Book Review: The Son of Hamas

Justin Dalrymple

History of Middle East and Islam II

Professor Judith Rood

Book Review #2

Word Count: 843

The Son of Hamas

The Son of Hamas was written by Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of Sheik Hassan Yousef—a co-founder of the Palestinian political party, Hamas. Mosab writes about his experiences in the West Bank under Israeli occupation from 1987-2007. He begins with his experiences as a child participating in the First Intifada in 1987 by throwing stones at Israeli Defense Forces tanks. In 1996 he was arrested, tortured and put in prison by the Shin Bet on the basis of being a terrorist and operating with known terrorist, Hassan Salameh. While these allegations turned out to be false, the Shin Bet still proceeded to offer Mosab a chance to work for them as a double agent in order to capture other dangerous Hamas terrorists. He accepted the offer on the pretenses that he would use his connections with the Shin Bet to provide Hamas with intelligence. However, his hatred of Israel was overcome by his desire for peace and resolution of the conflict.

Over the course of his work operating for Shin Bet and Hamas he began reading the New Testament, and eventually the whole Bible. He was drawn to Jesus’ teaching and over time he found himself studying the Bible more than the Qur’an. While he said he can’t put a specific date on when he became a Christian, he ultimately accepted Jesus as God and was baptized.

The Son of Hamas chronicles all these events in greater detail and reads like a Bourne spy novel. Mosab shares his stories of being a double agent and his view of the Israel/Palestine conflict from his own perspective. He shares the pros and cons of being the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a co-founder of Hamas.

What I really enjoyed about the book was the fact that it reads like a novel. While a few times throughout the book, Mosab will pause to give a little background history about certain people, events, or political parties, the book moves for the most part at a speedy pace. The reader will enjoy the first person accounts and personal stories. While reading, you will gain insight to Yousef’s thoughts. Reading Yousef’s thoughts really engages the reader and makes them feel like they are present and part of the story.

Secondly, what I enjoyed most about The Son of Hamas is that it is written very introspectively. As a result, the questions and thoughts that Yousef writes about are things that the reader can grapple with as well. One of the things that he writes about throughout the book is his perception of his father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who was a co-founder of Hamas. Hassan Yousef is a very great man who loves and cares for his family and his community, and is admired by all those around him, especially by his firstborn son, Mosab. Hassan is a devout Muslim, who reads his Koran and prays daily. He is a role model for Mosab, who aspires to be just like his father. Before founding Hamas, Hassan was a part of the Muslim Brotherhood and did not support violent resistance to the occupation in the West Bank. However, when he formed Hamas, his objective “was to awaken, unify, and mobilize the Palestinian people and make them understand their need for independence under the banner of Allah and Islam” (20).

Violence was alright and could be justified in the beginning for Mosab. However, after going to a Bible study, being given a Bible, and reading it he came across Matthew 5:43: “You have heard that it has been said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” It is at this point he began to realize that violence is not the way to bring about peace. He realized that violence only begets more violence, and it just becomes an endless cycle. Neither will politics, ideologies, or treaties bring about peace, when there is an underlying, root problem of hate and violence. Without true forgiveness and love for enemies, Mosab concludes, there won’t be peace.

After grappling with these issues, his thoughts and perception of his father became mixed. He simply couldn’t come to grips with the that fact that his father, Hassan, even though he would never harm anyone or anything, could simply sit back and allow other peoples’ children to blow themselves up for the sake of his cause. It is great to read that, even though Mosab did not support what his father did, he still would not forsake his father and always loved him and would always do his best to make sure that his father was safe.

In conclusion, The Son of Hamas, is one of my favorite books! The way it reads, the stories, and the emotion connected with it, make it a thoroughly enjoyable and gripping read. I really encourage anyone that is interested in the Israel/Palestinian conflict to read it.