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Inside IS - 10 Tage im 'Islamischen Staat'
by
Jürgen Todenhöfers Report über den IS-Terror
Im Sommer 2014 führte Jürgen Todenhöfer mehrere Monate lang Gespräche mit deutschen Islamisten (via Skype), die sich dem IS-Staat angeschlossen haben. Die Erkenntnisse, die er in diesen Gesprächen gewann, sind mehr als erschreckend und enthüllen die mörderischen Absichten des sogenannten Kalifats, das einen weltweiten Gottesstaat ...more
Im Sommer 2014 führte Jürgen Todenhöfer mehrere Monate lang Gespräche mit deutschen Islamisten (via Skype), die sich dem IS-Staat angeschlossen haben. Die Erkenntnisse, die er in diesen Gesprächen gewann, sind mehr als erschreckend und enthüllen die mörderischen Absichten des sogenannten Kalifats, das einen weltweiten Gottesstaat ...more
Kindle Edition, 289 pages
Published
April 27th 2015
by C. Bertelsmann Verlag
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Start your review of Inside IS - 10 Tage im 'Islamischen Staat'

I found this book completely compelling from start to finish. The author and his team are incredibly brave to have done what they did, and I applaud them all.
This is not a "voyeurs terror read", for want of a better way to say it. It is a hard look at indoctrination, the misinterpretation of Islam, and galling ignorance the world over.
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This is not a "voyeurs terror read", for want of a better way to say it. It is a hard look at indoctrination, the misinterpretation of Islam, and galling ignorance the world over.
...more

Inside IS - 10 Tage im 'Islamischen Staat'
Very well-written, impartial, breathtaking at times but also too pacific maybe in a radical way. I am afraid one reads this book and joins ISIS.
P.S.: They hate Shia country of Iran, maybe one of their major enemies. ...more
Very well-written, impartial, breathtaking at times but also too pacific maybe in a radical way. I am afraid one reads this book and joins ISIS.
P.S.: They hate Shia country of Iran, maybe one of their major enemies. ...more

The author is a German journalist who has made his name by traveling to the absolutely most dangerous places in the Mideast and not had his head cut off or been executed on camera. And I'm not joking; that has been a real danger for him many times. In this case he went straight into Raqqa right after ISIS took over, and the first third of the book is him trying to talk ISIS into it and finding people in Syria that are willing to actually drive him there. When he gets there, he demands to be allo
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There are two sides to Jurgen Todenhoefer's book: showing and explaining.
The first is truly superb as "Inside IS" offers a rare possibility to have a glimpse what living under the caliphate really is. Who are those people we usually see masked and armed during evening news. What are they like when they are not committing crimes against humanity? Surely, Todenhoefer was on an approved 'tour' so he saw only what the regime wanted him to see but still, he is an apt and sensitive observer aware of ...more
The first is truly superb as "Inside IS" offers a rare possibility to have a glimpse what living under the caliphate really is. Who are those people we usually see masked and armed during evening news. What are they like when they are not committing crimes against humanity? Surely, Todenhoefer was on an approved 'tour' so he saw only what the regime wanted him to see but still, he is an apt and sensitive observer aware of ...more

Jul 06, 2017
Jonathan Brown
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
islam-or-middle-east
Certainly a fascinating book! The author, Jürgen Todenhöfer, is an iconoclastic German journalist (and, somehow, politician) with a reputation for seeking out contacts in dangerous groups. Here, he may have outdone himself. Much of the first portion of the book treats how he decided he needed to venture into ISIS territory, how he cultivated contacts, how he planned to get there, etc. - including lengthy transcripts of his conversations with an ISIS media leader with the nom du guerre "Abu Qatad
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This book is written by a man that strives to hear both sides of every story, regardless of the ideological beliefs of the individual. Thus he decided he wanted to meet with members of the Islamic State (IS) to try and understand their perspective, regardless of the negative notoriety he might receive. Having no background of who he is, I benefited from his introduction building up his resume proving his legitimacy in what he is striving to accomplish.
Since the rise of IS, I have heard how bad t ...more
Since the rise of IS, I have heard how bad t ...more

