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Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can't Ignore
THE DEFINITIVE BOOK ON ISIS
Jay Sekulow, one of America’s most influential attorneys, closely examines the rise of the terrorist groups ISIS and Hamas, explains their objectives and capabilities and how, if left undefeated, their existence could unleash a genocide of historic proportions.
Recently, the world has been shaken by gruesome photos and videos that have introduced us to the now infamous terrorist group known as ISIS. The world’s wealthiest and most powerful jihadists, ISIS originated within Al Qaeda with the goal of creating an Islamic state across Iraq and Syria and unrelenting jihad on Christians. Separate from ISIS, the terrorist group Hamas has waged an equally brutal war against Israel. Both groups, if left undefeated, have the potential to unleash a catastrophic genocide.
Rise of ISIS gives a better understanding of the modern face of terror, and provides an overview of the laws of war and war crimes. These laws differentiate between the guilty and innocent, and explain why the US military and the Israeli Defense Forces are often limited in their defensive measures.
The authors’ firsthand experience, including multiple appearances before the Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court at The Hague, along with direct contact battling jihadists during operation Iraqi Freedom lends insight into this important geopolitical issue.
A must-have for anyone who wants to better understand the conflict that exists in the middle east, this well-researched and fully annotated volume is invaluable in revealing how this new brand of terrorism poses a very real threat to Americans and the world at large. It also serves as a guide to what we as individuals—and as a nation—can do to stop this escalating violence, prevent jihad, and protect Israel and America from this imminent threat.
Jay Sekulow, one of America’s most influential attorneys, closely examines the rise of the terrorist groups ISIS and Hamas, explains their objectives and capabilities and how, if left undefeated, their existence could unleash a genocide of historic proportions.
Recently, the world has been shaken by gruesome photos and videos that have introduced us to the now infamous terrorist group known as ISIS. The world’s wealthiest and most powerful jihadists, ISIS originated within Al Qaeda with the goal of creating an Islamic state across Iraq and Syria and unrelenting jihad on Christians. Separate from ISIS, the terrorist group Hamas has waged an equally brutal war against Israel. Both groups, if left undefeated, have the potential to unleash a catastrophic genocide.
Rise of ISIS gives a better understanding of the modern face of terror, and provides an overview of the laws of war and war crimes. These laws differentiate between the guilty and innocent, and explain why the US military and the Israeli Defense Forces are often limited in their defensive measures.
The authors’ firsthand experience, including multiple appearances before the Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court at The Hague, along with direct contact battling jihadists during operation Iraqi Freedom lends insight into this important geopolitical issue.
A must-have for anyone who wants to better understand the conflict that exists in the middle east, this well-researched and fully annotated volume is invaluable in revealing how this new brand of terrorism poses a very real threat to Americans and the world at large. It also serves as a guide to what we as individuals—and as a nation—can do to stop this escalating violence, prevent jihad, and protect Israel and America from this imminent threat.
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
October 3, 2014
Sekulow touches on a poignant topic in this loosely stitched book based on a collection of his academic papers and speeches on the topic of ISIS, formerly AQI (Al-Qaeda in Iraq). What began slowly, but intriguingly soon became a soapbox diatribe against the group collectively called the international left. Sekulow begins with some interesting history and horrific discussions of what ISIS does, which made the basis for some eye-opening reading. However, much of the book was hijacked with talk of Hamas, the Palestinian-based terrorist group that works in and around Israel. The authors take the reader down this road, pounding the tenets of international law and historical flashbacks, but with no direct relation to the topic at hand (which I thought was clearly noted in the title, THE RISE OF ISIS)! Bemoaning the world, save for Israel and pre-Obama US military actions, the authors use this book as their own means to push a pro-Israeli stance onto the reader, sweetening everyone up with a few chapters on ISIS and then coming back to them at the end with a war drum booming towards the terrorist group's annihilation. Poorly plotted and not worth the time invested.
Seeking an outlet to better understand this group, I strove to take the time to read and see what the authors had to say about the topic, and to perhaps leave the reading experience with something to add to my intellectual quiver. I was sorely mistaken and hope that Sekulow and company make little on this piece of drivel. True, it was well researched and cited (kudos there), but I went in wanting knowledge and left feeling preached to and ill at ease.
For shame, Mr. Sekuow and friends. You slapped this together like a second-grade history report and tried to make i spiffy with footnotes and quotes. Stop dressing your wolfish research up in sheep's clothing.
Seeking an outlet to better understand this group, I strove to take the time to read and see what the authors had to say about the topic, and to perhaps leave the reading experience with something to add to my intellectual quiver. I was sorely mistaken and hope that Sekulow and company make little on this piece of drivel. True, it was well researched and cited (kudos there), but I went in wanting knowledge and left feeling preached to and ill at ease.
For shame, Mr. Sekuow and friends. You slapped this together like a second-grade history report and tried to make i spiffy with footnotes and quotes. Stop dressing your wolfish research up in sheep's clothing.
November 8, 2014
So bad. One chapter on ISIS and the rest on Hamas. Listen, if I want to read a book about Hamas, I'll buy a book about Hamas. And if I do buy a book on Hamas I would hope it at least attempted objectivity. Another thing that made m angry: Sekulow contends that, "In the United States we thankfully don't have a history of genocide (page 89)." Oh, we don't? What did we do to the Native Americans? I won't go on with specifics. Suffice to say it was a poor purchase on my part.
March 2, 2015
We have the ability to use overwhelming force to destroy this pseudo nation state in a matter of months and so far we have done shockingly little. It sickens me.
Half of this book dealt with HAMAS which uses similar tactics and has similar goals but that should have been in the title. I know HAMAS well. ISIS is new and I wish the entire book was more focused on these guys.
This isn't just a terrorist organization. Al Qaeda didn't have an army. They weren't driving around in our M1 Abrams tanks after we abandoned our presence in Iraq despite their pleas for us to reconsider withdrawal.
