Because They Hateis a very personal book. It is basically autobiography, describing the life of Brigitte Gabriel, a Lebanese Christian who grew up in docile countryside settings, with nothing in her childhood to suggest an exiting and dangerous life, taking her first to Israel and ultimately to the US. (see crucial video testimony below)
The book takes a largely chronological approach to explaining what went on in southern Lebanon, primarily in those fateful years in the late 1970's. From 1975 onwards a strange kind of war took place, a war inadequately described as a "Civil war" in the West, but what was in reality an Islamic insurgency supported and sponsored by the Soviet Union.
This is something we in the West have been rather complacent about: Sure, there was a civil war going on. Sure, people were getting killed. But most certainly both parties to the war are equally to blame, and the Christians have weapons, too, Why should we in the West bother, not to mention get involved directly, or even take part?
Her video testimony, which must be heard, or the world wide caliphate will become a reality.
This book provides an answer to that question. An answer not cut out in mathematical proof or hard, irrefutable
fact, nor from lofty analysis from the finest universities we have. Rather, it is an answer given from the point of view of a 10-year old who has her bedroom blown to pieces by a Soviet-built rocket, fired by Islamists, seeking to uproot the ancient Christian culture of Lebanon.
What she was facing was, of course, the PLO. Lebanon had been friendly to the plight of the Palestinians after the 1967 war with Israel, permitting them to settle and tolerating the nascent Palestinian Liberation Movement, looking to restart the war against Israel. But what did happen in 1975 was catastrophically different – the multicultural society of Lebanon collapsed.
Before I get all involved in recapping highlights of her book, I'll give my review opinion: While it can be rightfully accuse of being one-sided – the side of Christian civilization against barbarianism – it sets things in such a clear perspective that one is simply better off having read this book than not doing so.
This page-turner cuts through political correctness, cowardice, and enables the reader to take a stand in this increasingly messy world, where even our top politicians fail to stand for principles of civilization, justice and fundamental citizens rights. It is written from the heart, and is sure to touch the heart of many, encouraging a solid defence of the free world.
Review opinion 6/6 – get it, read it, enjoy it!
Now back to the story:
A personal 9/11
Seen from the point of view of a 10-year old, whose bedroom suddenly explodes, the context isn't immediately obvious. Life becomes about survival, not about connecting dots or finding causes for why the village in the next valley suddenly hosts enemies rather than customers to her fathers' restaurant. Not that different people lived there – the old neighbours just started to use showing off their guns rather than money as their claim to have food served. Since that cannot be used to purchase supplies for the restaurant, her father was forced to close up shop, and what used to be a life at the top of the social ladder of the village turned into acute poverty overnight. Literally.
Now, good luck would have that Brigittes' father already had a bomb shelter constructed, where the family could go stay when shelling go too intense. He had taken heed when the checkpoint killings started, and thought that heavier protection would be needed in the future. These killings were simple: The PLO would establish checkpoints on the Lebanese highways, have a look at the identity cards of the people they stopped, and kill them if the cards would show 'Christian'. Thus the need for more protection. Equipped with some basic facilities and eventually even a television, it became their safe home in the seven years to follow, when their partially bombed home was not safe, and they had no means to rebuild it, their savings in Lebanese money having burned when their house was bombed.
Life in a war
But even living in a bomb shelter doesn't need to destroy civilized life. Schools were still functioning when possible, churches held services on Sundays, and life would continue as possible, with the rival militia moving in and out as the luck of battle changed. Brigitte learned a few things: Soldiers coming from the north meant PLO and Muslims, which was Bad. Soldiers from the south meant the Christian militia, discreetly backed by Israel, which was good.
Actually, she'd learn more than that. Schools functioning at some level, and television showing English language programs, she had ample time to learn English and practical skills like knitting.
Life doesn't stop due to war taking place around, it just becomes less enjoyable and more dangerous. Nor did the life of Brigitte stop, although at time they thought their last hour had come, and they could only resort to prayer. One time after a particular heavy bombardment, they were locked into their bomb shelter and relied entirely on someone hearing them and getting out. Chuck, a soldier from the Christian militia did, and they got out. Their contact regularly increased.
Actually it increased to a point where Brigitte, now at the age of 18, was starting to get ideas for a common future. But just as that was showing up on the horizon, another disaster struck. Lured into a trap by PLO, Chuck was (quite literally) blown into pieces, and any dreams for a common future were shattered by the brute force of military grade explosives. That also led to an unlimited escalation of hostilities between Muslims and Christians, an escalation that would eventually halted by Israel through operation Peace in Galilee, a radically more effective peace-keeping effort than the UN-deployed 'Taxi drivers' of the UNIFIL.
