
The Siege of Mecca
The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine & the Birth of Al-Qaeda
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Narrated by:
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Todd McLaren
About this listen
Despite U.S. assistance, the Saudi royal family proved haplessly incapable of dislodging the occupier, whose ranks included American converts to Islam. In Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini blamed the "Great Satan", the United States, for defiling the shrine, prompting mobs to storm and torch American embassies in Pakistan and Libya.
The desperate Saudis finally enlisted the help of French commandos led by Captain Paul Barril, who prepared the final assault and supplied the poison gas that knocked out the insurgents. Though most captured gunmen were quickly beheaded, the Saudi royal family responded to this unprecedented challenge by compromising with the rebels' supporters among the kingdom's most senior clerics, helping them nurture and export Juhayman's violent brand of Islam around the world.
Written with the pacing, detail, and suspense of a real-life thriller, The Siege of Mecca reveals how Saudi reaction to the uprising in Mecca set free the forces that produced the attacks of 9/11 and the harrowing circumstances that surround us today.
©2007 Yaroslav Trofimov (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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"A compelling historical narrative....Casual readers will be well served by this introduction to Muslim fundamentalist terrorism." ( Publishers Weekly)
Just Excellent
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I have spent 20 years in the Middle East and this book carefully researched captures the events that have led up to the modern shaping of politics in the Middle East and the rise of fanatical Islam. A must read. Written like a novel the truth however is stranger than fiction and the story is so compelling that you cannot put it down.What did you like best about this story?
Yaroslav Trofimov interviewed and researched this book by getting behind the steel curtain of censorship that is so pervasive in Saudi Arabia.What does Todd McLaren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Read with pace and vigor.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
DefinitelyMust read - the origins of fanatical Islam
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Find An Arabic Speaker
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Would you consider the audio edition of The Siege of Mecca to be better than the print version?
About the sameWhat aspect of Todd McLaren’s performance would you have changed?
The Arabic word are constantly mispronounced.Even something as simple as the Saudi ruling family's name is wrongly pronounced as al-saad as opposed to correct pronunciation aal-e-sa'ood.
Very Good Narration, Very Bad pronunciation
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Roots of Wahhabism
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Provides a better understanding
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Terror 101
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Accents
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To prove their point they seize the grand temple in Mecca and kill hundreds of innocents. This causes the entangling of the House of Saud, the US, other Islamic countries, and France's elite anti-terrorism squadron.
CAUTION: you may miss work sitting in the parking lot, while waiting for the end!
"The Siege" - A Review
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Delivers exactly what it promises.
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