This is a moral failure for America and our enemies are throwing it in our face on YouTube every time they saw off a head or set someone on fire - men, women, and children. It's disgusting.
Meanwhile, we talk about the Kardashians while ISIS fighters shoot babies in the face in front of their mothers as a warning not to collaborate with our poor excuse for a coalition.
Fuck these guys. If we don't step in, Iran will. Do we want that?
Half of this book dealt with HAMAS which uses similar tactics and has similar goals but that should have been in the title. I know HAMAS well. ISIS is new and I wish the entire book was more focused on these guys.
This isn't just a terrorist organization. Al Qaeda didn't have an army. They weren't driving around in our M1 Abrams tanks after we abandoned our presence in Iraq despite their pleas for us to reconsider withdrawal.
This is a moral failure for America and our enemies are throwing it in our face on YouTube every time they saw off a head or set someone on fire - men, women, and children. It's disgusting.
Meanwhile, we talk about the Kardashians while ISIS fighters shoot babies in the face in front of their mothers as a warning not to collaborate with our poor excuse for a coalition.
Fuck these guys. If we don't step in, Iran will. Do we want that?
October 6, 2014
While it contained some good information, it was pretty disappointing given the title. The title makes you think it’s going to be about the history of ISIS, their ideology, and their goals - especially as they pertain to America. But out of the eleven chapters, only two are about ISIS, containing nothing really more that what we’ve already heard about on the news. The rest of the book is about Hamas and Israel.
I very much appreciate much of what Jay Sekulow and his staff do for America and the liberties we need protected. However, it’s really hard for me to get behind a foreign policy that is based on the premise that when Israel is attacked so is America, or a foreign policy that is based on the premise (roughly stated) that if some group is being persecuted overseas it’s America’s duty to go stomp that bully into the ground. But those two foreign policy views (mostly the former) are argued for throughout this book.
I thought the information about Hamas and Israel was somewhat helpful. It gave some more detail than what I’ve heard on the news. And there was certainly a lot I learned about the laws of international warfare. Yet it had hardly anything to do with the “Rise of ISIS” and how they are “A Threat We Can’t Ignore”... A more accurate title would have been: The Recent Conflict Between Israel and Hamas: A Primer on The Laws of International Warfare
I very much appreciate much of what Jay Sekulow and his staff do for America and the liberties we need protected. However, it’s really hard for me to get behind a foreign policy that is based on the premise that when Israel is attacked so is America, or a foreign policy that is based on the premise (roughly stated) that if some group is being persecuted overseas it’s America’s duty to go stomp that bully into the ground. But those two foreign policy views (mostly the former) are argued for throughout this book.
I thought the information about Hamas and Israel was somewhat helpful. It gave some more detail than what I’ve heard on the news. And there was certainly a lot I learned about the laws of international warfare. Yet it had hardly anything to do with the “Rise of ISIS” and how they are “A Threat We Can’t Ignore”... A more accurate title would have been: The Recent Conflict Between Israel and Hamas: A Primer on The Laws of International Warfare
December 8, 2014
I got the distinct impression the author had been working on a law review article about Hamas, then ISIS became big news and he decided to increase readership by turning the article into a book and titling it Rise of ISIS. I wanted a book to inform me about ISIS. I basically got two chapters.
November 26, 2015
Short and frightening. Sekulow explains ISIS (and Hamas), and their history, including US involvement, succinctly. Well worth the time for readers interested in this topic.
February 18, 2015
A waste of my time. From the title, I expected a description of the origins and rise of the Islamic State (or ISIS, ISIL). There are about 27 pages on this subject consisting mostly of information gleaned from newspapers and news networks. The balance of the book is about the evils of Hamas and how everything Israel has ever done to defend itself against Hamas has been justified. Hamas is a deplorable terrorist organization, but that does not mean Israel's response has always been perfect (just as the U.S. has been far from perfect post 9/11). The author is outraged that Israel's response has even been questioned, let alone investigated, by the UN. Human Rights Watch, which the author cites frequently as authoritative on the abuses of Hamas and ISIS, has also documented credible instances of Israel's shortcomings, but the author passes over those reports. I'm not sure why credible reports of human rights abuses can't be investigated regardless of who the alleged perpetrator is.
October 23, 2014
“Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore” by Jay Sekulow (Simon & Schuster/Howard Books, 2014) stimulated mixed feelings…especially considering the title is largely a lure.
Based on a series of papers the author submitted to Oxford University in July 2014, this short book is a call to America to stay in the fight against jihadists. While the title would lead one to believe that the book has a focus on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), what it really comes off as is an explanation and defense of Israeli actions against HAMAS, the Palestinian terror group whose roots trace back to the Muslim Brotherhood. I have no trouble reading about the disguised subject, but I thought I bought a primer on ISIS.
The book is but 128 pages long, and less than 100 of those are text. The first third of the book does indeed discuss the roots of ISIS and how it came into being. This was very interesting and provided excellent background on ISIS. Besides examining the evolution of ISIS as a terrorist organization, the author takes pains to delineate what he calls the Law of War…Necessity, Distinction, Proportionality, and Humane Treatment. This was the good stuff.
The last two thirds of the book focus on HAMAS and Israel’s constant struggle against it. The author reveals the parties that, in his eyes, have not supported Israel enough. He makes some unreasonable statements, such as “The U.N. and international left often want to see terrorists prevail. They want Israel and America to take terrible losses…” (Pg. 64/65) These grand swipes at the international community give the book an unbalanced feeling. Later on (Pg. 86) he accuses the United Nations, the International Red Cross, President Obama’s administration, and the current State Department of being “appeasers.” He criticizes President Clinton for appeasing Yasser Arafat, President Obama for pulling out of Iraq, and essentially praises President Bush for invading Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.
Thus my mixed feelings. When the author stayed on the topic of ISIS the book was enlightening. When he spent most of his time on HAMAS it was more of a polemic.
