Product Description

In the era of terrorism, no foe as deadly as Al Qae'da - a multi-dimensional, multi-national group of great expertise and resourcefulness - has emerged to threaten and indeed harm the international community with such impunity. With a membership drawn from three-dozen Middle Eastern, Asian and other nationalities, and with cells established in some 60 countries, Al Qae'da has developed an unprecedented global reach, threatening national, regional and international security worldwide. "Inside Al Qae'da" examines the leadership, ideology, organization, strategies and tactics of one of the most ruthless and violent politico-religious organizations the world has ever seen, an unwanted by-product of the anti-Soviet multinational Afghan jihad. Gunaratna identifies three key phases in Al Qae'da's gestation, in Pakistan (1988-1992), in Sudan (1992-1996) and last, and most infamously, in Afghanistan (1996-to date, 2001). Al Qae'da finances and trains Islamist terrorists, but it also lends seasoned guerrilla fighters for terrorist and conventional military campaigns in Asia, Africa, the Caucasus and the Balkans. The author also discusses Al Qae'da's clandestine support and operational network in the West, focussing on the ways in which "sleeper" groups have infiltrated Britain, the United States and most European countries. The book is based on extensive interviews with Al Qae'da members; field research in conflicts where Al Qae'da is active; and monitoring of Al Qae'da infiltration of diaspora and migrant communities in Europe and North America. Dr Gunaratna has served as a consultant to several governments and corporations on terrorism, and immediately after the September 11 attacks, the US Congress invited him to testify on the Al Qae'da organization and counter-measures before the US Committee on National Security.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3147959 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 282 pages

Review
Rohan Gunaratna started researching this book in1993 - long before the attack on the twin towers, and before most people had ever heard the infamous name of Al Qae'da. He interviewed over 200 terrorists, all of whom sympathized with the declaration of Osama bin Laden that 'every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded [should] comply with God's order to kill the Americans'. Nowhere do any of them doubt that this order came direct from God, or question the authority of the man who transmitted it to them, or ask themselves whether credence should be given to a millionaire leader whose edict runs counter to the teachings of the Koran, and has apparently been invented by him in the interests of self-aggrandisement. Gunaratna is immensely illuminating about the organization of Al Qae'da, and has been amazingly successful in probing 'a secret, almost virtual, organisation, one that denies its own existence in order to remain in the shadows'. He follows it from the events of 1979 (and the Islamic revolution in Iran) through to 2002, and if in the end he finds it impossible to explain in any way the terrorists' complete confidence in bin Laden's fatwa pronouncing the joys or martyrdom - 'with the first gush of his blood, he will be shown his seat in paradise, decorated with the jewels of Amaan, married off to the beautiful ones... wedded to seventy two of the pure Houries' - he conveys completely the passion which drives them and describes in detail the efficient worldwide organization which may make it impossible ever completely to defeat them. (Kirkus UK)

The Sunday Times, May 26, 2002
'One of the few qualified to talk with authority about Al-Qaeda is Rohan Gunaratna, author of this excellent book.'

The Times, May 22, 2002
'The story is told by Rohan Gunaratna of St Andrews University in his remarkable new book Inside Al Qaeda.'

Customer Reviews

very brief and full of spin!
this book is the poorest I have read in many years. From a personal view, i feel it is full of spin and felt that he was adding fuel to an already out of control fire in the global war on terrorism. Not worth buying!

Basic Overview
Rohan Gunaratna scrutinizes this worldwide terrorist organization and its theater of operations country by country. He examines Al Qaeda's reach, strategic and tactical threat, mind-set, and messianic culture. There are some suggestions of ways given on ways that the international community could counter this movement. The book is written based on five years or interviews, research, and travel.