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Now They Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, and the War on Terror | 
 enlarge | Author: Nonie Darwish
Publisher: Sentinel Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
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Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 34742
Media: Paperback
Pages: 272
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 1595230440
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.04927620092
EAN: 9781595230447
ASIN: 1595230440
Publication Date: November 6, 2007
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Product Description
A political and personal odyssey from hatred to love
When Nonie Darwish was a girl of eight, her father died while leading covert attacks on Israel. A high-ranking Egyptian military officer stationed with his family in Gaza, he was considered a shahid, a martyr for jihad.
Yet at an early age, Darwish developed a skeptical eye about her own Muslim culture and upbringing. Why the love of violence and hatred of Jews and Christians? Why the tolerance of glaring social injustices? Why blame America and Israel for everything?
Today Darwish thrives as an American citizen, a Christian, a conservative Republican, and an advocate for Israel. To many, she is now an infidel. But she is risking her comfort and her safety to reveal the many politically incorrect truths about Muslim culture that she knows firsthand.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 68 more reviews...
 Call Her Courageous November 17, 2006
P. Cooke (Oceanside, CA USA)
219 out of 243 found this review helpful
"Now They Call Me Infidel - Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel and the War on Terror" by Nonie Darwish, A Muslim Shahid's Daughter
Nonie Darwish's entrancing and frightening account of her childhood and upbringing in the 50's, 60's and 70's Middle East gives the reader an opportunity to see the build up of jihad and the perpetuation of hatred towards Israel and America at a very personal level. Her status as a Shahid's (Martyr's) daughter and being of the upper class in Egyptian Society allowed her access to the media and therefore information from the outside world that most did not share. Her early years were spent in Gaza where her father was a high ranking member of Nasser's Egyptian Army. She was taught hatred and prejudice towards the Jews and Israel and the passion for jihad as early as elementary school. She was told not to accept candy from strangers on the street because it could be a Jew who wants to poison Arab children. She was told that Jews love to kill Arab children and use their blood in their cookies. Nonie did not buy in to the hate speech and ugliness of the propaganda that is spread throughout Muslim countries. After her father was killed by a package bomb from Israel, her mother, Nonie and four siblings moved to Egypt. She couldn't understand, even at a young age, why President Nasser asked of her and her siblings, "Which of you will kill Jews in retaliation of your father's death?" She did not want to kill Jews. She speaks of Egypt, her country of origin, as being more westernized than other countries in the Middle East. When she was growing up, most women did not wear the veil. There was still polygamy and she had heard tales of female circumcision. But, her mother sent them to private, Christian schools to get the best education and she was able to purchase a car and obtain a driver's license to get them to school. Ms. Darwish's education at the American University of Cairo introduced her to diversity and open discussion. She was amazed that the average Egyptian thought that Egypt had always been Muslim, even when the pyramids were built. They never knew that Israel was inhabited by Jews for centuries before Muhammad was born. The Arab media and Dictators had been lying to their people for generations now. She was able to "escape" to the U.S. where her personality finally found a home. She took several years to raise a family and settle in Los Angeles. Nonie tells of a time she took a visiting family friend to a mosque in her neighborhood. She was embarrassed by the hate speech in the mosques even then. According to Ms. Darwish many Muslims in America do not attend mosques because the local Imams are spreading anti-American propaganda and encourage jihad. She felt the Jihad was coming to America. Most of the Mosques in America are built and supported by Saudi Arabia. When the Jihadists flew into the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania Nonie called her family and friends in Egypt. All of them denied it was Islamic Terrorists. They said it was an Israeli plot. She was even admonished for not being a good Muslim and blaming the attacks on Muslim Terrorists. She pointed out to them that Mohammed Atta was Egyptian and they responded with anger that Nonie would not defend her culture of origin. After 9/11 Nonie felt compelled to speak out against the Jihadist movement. Now she speaks around the world and on college campuses to refute the hate coming out of the Muslim world towards Israel and the West. She has organized a group, Arabs for Israel, to open a venue for Arabs who do support Israel's democracy in the Middle East. This book is one brave woman's story of life in a repressed society and her escape to the freedom loving United States. Her insight into Arab culture is invaluable. There needs to be more voices, women's voices coming from these cultures so we can shine a light on the injustice and persecution still being applied to people in these countries today.
Her writing style is not aggressive or combative. Her love of the Egyptian people and the beauty that the diverse Arab culture has given the world is evident in her chapters. She simply deplores the hateful rhetoric and violent methods Islamists are endorsing. She hopes for peace for everyone in this life. Ms. Darwish was able to write her life story because she has been living in the United States for over 25 years now. She is a U.S. citizen; she has the courage of her convictions and the freedom of speech behind her now.
Excellent ~ it took a lot of courage to even write this book December 6, 2006
Snowbaby (Rocky Mountain Quilters)
62 out of 84 found this review helpful
Excellent book~ excellent writing~ thank you for sharing your story in this book. It took a lot of courage to even write this book. If only the people in this great country would listen. But everyone is too busy.. everyone is so convinced it can't happen here.. not again.. but it can; Thank you for writing this book Nonie Darwish..