Based on a series of papers the author submitted to Oxford University in July 2014, this short book is a call to America to stay in the fight against jihadists. While the title would lead one to believe that the book has a focus on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), what it really comes off as is an explanation and defense of Israeli actions against HAMAS, the Palestinian terror group whose roots trace back to the Muslim Brotherhood. I have no trouble reading about the disguised subject, but I thought I bought a primer on ISIS.
The book is but 128 pages long, and less than 100 of those are text. The first third of the book does indeed discuss the roots of ISIS and how it came into being. This was very interesting and provided excellent background on ISIS. Besides examining the evolution of ISIS as a terrorist organization, the author takes pains to delineate what he calls the Law of War…Necessity, Distinction, Proportionality, and Humane Treatment. This was the good stuff.
The last two thirds of the book focus on HAMAS and Israel’s constant struggle against it. The author reveals the parties that, in his eyes, have not supported Israel enough. He makes some unreasonable statements, such as “The U.N. and international left often want to see terrorists prevail. They want Israel and America to take terrible losses…” (Pg. 64/65) These grand swipes at the international community give the book an unbalanced feeling. Later on (Pg. 86) he accuses the United Nations, the International Red Cross, President Obama’s administration, and the current State Department of being “appeasers.” He criticizes President Clinton for appeasing Yasser Arafat, President Obama for pulling out of Iraq, and essentially praises President Bush for invading Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.
Thus my mixed feelings. When the author stayed on the topic of ISIS the book was enlightening. When he spent most of his time on HAMAS it was more of a polemic.
June 12, 2015
Out of 14 chapters, like three are about ISIS. Most of the book is about Hamas, and it is not until the epilogue that the author explains (unconvincingly) why Hamas is a good case study for ISIS.
It is also not a good book about Hamas. It is an anti-Islam polemic, that expresses unqualified support for what the author views as an unambiguously virtuous Israel. He also engages in an awful lot of reducto ad Hitlerium, making clumsy comparisons between Hamas, ISIS, and the Nazis.
Basically this is a bad book about Hamas, that has a brief aside about ISIS.
It is also not a good book about Hamas. It is an anti-Islam polemic, that expresses unqualified support for what the author views as an unambiguously virtuous Israel. He also engages in an awful lot of reducto ad Hitlerium, making clumsy comparisons between Hamas, ISIS, and the Nazis.
Basically this is a bad book about Hamas, that has a brief aside about ISIS.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2015
This Book was good, but kind of deceiving given the title which reads “The Rise of ISIS”. It barely skimmed the surface of ISIS and its many issues, but instead focused on the war between Hamas and Israel. Now don’t get me wrong, I love learning about Israel, but when you buy a book that seemingly claims to educate you on ISIS and doesn't, now that’s just plain evil. This book basically was dissing the far left and Obama for what they've been doing to Israel, personally I thought it was kind of boring because they kept saying the same thing over and over. I wouldn't suggest this book to anyone, unless they want to hear about Hamas and the Republican goals in that part of the world.
September 20, 2014
Reading this book is akin to reading a horror novel—terrifying. I didn't want to keep reading, yet I need to know about this horrific threat that the world faces. Some of the descriptions of the evil perpetrated by ISIS made me sick; it is hard to believe that human beings can be this depraved. America and the world must wake up to the reality and horror of this threat before it is too late.
October 1, 2014
Thank you Jay Sekulow for an understanding of Muslums, Hamas, jihad & what they are fighting to defeat, the USA and all our allies. The battle that Israel is fighting and has fought since 1948 and before, I now understand. I understand why being Israel's partner in this fight is so critical. Wow, opened my eyes.
December 11, 2014
I think this small book would've been better served (though it certainly would've sold much less) with a completely different title. Perhaps "In Defense of Israel's (and maybe the US given the frequent comparisons and discussions of the US government and military policies) Right to Defend Itself Against Terror" or "A Brief History of the World's Deadliest Jihadist Terror Groups and international Law of War". Because had one of those been the title, as a former Middle East Studies scholar, I still would've read the book and granted it perhaps a 4.5 stars.
I can get that people are upset there was not more focus on ISIS though I don't agree that Hamas somehow has absolutely nothing to do with ISIS. Perhaps part of the problem too is the admittedly fascinating but maybe overdone type of human interest pieces websites like Buzzfeed have done about ISIS on subjects like why young people from the West have gone to Syria to join the fighting or what their everyday life is like. While some would say such articles shouldn't be written as they perhaps legitimize or glorify the life of Jihadist, I'm not sure I agree as from what I can tell it's done a considerable amount to wake up Americans to what goes on outside if this country and that can't be a bad thing. But I do suspect at least some people picked up this book expecting something else or even something more along the lines of those types of news articles.
This book is a collaboration of authors affiliated with the Oxford University Oxford Centre for the Study of Law and Public Policy. It's a fairly easy to read book for one of scholarly nature and backed by tons of research. However the acknowledgements mention that this book was compiled over just 6 weeks by combining a handful of research papers. So it's not a very drawn out or in depth look though I don't think it ever makes claims to be so.
Perhaps because I have spent many years reading scholarly texts of this nature I'm not so much feeling the annoyance at there not being more on ISIS. Frankly a good Internet search should turn up almost anything the average person would care to know (unless people somehow expect books to magically be less biased than the Internet? Sounds like a few reviews did...) but the thing that I know about virtually any subject that relates to contemporary Middle East History is that so much is always in flux in the region and things can change so quickly. This makes it very hard for someone to compile and extensive history of ISIS and that would never be possible without also discussing Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in the region because ISIS didn't begin in a vacuum and these groups often spring out from one another- which ISIS itself did having originally been the Iraqi branch of Al Qaeda. I'm not so sure the authors did the best job here by focuses more on Hamas than Al Qaeda but I guess I rather enjoyed the book despite it not being quite what I expected going in.