This is an interesting book. When I heard about its publication I started searching for it. After reading it, I wish I had saved my money. This book, in my opinion, is a waste of good reading time. It contains nothing new. The author just had an ax to grind and the ax needed it; it was pretty dull.
The author suggests that he wanted to find out what was really going on with IS. The people he interviewed didn't seem to have the brains to come in out of the rain. They contradicted themselves over a ...more
The author suggests that he wanted to find out what was really going on with IS. The people he interviewed didn't seem to have the brains to come in out of the rain. They contradicted themselves over a ...more

In 2014, the author was the first Western journalist granted access to territories controlled by ISIS. Half the book is devoted to his communications with two Jihadists who had been raised in Germany. His actual visits to Raqqa and Mosul had restricted interaction with the locals, with what appears to be an unwritten agenda of showing the author that ISIS was creating a stable environment for the locals, and threats to lives was from the West. The beliefs of the IS fighters are presented in a st
...more

(Only in first few chapters) The refreshing accounts from people of the 'other side' (ie jihadist member of Jund Al-Aqsa, Jabhat al-Nusra, and etc) shows they are just like you and me. People who believe they are doing the right thing, protecting others. I am not justifying their actions. But I am deeply saddened that our fear of anything that is different has led us to where we are now.
I can't put this book down. Looks like I'll pull an all-nighter for this one. ...more
I can't put this book down. Looks like I'll pull an all-nighter for this one. ...more

Controversial, but I believe we need more journalists like Juergen Todenhoefer. One of the worst things a politician can do, is do the politics of not speaking with the enemy. And we decide by our standards, who the enemy shall be. Well, guess what happened when we did not speak with Hussein, Gaddafi and Assad...

I liked this book because author had a balls of steel to come in the Islamic state and interview some of the most notorius killers of our time (including maybe Jihadi John). It was really refreshing to read what goes thru their minds and to hear they wiew on the world and their fight. On minus side author Jurgen Todenhofer shows his naive and simplistic knowledge about religion and faith.

I expected a bit more - not just roaming around. I thought it would contain an interview with the boss. But nothing like that - it's mostly roaming around and talking to people when they were allowed. But still - one must admit they were extremely courageous.
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Worth a read.
This guy has some balls. It's an eye opener in places though I don't think it's been translated from German very well in places. ...more
This guy has some balls. It's an eye opener in places though I don't think it's been translated from German very well in places. ...more

EN/CZ
An incredible journey of a German journalist into the "Islamic state". A first hand report about life in this region and a demonstration of the fact that life always goes on and finds a way. One can only admire how Todenhofer is willing to confront his hosts about their religion and acts. A must read I would say. The only thing I found lacking was the addition of Koranic verses that show that "IS" is actually antiislamic - they seem to be ripped out of context and without deeper commentary ...more
An incredible journey of a German journalist into the "Islamic state". A first hand report about life in this region and a demonstration of the fact that life always goes on and finds a way. One can only admire how Todenhofer is willing to confront his hosts about their religion and acts. A must read I would say. The only thing I found lacking was the addition of Koranic verses that show that "IS" is actually antiislamic - they seem to be ripped out of context and without deeper commentary ...more

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you should read the book with no prejudice. J.T adventure to ISIS was a brave job.
about the book: who knows the right thought about war? about the roots? just looking to what the medias show, you didn't get the right thought behind them. it's obviously a war which western countries does not take care, they didn't feel what middle east and africian countries face with them every day because of west wrong politics and not respect to the people. Countries with the worst historical massacre now are ...more
about the book: who knows the right thought about war? about the roots? just looking to what the medias show, you didn't get the right thought behind them. it's obviously a war which western countries does not take care, they didn't feel what middle east and africian countries face with them every day because of west wrong politics and not respect to the people. Countries with the worst historical massacre now are ...more

