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

by David Dalin

Overview

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 fuhrer 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781412810777
Publisher:	Transaction Publishers
Publication date:	08/30/2009
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)

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.

John F. Rothmann serves on the faculty of the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco. He is an author, teacher, archivist, polit­ical consultant, and talk show host on the ABC-­affiliated KGO 810-AM Newstalk Radio in San Francisco.

Alan Dershowitz is Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He is the author of numerous books including Finding Jefferson: A Lost Letter, a Remarkable Discovery, and the First Amendment in an Age of Terrorism.

Table of Contents

ContentsIntroduction to the Transaction EditionPreface IChapter 1: Rendezvous with DestinyChapteq: The Genesis of Modern JihadChapter 3: Partners in GenocideChapter 4: The Mufti's ReflectionChapter 5: The Mufti's Return to the Middle EastChapter 6: Mandate for HateChapter7: The Mufti's LegacyAcknowledgmentsChronology ofthe Mufti's LifeAppendix: Correspondence and DocumentsNotesBibliographyIndex

Editorial Reviews

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

From the Publisher