As far as the subject of bias goes- good luck finding any book on the contemporary Middle East that doesn't have one. I, however, do not think bias is inherently wrong. I actively seek out different perspectives on the region because I'm personally convinced the truth is generally somewhere in between the extremes. Would it harm someone with more leftist views on international and Middle East relations to read this book? No, not unless your mind is too firmly closed and you somehow think you know all there is to know. I don't think the problem to those who rated this book so low is the bias though, I think the problem is that it wasn't written from THEIR bias. Or that Americans tend to cling so hard to their own party line that they can't dare disagree on any action of their party. For me and frankly I suspect many others I've known within the fields of international relations and Middle East affairs- where we stand politically in terms of socially and on US soil tends to differ from where we stand in how we think the US should handle international affairs. And I can't say I've ever been particularly happy with how either party has handled the Middle East.
But okay, I get it, this is my field of study and a huge interest in my life. That's not the case for the majority of readers. I have to say I've been surprised by how well this book has sold and how I've seen it everywhere lately because frankly I can't recall the last time the general public cared much about a book published on anything going on in the Middle East. Gosh, as a student my friends so often asked why I got so wrapped up in Middle East politics or even stated it didn't really matter. And I've been jaded enough about it myself (though never as much as US politics has jaded me, frankly). So I think though that to begin with, this book was never going to have as broad of an appeal as it or the publishers tried to make it have. Did they capitalize over the US FINALLY paying some attention to ISIS? Perhaps. But can you discuss ISIS without criticizing how the US handled leaving Iraq? Probably not.
Should the author have talked so much about Israel though? Again probably not though gosh with a different title I would buy this book (as using read a library ebook copy) and perhaps keep several on hand the next time another wave of war between Israel and Hamas happened because Americans tend to just blindly repeat what they hear on tv without actually understanding the rules of war and the Geneva convention, etc. So I sort of had to applaud the way this book defended Israel's actions. Not to say I'm a blind follower and Israel never does any wrong but to make Israel into the bad guy while sympathizing with Hamas is something I will personally never understand and if we want to talk bias I don't know of an issue with larger bias and most US news media is anti- Israel. But alas, I don't think this necessarily belonged in this book.
With that said though it would appear this book was written during the time period of Operation Protective Edge so perhaps the authors were expecting things to go differently or for Hamas and Israel to be a bigger and longer lasting story line? I'm not sure but given what I did read and the way it was discussed it does seem this was actively occurring during the time the research papers that became this book or even the compiling of the papers into the book happened. But perhaps while the authors discussed Americans being tired of war, they overlooked that most are also tired of this particular conflict in Israel and have latched on to their black and white views and do not care to revisit it. Even so and even if that's largely true perhaps the book would've been better titled, especially given discussions of Egypt, the Hamas- Fatah agreement, Kurdistan, etc- "A Brief Look At What The Hell Went on in the Middle East During the Summer of 2014"?
I really don't know. That's where I'm confused on what this book was trying to be also. So I will absolutely agree with others there. I don't understand why so many very low ratings because by no means even despite the apparent confusion on what the actual subject matter was supposed to be, by no means was this a poorly written book. It was quite readable, quite interesting in many parts, though it suffered from too much repetitiveness, and a major lack of focus. I would probably rate it 3.5 stars. If the title were different, as I mentioned I may give it a higher rating. And that's rating it as a book geared towards laypeople not so much as a scholarly work- as arguably despite the Oxford connection, a book geared towards interested laypeople was likely this book was ever intended to be.
I also do not know of any other quality book published yet about ISIS and I think it'll be awhile before any such book does come out. So while I wouldn't probably recommend this book to most I also wouldn't say it was bad. Worth a shot if you've got a more general curiosity about the Middle East and terror. Maybe also if you're curious about the international laws of war and how it pertains to both terror groups and countries that fight terror. It's a decent quick read on those subjects.
I can get that people are upset there was not more focus on ISIS though I don't agree that Hamas somehow has absolutely nothing to do with ISIS. Perhaps part of the problem too is the admittedly fascinating but maybe overdone type of human interest pieces websites like Buzzfeed have done about ISIS on subjects like why young people from the West have gone to Syria to join the fighting or what their everyday life is like. While some would say such articles shouldn't be written as they perhaps legitimize or glorify the life of Jihadist, I'm not sure I agree as from what I can tell it's done a considerable amount to wake up Americans to what goes on outside if this country and that can't be a bad thing. But I do suspect at least some people picked up this book expecting something else or even something more along the lines of those types of news articles.
This book is a collaboration of authors affiliated with the Oxford University Oxford Centre for the Study of Law and Public Policy. It's a fairly easy to read book for one of scholarly nature and backed by tons of research. However the acknowledgements mention that this book was compiled over just 6 weeks by combining a handful of research papers. So it's not a very drawn out or in depth look though I don't think it ever makes claims to be so.
Perhaps because I have spent many years reading scholarly texts of this nature I'm not so much feeling the annoyance at there not being more on ISIS. Frankly a good Internet search should turn up almost anything the average person would care to know (unless people somehow expect books to magically be less biased than the Internet? Sounds like a few reviews did...) but the thing that I know about virtually any subject that relates to contemporary Middle East History is that so much is always in flux in the region and things can change so quickly. This makes it very hard for someone to compile and extensive history of ISIS and that would never be possible without also discussing Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in the region because ISIS didn't begin in a vacuum and these groups often spring out from one another- which ISIS itself did having originally been the Iraqi branch of Al Qaeda. I'm not so sure the authors did the best job here by focuses more on Hamas than Al Qaeda but I guess I rather enjoyed the book despite it not being quite what I expected going in.