Israel: Unknown friend, ultimate ally
In spite of living in the south of Lebanon with Israel not far away, stories about the wretched nature of Jews and Zionist conspiracies had abounded in Lebanon. It was just natural to grow up an anti-Semite, Christian and Muslim alike. One could say that Christians and Muslims were united in hatred of a common enemy, an enemy of which they had no real knowledge.
But when the Muslims moved to side with PLO, backed by solid Soviet hardware, the Christians found they could turn to Israel for support. Before the civil war proper, Israel had suffered a war of attrition from PLO forces in Lebanon, and had a natural interest in securing the border in collaboration with the Christian communities there. Thus a new alliance was born, including Israel providing medical aid to those wounded in combat. That included Palestinians.
Due to shelling, Brigitte needed to take her mother to an Israeli hospital, and there experienced first hand the effort to alleviate the suffering that Israel was exercising, unreported in the media. The media, it deserves mention, had difficult circumstances. With PLO present in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, any truthful reporting about PLO activities could lead to serious consequences for the journalists involved, as well as for future possibility of reporting from Lebanon at all. Thus, the preferred form of reporting was to interpret the facts on the grounds as rivalry between two equally violent groups, downplaying PLO aggression and the material Soviet backing in form of heavy military equipment.
That aside, the admittance of Brigittes' mother to hospital was a serious eye-opener. Brigitte also took the opportunity to help where needed, initially asking for nothing in return. She stayed for three weeks, and in the process learned much about the mercy with which Israel treats its enemies, the prevalent ethical values, and not least the respected position of women in Israel.
The power of pure audacity
Brigitte didn't want to return to the ruins of Lebanon, but hardly had a choice. Her parents were there, and getting older, they increasingly depended on their only child to make life possible. Yet Brigitte longed to get back to a civilized existence, away from the pointless life in her old village and the blatant Palestinian propaganda on television.
Eventually she simply walked out on the situation. The Israeli operation Peace in Galilee had indeed brought peace to her area, for which Israel was widely condemned, in particular by the United Nations. That didn't make much of a difference on the ground, where Israel had organized infrastructure and military presence that kept the PLO out and peace in. Mustering her utmost audacity, Brigitte simply walked into the Israeli army camp, asked to see the general, and applied for a job as secretary, much to the surprise of everyone. After some temporary tasks, she got a job at an Israeli hospital, not least due to her language skills she had been training in her bomb shelter.
Working in a hospital may be stressful, but it also brings about advantages. One of them is that one gets to meet a wide variety of people, and one day Brigitte met up with David, who was working for Middle East Television. He told her they were looking to hire new staff, which was a great opportunity for better use of her skills and better pay – but would require her to live in Jerusalem, radically far from her parents. Eventually she made the move, facilitated by the fact that she had been helping the current news anchor, Tim, fix his Arabic language mistakes.
From a position as production assistant and news writer, she suddenly found herself promoted to a position of news anchor, where she was able to report reliably on the events in Lebanon, the activities of PLO and other subjects certain to make her unpopular, to the point of having her life at risk. She took to using wigs when visiting her parents in Lebanon, that she might not be recognized by PLO soldiers. Other journalists would pay for their honesty with broken limbs or even a tombstone, yet Brigitte, in spite of her high visibility, got away with a few car chases.
Living in Jerusalem also means living in the intersection of two highly different worlds, clashing right there at the intersection of three major religions. There would be West Jerusalem, where people sit in the park reading books, and small children looking for a garbage can to dispose off their chewing gum paper. Then you walk into East Jerusalem, and the place is a mess. People would throw the banana peel in the street rather than the garbage can in front of them, the stench of urine would frequently confront you, and last but not least, women would be endlessly harassed by Muslim men through words and gestures. A clash of civilizations, indeed.
And this is only halfway through this book, which is compact, yet so rich.
Epilogue
The second half of the book goes into analysis of various aspects of Islamic fundamentalism and its subversive activities around the world, not least in the United States of America, to which she ultimately emigrated. Having escaped the havoc of a Lebanon which has not yet risen again,
Brigitte was shocked on 9/11, her immediate reaction being "My God, now they're here!". That, again, led her into action, to the founding of ACT! For America, which continues to alert American citizens and others to the acute danger of political Islam.
Yet, for all the qualified commentary offered on subversive Islamist organisations and activities, it is the first part of the book that remains the most engaging and motiviating. One cannot help but wonder how fate protected Brigitte in her close encounters with death. Her compassion and her will to fight on remains an inspiration for untold thousands today. Her book, as well as her activities in general, are heartily recommended.