Essential Reading for an Enlightened World December 28, 2006
Bonnie M. Parsley (CA USA)
41 out of 51 found this review helpful
This is a compelling story of one women's life journey from Gaza as the daughter of a high ranking Egyptian military officer, to Cairo, after his death as a martyr for Islamic jihad. Nonie Darwish tells of her life from the age of eight, through her adolescent years growing up in a Muslim society while attending a Catholic School in Cairo. She covers her childhood in the 50's to the present day in her adopted country the United States of America. She describes how at young age she began questioning what she was told about Israelis and Americans as it conflicted with what she experienced first hand.
Ms. Darwish tells about the harsh and hate filled culture that she had grown up in, and how life for women in a Muslim society is isolating, fearful, and constrained. She describes how Muslim society even hurts men as the fear of polygamy prevents the kind of intimacy that husbands and wives enjoy in the West. She is critical of the Muslim practice of blaming everything that is bad on the Israelis and Muslim refusal to take responsibility for their own country. She blames the constant wars brought on by Arabs for the terrible conditions in the Middle East.
This is a penetrating look into Muslim Culture that should awaken the West as to Islam's intentions. Ms. Darwish is to be admired for her courage to speak the truth, and for her work to bring understanding of the danger the world faces from Islamic jihad. This is rare and wonderful story of courage, enlightenment, love and determination to work toward understanding and peace in a world filled with misinformation and hate. I highly recommend this book. You will not be able to put it down.
Must Read November 23, 2006
D. Rose
39 out of 49 found this review helpful
I find it interesting that reviewer Richard Wigton states that he has not read this book, then goes on to give it a negative review. Huh? Reviewer Verite attempts to discredit the book with personal insults and deliberate misinformation. Nowhere does Ms. Darwish claim to "speak on behalf of a billion Muslims", as Verite asserts in his/her review. Ms. Darwish is telling her story, and speaking for herself.
This is an amazing book written by a brave woman who speaks the truth. Read it along with "Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America" by Brigitte Gabriel - another brave woman who speaks the truth.
A fascinating view from someone whose life has provided multiple perspectives November 27, 2006
Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI)
35 out of 40 found this review helpful
This is such an interesting book because of the way the author's life has provided her with many more views on the issues of the Arab view of the world - especially Israel and America, Islam versus the rising militant strands, the role of women within Islam and how the rising militant strands are affecting women even or especially in the West, how Muslim polygamy contributes to the role of women in Islamic countries, and what it means to be the daughter of a martyr. Nonie Darwish knows all these things from her own life and her family experiences and I strongly recommend this book to you. Darwish provides perspectives on Islam that I have not read elsewhere and I found them quite valuable.
She recounts her childhood under the Nasser regime and being taught to hate Jews. She recounts the pleasantness of Egypt and then her family being sent to Gaza. It is interesting to read her comparisons of the way people lived there shortly after the establishment of Israel versus the artificially horrible (but horrible) conditions of today.
Her father led fedayeen attacks into Israel and was targeted and killed because by Israel because of these raids. This made things complicated for her family. Because of her father's status Nasser actually visited their home and promised support to the widow and children. To this day there is a school and a street in Gaza named for her father.
Darwish recounts going to a Catholic school. Here she encountered her first contradiction between what she had been raised to believe about Christians and what she saw in reality for herself. Nasser soon nationalized such schools and the indoctrination of hate became the norm. This never took with her because she had seen the reality and the lies seemed like lies. Unfortunately, for millions of children, the lies about Jews and Christians are all they know since they have never met a Jew or a Christian.
Her mother was widowed while young, and the description of her status becomes and springboard for a fascinating description of life as a woman in Muslim countries. The ways in which polygamy is used to oppress women is something I had never read before. For example, the author's mother was a young widow. One would expect that her female friends would rally around her. Instead, the drew away because a single woman becomes a threat and competition in a polygamous society. A husband can take a new wife without even telling his first wife (or other wives). He can also abandon her because of the way divorce is put in the hands of the man without any say from the woman. She can also be punished by being abandoned but not divorced so she cannot remarry or have the power to change her own status. There is a lot more to this you will get from reading the book.
A current trend of more Muslim women wearing full covering is also discussed. It is occurring especially in the West where no one is compelling them to do so. Darwish states that she believes this is really about making an aggressive statement and standing apart rather than something coming from being devout. Her belief is that if these women were living in societies that were compelling them to wear a burqua they would be among those standing apart and burning them. A few conversations she recounts with such women is quite, well, revealing.
Another interesting topic is she shows us how the Arab mindset blames everything wrong in their society on conspiracies from outsiders. But that only goes to a point! When her brother was facing a likely fatal condition he could either go to a hospital in Egypt or in Israel. He chose Israel and was saved. Later, she asked him if he thought differently about Jews now and he indicated that he still had real misgivings about them and was still quite against Israel.
I also enjoyed the discussion of the poor treatment of Christian minorities in Muslim countries and especially in Egypt. They are not only treated as inferiors (which all non-Muslims are felt to be by all Muslims), they are brutalized and even killed. This was confirmed to me shortly after 9/11 by a Coptic Christian from Egypt that I met at the business school I was attending for my MBA. This is not only under reported in the West, but it is shockingly telling of the Muslim mindset and what they mean by a religion of peace (peace for all Muslims is all that it means).
Her recounting of coming to America and learning about freedom and liberty is quite moving. She also recounts her trips back to her homeland and how things continued to change. Darwish wants Americans to wake up to the very real danger that the Jihadists are to us and how much we stand to lose if we let them have their way through indifference or concession. Either way, our way of life will change forever.
A very interesting and valuable book.
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