As far as the subject of bias goes- good luck finding any book on the contemporary Middle East that doesn't have one. I, however, do not think bias is inherently wrong. I actively seek out different perspectives on the region because I'm personally convinced the truth is generally somewhere in between the extremes. Would it harm someone with more leftist views on international and Middle East relations to read this book? No, not unless your mind is too firmly closed and you somehow think you know all there is to know. I don't think the problem to those who rated this book so low is the bias though, I think the problem is that it wasn't written from THEIR bias. Or that Americans tend to cling so hard to their own party line that they can't dare disagree on any action of their party. For me and frankly I suspect many others I've known within the fields of international relations and Middle East affairs- where we stand politically in terms of socially and on US soil tends to differ from where we stand in how we think the US should handle international affairs. And I can't say I've ever been particularly happy with how either party has handled the Middle East.
But okay, I get it, this is my field of study and a huge interest in my life. That's not the case for the majority of readers. I have to say I've been surprised by how well this book has sold and how I've seen it everywhere lately because frankly I can't recall the last time the general public cared much about a book published on anything going on in the Middle East. Gosh, as a student my friends so often asked why I got so wrapped up in Middle East politics or even stated it didn't really matter. And I've been jaded enough about it myself (though never as much as US politics has jaded me, frankly). So I think though that to begin with, this book was never going to have as broad of an appeal as it or the publishers tried to make it have. Did they capitalize over the US FINALLY paying some attention to ISIS? Perhaps. But can you discuss ISIS without criticizing how the US handled leaving Iraq? Probably not.
Should the author have talked so much about Israel though? Again probably not though gosh with a different title I would buy this book (as using read a library ebook copy) and perhaps keep several on hand the next time another wave of war between Israel and Hamas happened because Americans tend to just blindly repeat what they hear on tv without actually understanding the rules of war and the Geneva convention, etc. So I sort of had to applaud the way this book defended Israel's actions. Not to say I'm a blind follower and Israel never does any wrong but to make Israel into the bad guy while sympathizing with Hamas is something I will personally never understand and if we want to talk bias I don't know of an issue with larger bias and most US news media is anti- Israel. But alas, I don't think this necessarily belonged in this book.
With that said though it would appear this book was written during the time period of Operation Protective Edge so perhaps the authors were expecting things to go differently or for Hamas and Israel to be a bigger and longer lasting story line? I'm not sure but given what I did read and the way it was discussed it does seem this was actively occurring during the time the research papers that became this book or even the compiling of the papers into the book happened. But perhaps while the authors discussed Americans being tired of war, they overlooked that most are also tired of this particular conflict in Israel and have latched on to their black and white views and do not care to revisit it. Even so and even if that's largely true perhaps the book would've been better titled, especially given discussions of Egypt, the Hamas- Fatah agreement, Kurdistan, etc- "A Brief Look At What The Hell Went on in the Middle East During the Summer of 2014"?
I really don't know. That's where I'm confused on what this book was trying to be also. So I will absolutely agree with others there. I don't understand why so many very low ratings because by no means even despite the apparent confusion on what the actual subject matter was supposed to be, by no means was this a poorly written book. It was quite readable, quite interesting in many parts, though it suffered from too much repetitiveness, and a major lack of focus. I would probably rate it 3.5 stars. If the title were different, as I mentioned I may give it a higher rating. And that's rating it as a book geared towards laypeople not so much as a scholarly work- as arguably despite the Oxford connection, a book geared towards interested laypeople was likely this book was ever intended to be.
I also do not know of any other quality book published yet about ISIS and I think it'll be awhile before any such book does come out. So while I wouldn't probably recommend this book to most I also wouldn't say it was bad. Worth a shot if you've got a more general curiosity about the Middle East and terror. Maybe also if you're curious about the international laws of war and how it pertains to both terror groups and countries that fight terror. It's a decent quick read on those subjects.
February 22, 2015
Looking for an objective viewpoint? Don't look here. While I agree with much of what the authors say, the way in which they present information is unfortunate. Obama gives "infamous" speeches and his administration's actions are "foolish." ISIS is a group of "psychopaths." Israel's efforts to avoid civilian casualties are "herculean." Jihadists are "pure evil." I agree that the things ISIS and Hamas do are extremely disturbing (that's not strong enough a word) and must be stopped. But here's the salient point: The facts the authors present speak for themselves. We don't need the rhetoric.
One of the most shocking details: a child's backpack is loaded with explosives. The child doesn't know this. The child is sent into a crowded area. The bomb explodes. Devastating. Heartbreaking. Presented on its own, we can make our own decisions about how severely deranged such an act is. It is undeniable that such atrocities must be stopped, and the authors present ideas for how this can be accomplished. Their expertise is important. If they had presented the facts, presented their conclusions, and written with less of the black-and-white, them-and-us, pure evil rhetoric, this would have been a much better book. As it stands, it is badly marketed, and to get at the facts and the good ideas, the reader has to wade through a lot of unnecessarily extreme language.
One of the most shocking details: a child's backpack is loaded with explosives. The child doesn't know this. The child is sent into a crowded area. The bomb explodes. Devastating. Heartbreaking. Presented on its own, we can make our own decisions about how severely deranged such an act is. It is undeniable that such atrocities must be stopped, and the authors present ideas for how this can be accomplished. Their expertise is important. If they had presented the facts, presented their conclusions, and written with less of the black-and-white, them-and-us, pure evil rhetoric, this would have been a much better book. As it stands, it is badly marketed, and to get at the facts and the good ideas, the reader has to wade through a lot of unnecessarily extreme language.
November 1, 2014
Jay Sekulow present one the most researched yet concise works on ISIS and Hamas. This is a quick fact filled book explaining the rise of ISIS and the differences I. This terrorist group that make them a new kind of threat that needs to be dealt with vigorously and immediately. A great book to educate yourself on the current Mid East conflicts.
Jay Sekulow present one the most researched yet concise works on ISIS and Hamas. This is a quick fact filled book explaining the rise of ISIS and the differences I. This terrorist group that make them a new kind of threat that needs to be dealt with vigorously and immediately. A great book to educate yourself on the current Mid East conflicts.
