A Mosque in Munich: Nazis, the CIA, and the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the West [Hardcover]

For me, this book was a very slow read; it's not that the book is boring because it most assuredly is not boring. The book is, however, very detailed in its descriptions of people, places and events. It describes in great detail the development of Islam in Europe and the important place the Mosque in Munich had as a center of this development.

After the "Contents" page, one encounters a two page "Cast of Characters" section that identifies the persons to be encountered in the book divided into four groups, "The Main Actors, The Americans, The Germans, and The Muslim Brotherhood." At first I wondered why the author placed that information right at the beginning of the book; after reading the first few chapters I found myself grateful to the author for his thoughtfulness.

The level of detail I found in this book was intimidating and very humbling; most of the information presented was entirely new to me, but concerned things that have profoundly affected the United States since the late 1930's and continue to influence world events even now.

This book traces the development of the Muslim influence in Europe from the Second World War, and the establishment, growth and eventual dominance of the Muslim Brotherhood in what is now called the European Union.

The creation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt by Sheikh al-Banna is described along with the world view espoused by the group. The author writes on pages 109-110: "Banna subscribed to the Koran's message that there is no division between state and religion, which was expressed in the group's most famous slogan: THE KORAN IS OUR CONSTITUTION. JIHAD IS OUR WAY. MARTYDOM IS OUR DESIRE. In one tract, he wrote, "If someone should say to you `This is politics!' say: `This is Islam and we do not recognize such divisions.'" In another he said, "O ye Brethren! Tell me, if Islam is something else than politics, society, economy, law, and culture, what is it then? Is it only empty acts of prostration, devoid of a pulsating heart?"

Again on page 201 the author writes: "Europe, once outside the Muslim world, became central to its future. And the Brotherhood, after years of laborious organizational work, was suddenly poised to lead it."

The conquest of Europe this time was to be demographic and ideological, the Europe of old which had been "Dar al-Harb, or House of Infidels" (elsewhere translated as "the abode of war") was becoming "Dar al-Islam, or House of Islam." On page 206 the author writes: "Whether through luck or brilliant foresight, the Brotherhood was already firmly planted in the West just as this historical transformation was taking place."

This book is a serious effort to explain the origins, development, methodology, strategies, and tactics of the coming Muslim domination of Europe. It is reasonable to assume that the United States is being subjected to that same process, although we are not so far along in our transition from Dar al-Harb to Dar al-Islam.

For those who wonder why the European Union seems to be in the process of becoming Eurostan, or what is going on today between the Western Nations and Islam; this book provides many answers. It is at the same time challenging yet very rewarding to read; I am very glad I read it!

A MOSQUE IN MUNICH is not an easy book to finish, but it is an important one.

While author Ian Johnson never reveals the basis of his interest in this subject, nor the foundation of his obvious expertise, he shares a significant cautionary tale. Any person who finds the text too disturbing to consider is tantamount to that famous ostrich burying its head in the sand.

Carefully, patiently, Johnson leads his readers through the history of Muslim activism in the 20th Century.

The post-Revolutionary Soviets abused their sizeable Muslim minority, setting the way for Soviet Muslims to be lured into the anti-Soviet movement that existed in Nazi Germany.

After World War II ended, it was this same group of Muslims who did not want to be returned by the Allies to their counterparts in the Soviet Union where, almost certainly, they would have been executed as traitors.

By this point, the unofficial "cold war" between the Americans and Soviets had begun. The Americans, in the form of the precursor organization of the CIA, decided to use these former Nazi soldiers -- Nazi soldiers who had begun as Muslim residents of the Soviet Union -- in the same way that the Nazis had attempted to use them, to infiltrate the Communist state.

Of course, no foreign power used these Muslims. They always had their own agenda to further the cause of Islam in ways that now have become well-known in the contemporary world. They willingly accepted funding from Western powers but they had no interest in, or loyalty to, the goals of the country or countries funding them. This probably is equally true of the countries which provided the funding: Reciprocally, these were self-serving relationships.

All of this intrigue culminates in post-War (World War II) Munich. A former German Nazi formulates a plan to build a Mosque in order to organize and control his former Muslim colleagues in the attempt to challenge the Soviets, as well as to ingratiate himself with the American victors.

It was during the early years of the Cold War when the Americans took over this operation, at first working with that former Nazi. Two adages present themselves here: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" and "Politics makes strange bedfellows."

Today, much of Muslim activism comes out of this Mosque in Munich, which took decades to be built.

The CIA also discovered -- too late! -- that its Muslim taskforce did not share its own goals. It was funding by the Western powers which enpowered the large-scale and organized movement of what would become the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement which is a mainstay of this "Mosque in Munich."

The Brotherhood is widely accepted to be antagonistic toward the West in the most deadly manner; it is a catalyzing force in encouraging Islamic terrorists. (Apparently, they prefer the term "Islamist" rather than "Islamic," distinguishing between the two.)

The Soviets, the Nazis, and the non-Soviet Allied powers, in turn, may have thought that they were controlling these people, but the Muslims never were their puppets. It is impossible to read Johnson's book without wondering how events would have transpired without the backing and manipulation of the groups which deluded themselves into thinking that they were in charge.

A MOSQUE IN MUNICH is an important work and Ian Johnson is to be complimented.

This book presents a most interesting view into the beginnings of the Islamist movement in West Germany after WWII. It describes the beginning of the Islamist movement as it relates to the Muslim soldiers placed into special NAZI units during the war, with an emphasis upon the flowering and blooming of coordinated Musilm groups in Germany (particularly Munich) after hostilities ceased.

There is a very good description of the the beginning of an Islamic movement in Munich, related to the massive influx of all types of refugees and Displaced Persons after wars end. Explored are the NAZI connections to the stoking of the Muslim flame and how the Germans used entire Muslim units during the war to fight the Russians,and later, to fight the propaganda war against the Communists. After the war, several high-ranking NAZI's were in positions of power in the government of West Germany, now fighting a different ideological war - the Cold War. The author emphasizes the conflicting enterprises supported by the US (CIA) and West Germany after the war to further expand their ranks to be used in the propaganda battles of which the Cold War was comprised.

An unmentioned or briefly dwelt-upon subject in past books, the author summons a prodigious complexity of facts (some only recently made available by the Freedom of Information Act) in the most compelling possible manner. This allows for the understanding of just how certain Islamic groups began their rise to power, with Germany and the US unwittingly birthing a new brand of fundamentalism. Most of the story hinges upon the building of the first mosque in Munich and the international cast contributing both financially and ideologically to the rise of this one building,which represents the Muslim countries as a whole. A superb cast of characters is summoned to aid in the understanding of the complexities arising from Muslim-CIA and W. German manipulations of Muslim leaders of the time, all to battle Communism. Looking back, it makes one shudder to realize that these various machinations inevitably led to some of the most monstrous occurrences of modern times (911, Iraqi War, Afghan War, etc.)

This book is highly recommended as a near textbook revelation of the origins of fanatical, Islamic fundamentalism. It is written in a rather stark and factual manner, which renders forth information in a most stark and ominous manner. Highly Recommended!