Son of Hamas

Son of Hamas was an eye-opening story for me. Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of the political situation in Palestine and Israel was basically on the level of a history survey class. Yousef definitely helped me to see what the Palestinian people feel like toward the Israeli "occupation" of the land and why it's so distressing. Whatever the facts are about who has a right to the land, both sides are certain that they are in the right and firmly believe that they have good reasons to feel that way.

The brutality of the Israeli prisons was stomach-turning, and the Israeli military's utter neglect of due process and lack of care about civilian casualties and collateral damage in their missile attacks were particularly disturbing. On the other hand, the internecine violence among Palestinian factions and the unconscionable terror attacks and suicide bombings by Hamas and other Palestinian groups were also inhumane and wicked.

The whole situation reminds me of a speech from an episode of Doctor Who, "You just want cruelty to beget cruelty. You're not superior to people who were cruel to you. You're just a whole bunch of new cruel people. A whole bunch of new cruel people, being cruel to some other people, who'll end up being cruel to you. The only way anyone can live in peace is if they're prepared to forgive."

This is essentially the position Yousef comes to in the book through his reading of the New Testament. Throughout the book he gradually converts to Christianity and accepts the ethical teaching of Jesus to love his enemies, both Iraeli and Palestinian. In the end there are no "good guys" and "bad guys" in the book; there is only a religious, political, and cultural tangle of pride and violence with no clear end in sight. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only final answer to a world of blood feuds and vengeance.