Jay Sekulow present one the most researched yet concise works on ISIS and Hamas. This is a quick fact filled book explaining the rise of ISIS and the differences I. This terrorist group that make them a new kind of threat that needs to be dealt with vigorously and immediately. A great book to educate yourself on the current Mid East conflicts.
November 1, 2014
Very informative summary on the jihadist threat of ISIS and Hamas. Accurately outlines the long ans short term consequences of such a threat and reveals vital information about the brutality of Islamic jihadists. Recommended for everybody!
September 20, 2014
Don't Confuse Me With The Facts
The truth speaks for itself. This Book should be required reading for all of Congress. Pray that Evil is defeated.
The truth speaks for itself. This Book should be required reading for all of Congress. Pray that Evil is defeated.
October 7, 2014
very informative and up to date with current events
October 29, 2014
Wow, intense. The book was great and it caught me up to date on what was really going in Isreal. :)
October 25, 2014
A good read, and a warning for all of us. We are still at war with terrorism.
October 28, 2014
I now have much better understanding of who ISIS is and what they are all about.
October 27, 2014
A book everyone should read! Extensive research & top legal authorities with experience in Middle East current events. Will write full review at later date.
December 10, 2014
Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore by Jay Sekulow
“Rise of ISIS” is an interesting book about the conflicts between Hamas and Israel and makes a persuasive plea for America to remain engaged until the threat has been eliminated. However, the book was supposed to be about the rise of ISIS. Attorney, author and right-wing talk show host Jay Sekulow provides readers with an interesting rant. My goal was to gain a better understanding of ISIS and that was compromised by the author’s insistence to go on his diatribe. This 144-page book includes the following eleven chapters: 1. The Horror of Jihad, 2. The Rise of ISIS and the New Caliphate, 3. ISIS: The World’s Most Ruthless and Powerful Jihadist Army, 4. Hamas: Architects of Eternal Jihad, 5. Hamas: Israel’s Most Relentless Enemy, 6. Hamas Creates a Unity Government with Fatah, Then Launches War, 7. Waging Lawfare: U.N. Tries to Transform Our Soldiers into War Criminals, 8. The 2014 Gaza War: Who Are the Real War Criminals?, 9. Hamas Systematically and Intentionally Violated the Law of War, 10. The Stakes Could Not Be Higher, 11. Oppose, Don’t Appease: The Way Forward Against Jihad, and 11. Oppose, Don’t Appease: The Way Forward Against Jihad.
Positives:
1. A well-written, concise book for the masses.
2. A fascinating topic: ISIS and Hamas.
3. I like the author’s writing style. It’s direct, passionate and dare I say even compelling.
4. The book is formatted well. The author makes it easy for readers to get the main points of emphasis of the book.
5. Clearly establishes the goal of this book. “To understand the horrific jihadist threat to Christians and Jews in the Middle East, a threat that will undoubtedly come to the United States if it left unchecked abroad.”
6. Provides a brief history of the rise of ISIS and what drives them.
7. Succeeds in demonstrating that ISIS is a threat that can’t be ignored. Goes into some detail on specific violations of the laws of war. “ISIS violates every single principle of the law of war.”
8. Establishes clearly the goals of Hamas. “The Hamas Charter declares violence to be a legitimate means to use against Israel.”
9. Provides some interesting insights. “Despite Hamas’s terrorist reputation, it maintains significant popular support because of its involvement in a “broad network of ‘Dawa’ or ministry activities.”
10. Lists some of Hamas’s worst attacks.
11. Does a good of differentiating between ISIS and al-Qaeda.
12. Makes a compelling plea for action. “Now is the time to grow weary in the face of evil. Now is the time to allow our hunger for peace to obscure our enemy’s desire for war. Innocent lives are at stake, and immense evil is on the march. Let’s call our nation to action again.”
13. Provides compelling points on why Israel has a right to defend itself.
14. Provocative quotes. “Americans are weary of war, but our enemies are not. Wars do not end when we grow tired of fighting them. They end when our enemies are defeated.”
15. Notes and citations provided.
Negatives:
1. The title is misleading. There are two chapters on ISIS and the rest of the book is on Hamas and a compelling plea for America to remain engaged.
2. There is some depiction of extreme violence; you would be advised to keep this away from young impressionable minds.
3. Should have done a better job of defining acronyms as soon as they are presented. A glossary of terms would have been helpful. For example mentions al-Qaeda in Iraq early on but never establishes that the acronym is AQI which is used quite frequently later in the narrative.
4. Very critical of the U.N., the Red Cross and so-called leftist friends including the President. In the author’s defense he states why he has issues with them. I acknowledge that I don’t know enough but I wished that the author had provided more detail on the U.N.’s main points and their reasoning and counter that.
5. Needs to provide more details exactly who is part of the international left.
6. Alarmist tone used.
7. After it’s all said and done the Middle East is fighting over imaginary gods.
8. No formal bibliography.
In summary, I felt deceived by the author. The book was more about Hamas and the conflicts between terrorist organizations and Israel. However, the book is interesting to read. Sekulow has very string opinions and makes dare I say compelling points. The book does provide some interesting insights and though it becomes a diatribe against the international it’s worth reading.
“Rise of ISIS” is an interesting book about the conflicts between Hamas and Israel and makes a persuasive plea for America to remain engaged until the threat has been eliminated. However, the book was supposed to be about the rise of ISIS. Attorney, author and right-wing talk show host Jay Sekulow provides readers with an interesting rant. My goal was to gain a better understanding of ISIS and that was compromised by the author’s insistence to go on his diatribe. This 144-page book includes the following eleven chapters: 1. The Horror of Jihad, 2. The Rise of ISIS and the New Caliphate, 3. ISIS: The World’s Most Ruthless and Powerful Jihadist Army, 4. Hamas: Architects of Eternal Jihad, 5. Hamas: Israel’s Most Relentless Enemy, 6. Hamas Creates a Unity Government with Fatah, Then Launches War, 7. Waging Lawfare: U.N. Tries to Transform Our Soldiers into War Criminals, 8. The 2014 Gaza War: Who Are the Real War Criminals?, 9. Hamas Systematically and Intentionally Violated the Law of War, 10. The Stakes Could Not Be Higher, 11. Oppose, Don’t Appease: The Way Forward Against Jihad, and 11. Oppose, Don’t Appease: The Way Forward Against Jihad.
