This book provides an avenue for Americans in all walks of life to
deepen their understanding of Middle Eastern peoples and their attitudes
toward the United States and each other. The book creates contexts for
readers struggling to understand current conflicts in the region-- Iraq,
Israel/Palestine as well as the dilemma of the Kurds. It is one of the
few books containing an overview of contemporary Middle East culture and
politics with balanced views from Jews and Muslims rarely contained in
one volume, including: -Transcripts of Bin Laden's videotaped messages
-Post-9/11 transcript of the Saudi Arabian ambassador's interview on
Meet the Press -A round-up of Arab-American responses with
self-criticism by a Muslim and an Israeli scholar Since September 11,
2001, much of the world has turned its attention to the Middle East,
mostly with a string of questions. Who were these 19 terrorist hijackers
all from the Middle East? Why did they attack the U.S - the World Trade
Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC.? What is there
about the Middle East, if anything, that would lead these terrorists to
believe they were martyrs in a holy war and would be given a special
place in heaven? Through Middle Eastern Eyes attempts to answer these
questions -- and many more. The last five selections in the book deal
specifically with 9/11 by presenting the views of Osama bin Laden, the
relations to 9/11 throughout the Middle East, the agenda of radical
Islamic fundamentalists and the response to this agenda by moderate
Muslims. In addition, several other selections in the book deal with the
tenets of Islam, its influence on people's daily lives, and the tug of
war between traditional and Westernized values in the region. First
published almost three decades ago, Through Middle Eastern Eyes attempts
to bring to life the Middle East-a seedbed of history and religion, a
hotbed of ethnic and religious conflict. Sources range from speeches and
historical documents to autobiography, traditional and modern
literature, and economic and political analysis.
