textual criticism as a science.26 of 30 people found the following review helpful. Excellent HandbookBy Steve FastThis book outlines the principles of textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible. Especially helpful are discussions of how this field is different than that of Greek New Testament textual criticism.Note that this book is more of a manual for how to do textual criticism than it is a summary of the current state of knowledge in the field (although it does have a fair amount of that too).3 of 10 people found the following review helpful. jmathbBy jmathbThe book is authoritative and well editted. There is an established tradition in Judaism of how the text was written and how to read what on the surface appears as a deviation from grammar or inconsistency in the meaning of the text. Criticism devoid of any tradition is unfortunately based exclusively on one's chosen ideology. The book perfectly explains this point; which is definitely honest and praiseworthy of the author E. Tov who tries hard to be neutral. The book also shows that all the present day critics are familiar with the Jewish interpretation of the text. Hence; the main lesson one can learn from the book is that although there are many improper ways one can convince oneself why the Jewish interpretation is wrong; the final criticism is always reserved for G-d; the Author of the Hebrew Bible. The claims of the professional textual critics; whether driven by desire to prove that the masoretic text is not authentic or by a desire to fit in among the left-wing academia; or to win yet another research grant by cooking up a new radically deviant interpretation; happen to be mostly a negative contribution to the overall understanding of the text.
