Truth Jihad

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 26 FEB 2007

Barrett, a Muslim convert and Islamic studies professor, is neither hysterical nor a fool, but a thoughtful, questioning and careful man whose outrage nevertheless overwhelms evidence in support of his belief that the tragic events of 9/11 "had been an obvious inside job ... and that the perpetrators are hiding in plain sight, in 'undisclosed locations' at the highest levels of the US government." Barrett brings up many intriguing points, such as the contention, central to many 9/11 conspiracy theories, that the towers fell as a result of controlled demolition, and an intriguing anecdote about the ease with which mainstream media-even French media, "three times as smart and four times as skeptical as their American counterparts"-can be duped. Though his tangents into topics such as religion, UFOs and 9/11 jokes are enlightening, and his sociological observations are often insightful-such as his take on the "new pseudo-religion of post-9/11 'patriotism,'" beget by "spectacular human sacrifice" and "mirroring the worst kind of Christian tradition, itself based on the human-sacrifice image of the Crucifixion"-he doesn't back conclusions with hard facts, directing readers to other books and Web sites to learn the "truth." Though Barrett struggles mightily to make an objective case for the government's culpability in 9/11, raising some worthy points along the way, he's preaching to the converted.