Positives:
1. A well-written, concise book for the masses.
2. A fascinating topic: ISIS and Hamas.
3. I like the author’s writing style. It’s direct, passionate and dare I say even compelling.
4. The book is formatted well. The author makes it easy for readers to get the main points of emphasis of the book.
5. Clearly establishes the goal of this book. “To understand the horrific jihadist threat to Christians and Jews in the Middle East, a threat that will undoubtedly come to the United States if it left unchecked abroad.”
6. Provides a brief history of the rise of ISIS and what drives them.
7. Succeeds in demonstrating that ISIS is a threat that can’t be ignored. Goes into some detail on specific violations of the laws of war. “ISIS violates every single principle of the law of war.”
8. Establishes clearly the goals of Hamas. “The Hamas Charter declares violence to be a legitimate means to use against Israel.”
9. Provides some interesting insights. “Despite Hamas’s terrorist reputation, it maintains significant popular support because of its involvement in a “broad network of ‘Dawa’ or ministry activities.”
10. Lists some of Hamas’s worst attacks.
11. Does a good of differentiating between ISIS and al-Qaeda.
12. Makes a compelling plea for action. “Now is the time to grow weary in the face of evil. Now is the time to allow our hunger for peace to obscure our enemy’s desire for war. Innocent lives are at stake, and immense evil is on the march. Let’s call our nation to action again.”
13. Provides compelling points on why Israel has a right to defend itself.
14. Provocative quotes. “Americans are weary of war, but our enemies are not. Wars do not end when we grow tired of fighting them. They end when our enemies are defeated.”
15. Notes and citations provided.
Negatives:
1. The title is misleading. There are two chapters on ISIS and the rest of the book is on Hamas and a compelling plea for America to remain engaged.
2. There is some depiction of extreme violence; you would be advised to keep this away from young impressionable minds.
3. Should have done a better job of defining acronyms as soon as they are presented. A glossary of terms would have been helpful. For example mentions al-Qaeda in Iraq early on but never establishes that the acronym is AQI which is used quite frequently later in the narrative.
4. Very critical of the U.N., the Red Cross and so-called leftist friends including the President. In the author’s defense he states why he has issues with them. I acknowledge that I don’t know enough but I wished that the author had provided more detail on the U.N.’s main points and their reasoning and counter that.
5. Needs to provide more details exactly who is part of the international left.
6. Alarmist tone used.
7. After it’s all said and done the Middle East is fighting over imaginary gods.
8. No formal bibliography.
In summary, I felt deceived by the author. The book was more about Hamas and the conflicts between terrorist organizations and Israel. However, the book is interesting to read. Sekulow has very string opinions and makes dare I say compelling points. The book does provide some interesting insights and though it becomes a diatribe against the international it’s worth reading.
December 30, 2018
Rise of ISIS- published 2014
I have had a great amount of respect for Jay Sekulow since way back. He is Chief Counsel for American Center for Law and Justice - ACLJ. He and his group work hard for constitutional and religious rights of Christians and Jews around the world. Love listening to his radio broadcasts!
This book starts with a reminder of the beheading of James Foley by a “masked, black-clad jihadist” -Chapter 1 - The Horror of Jihad. A piece of information that I was not aware -how ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) came from AQI (Al-Qaeda). Al-Qaeda was so repulsed by AQI’s tactics they rejected them. Then AQI became ISIS.
Never have I understood the hatred for the Jews by so many people. You would think - after the Holocaust -that a majority in America would be a little more empathetic to Israeli’s past plights. But from this reading, and my observations, many are not.
In simple language, Jay Sekulow explains the international laws regarding war. He explains how the terrorists get a free pass for their blatant violations by the U.N., and International Committee of the Red Cross, “condemn Israel’s actions for damaging or destroying specific targets.” But, as documented here, it is plain to see Hamas uses civilian buildings for attacks on Israel, human shields and many other violations against the international laws of war.
And, how about when Hamas and Fatah announced they were forming a unity government. “The Obama Administration, within days of this announcement, pledged that the United States would continue to provide hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars in aid to this new terrorist government.”
Then, there is the infamous Benghazi, Libya tragedy. American ambassador and three other Americans killed, September 11, 2012. U.S. “persuaded its allies to come to the aid of a motley group of rebels, including jihadists. Then many of these same jihadists promptly turned their anger on the United States.”
Appeasement does not work. These terrorists hate anyone who does not abide by Muslim laws. Period. Why hasn’t the Left figured this out yet?
How ironic I would read this now- just after President Trump declared defeat of ISIS and is now taking American troops out of Syria. After reading Mr. Sekulow’s words in this book, I hope this ends well. I want the troops home for sure, but hope we are not leaving our allies high and dry. Obama took out the troops in Iraq too soon - and that did not turn out well.
This is an excellent educational read for everyone.
September 27, 2020
I think that Mr. Sekulow really wanted to write a book about Hamas, because most of the chapters in this book are about Hamas. The book says that it explores the relationship between Hamas and ISIS, but outside of a couple of nominal connections, I dont really see what he was referring to. I bought this book as part if my research for an ISIS documentary that I was working on and thought that it would be good for some information, and while the first chapter was, ISIS really isn't brought up beyond that.