Exciting and formidable. In the second part of the book, Todenhofer chats with two Muslim warriors, one from Al Qaedeh and the second from IS. It explains how their perception differs about same issues. And how Todenhofer plans his trip using Skype. And the third part is his breathtaking travelogue. It's not exciting in a Hollywood manner, but it's super-thrilling if you consider that it's real and it's the IS, like when Todenhofer is talking to an IS warrior and he tells Todenhofer that right n
...more

Very enticing book about the political state in the middle East in general, not just in IS. The author's gripping recitation of his brief stay within the occupied territories of IS makes the book hard to put down. The book is illustrated by Fredrick Todenhofer, the author's son, who was also on the trip with him. The book is concluded by "A warning to the West", a brief description of the West's repeated violations towards the East, and its repercussions over history. This chilling chapter gives
...more

This book was a phenomenal insight into the operations of the most notorious organization in current history. Jürgen Todenhöffer put his journalist skills to good use when objectively analyzing ISIS/ISIL/Daesh - he describes the potential motivations and goals that the group seeks to attain while acknowledging how different they truly are from western media depictions. This book is a must read for anyone who wants an inside view of ISIS operations from someone who has had the boots on the ground
...more

a fascinating insight into Todenhoefer's visit go the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The book provides detailed interviews with some of the IS fighters he encounters and an engaging background to one IS member's journey from Protestantism in Germany to radicalism in Syria.
The book ends reflects on how Western interventions are partly to blame for the support for the Islamic State.
A very brave investigation that has left me a little better informed about the conflict in Syria and Iraq. ...more
The book ends reflects on how Western interventions are partly to blame for the support for the Islamic State.
A very brave investigation that has left me a little better informed about the conflict in Syria and Iraq. ...more

Interesting interviews with German IS members and a fascinating journey into the IS controlled cities Rakka (in Syria) and Mossul (in Irak). Scary how facist, full of superiority and inconsistent the world view of the IS members is. As someone who doesn't know much about the Islam itself, I also appreciated the passages where Todenhöfer highlights the actual anti-Islamic nature of the IS (at least when you compare it to what is written in the Koran)
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Wow! Frightening, chilling, alarming ...., this book is all of those things. Written by a former politician and judge, Todenhofer might now be described as a "rebel" journalist. Maybe because he speaks truth to power, he is often condemned by all sides.
If you are determined to read a book about the Islamic state, consider this as one of your choices. Todenhofer goes right to the heart of the matter. ...more
If you are determined to read a book about the Islamic state, consider this as one of your choices. Todenhofer goes right to the heart of the matter. ...more

Isis planning 'nuclear holocaust' to wipe hundreds of millions from face of the earth', claims reporter who embedded with the extremists
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...
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Read it so you won't stay under influence of mains stream media only. Whether you like this book or not this is different thing. It shows interest of point of view of author but you can skip event that and just analyze yourself what he encountered in his "trip".
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Amazing account of a journalists trip to the Isis caliphate - a must read to get a better understanding of what's going on over there. They seem to have a "method to their madness "- but it's clearly madness.
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While I disagree with Mr Todenhöfer on a few things, this is a great account of life inside the "Islamic state" and should be read by everyone interested in the subject. Especially by those wishing to move to the Islamic state in search of a utopian society.
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Jürgen Todenhöfer is a German executive, author and former politician.
Todenhöfer studied law at the universities of Munich, Paris, Bonn and Freiburg. He graduated as a doctor of law in 1969 and worked as a judge from 1972 on. He became a member of German political party Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) of Rhineland-Palatinate in 1970 and was a member of the German parliament from Decemb ...more
Todenhöfer studied law at the universities of Munich, Paris, Bonn and Freiburg. He graduated as a doctor of law in 1969 and worked as a judge from 1972 on. He became a member of German political party Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) of Rhineland-Palatinate in 1970 and was a member of the German parliament from Decemb ...more
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“Wenn es keine Terroristen gäbe, würden die USA sie erfinden. Manchmal tun sie das auch.”
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“Niemand kommt als Terrorist auf die Welt.”
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