The core of this book revolves around the on and off wars between Israel and Hamas controlled Gaza, and despite the misleading title, this information was interesting. Instead of just spouting facts for consumption like to many other war books do Mr. Sekulow takes a different look at the conflict, he analyzes it from the law of war. Now initially I thought that this was a pretty bad idea, simply because I thought that everyone supported and upheld the law of war up until a conflict actually happens (kind of like the do not run sign at pools).
But instead I learned that Israel, at least in the information Mr. Sekulow provides, actually follows the Law of War quite well. This book defines just what the major principles of the Law are, and how Hamas is violating it while making Israel look bad. I thought that all of this information was quite interesting to read because the idea that fighting a war actually has rules, is a concept that I think most people overlook. Never the less, if one of the most longstanding conflicts in the middle east is something that your interested in then give this book a try, just dont expect it to be about ISIS.
The only other real complaint I have is simply the fact that Mr. Sekulow really likes to interject his opinion on a couple of groups that I wont name. It's at least my opinion that if you are going to write a book about a conflict and present the facts of that conflict, then you have to abstain from including your own personal opinion. Other than the misleading title and the portions that include a personal opinion, I thought this book was a good analysis of why and how Hamas is a terrorist organization.
The core of this book revolves around the on and off wars between Israel and Hamas controlled Gaza, and despite the misleading title, this information was interesting. Instead of just spouting facts for consumption like to many other war books do Mr. Sekulow takes a different look at the conflict, he analyzes it from the law of war. Now initially I thought that this was a pretty bad idea, simply because I thought that everyone supported and upheld the law of war up until a conflict actually happens (kind of like the do not run sign at pools).
But instead I learned that Israel, at least in the information Mr. Sekulow provides, actually follows the Law of War quite well. This book defines just what the major principles of the Law are, and how Hamas is violating it while making Israel look bad. I thought that all of this information was quite interesting to read because the idea that fighting a war actually has rules, is a concept that I think most people overlook. Never the less, if one of the most longstanding conflicts in the middle east is something that your interested in then give this book a try, just dont expect it to be about ISIS.
The only other real complaint I have is simply the fact that Mr. Sekulow really likes to interject his opinion on a couple of groups that I wont name. It's at least my opinion that if you are going to write a book about a conflict and present the facts of that conflict, then you have to abstain from including your own personal opinion. Other than the misleading title and the portions that include a personal opinion, I thought this book was a good analysis of why and how Hamas is a terrorist organization.
December 30, 2017
Unfortunately this book portrays a very one-sided view of a very complicated history. It also hardly dedicates time exploring the roots of ISIS, but dedicates many chapters to the unrelated Hamas - yes they both use jihadist tactics and Islamic ideologies but the two have different aims and reasons for existing.
The book gives some very good descriptions of what ISIS and Hamas do and how much they do in terms of disgusting tactics of warfare. I also like the legal analysis of arguing Hamas to be war criminals - I thought that was interesting.
But unfortunately they paint a one-sided view. It was very clear from the start the writers had an agenda which has coloured the history. It neglects (and at times, excuses) the violations of international law committed by Israel, and also accuses the United Nations and the "international left" of supporting terrorism and "wanting to see terrorists prevail".
Because of obvious biases and agendas, I question exactly how much factual truth there is in this book. They also simplify very complicated periods of history such as how Hamas was born and why the 2014 Gaza War started, deciding to advance some conservative agenda (it doesn't surprise me that the author is a conservative Christian) instead of presenting a nuanced history.
A disappointing read, and there are much better books analysing the rise of ISIS.
The book gives some very good descriptions of what ISIS and Hamas do and how much they do in terms of disgusting tactics of warfare. I also like the legal analysis of arguing Hamas to be war criminals - I thought that was interesting.
But unfortunately they paint a one-sided view. It was very clear from the start the writers had an agenda which has coloured the history. It neglects (and at times, excuses) the violations of international law committed by Israel, and also accuses the United Nations and the "international left" of supporting terrorism and "wanting to see terrorists prevail".
Because of obvious biases and agendas, I question exactly how much factual truth there is in this book. They also simplify very complicated periods of history such as how Hamas was born and why the 2014 Gaza War started, deciding to advance some conservative agenda (it doesn't surprise me that the author is a conservative Christian) instead of presenting a nuanced history.
A disappointing read, and there are much better books analysing the rise of ISIS.
January 18, 2015
When I was younger, I lived in Israel for three years through the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Seeing the military on every corner, carrying their Uzis, was as common as seeing the American UPS truck driver. You didn’t blink an eye. It didn’t terrify you. It was and is a way of life to this day. Well, guess what folks? Welcome to Israel! Now the cancer has spread. Pull the ladder up, Jack. I’m okay now! is no way to live. The snake will spin around and bite you next! I wish someone had an answer to all this. But what do you when thousands of young people are being trained to hate and kill? Are they suddenly one day going to wake up and become electricians, plumbers, and construction workers?? Who’s going to save them from themselves if not their own leadership? This was an interesting read in spite of the complaints written on Goodreads.
September 19, 2014
Sekulow presents in fine journalistic style the current threat of ISIS and Hamas, the historical background of both, and ways we can combat and ultimately end these threats. Although this book is short in length it is broad in scope and reaching in purpose. The information is presented clearly and concisely and is well documented through copious footnotes. Sekulow has certainly done his homework. It is rare to find any book on current events that is fresh and not outdated at the time of press, but Rise of ISIS holds pertinent and vital information for anyone wanting to educate themselves on this crisis. Here's hoping that decision makers will also find this book an invaluable reference.
February 14, 2017
Don't bother with this one. I don't think I learned anything new, other than that the author is a fierce opponent of the 'global left' (as he puts it), and believes the left has enabled both ISIS and Hamas... I suppose this is a valid opinion, but I didn't find the book particularly illuminating. It was more of a propaganda leaflet.
November 26, 2014
Did I learn some things about Hamas and ISIS? Yes. Is this book at times political propaganda? Yes. Did I find it amazing that a 100 page book can continually repeat information? Yes. Would I recommend it to friends? Maybe.
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