Them: Adventures with Extremists: Secret Rulers of the World

by Jon Ronson

‘That is true,’ said Omar. ‘The Koran rules every aspect of my life. It tells me how I eat, how I sleep, how I fight, and even how I will die.’ Omar paused. ‘You know,’ he said, ‘the Koran even tells me which direction I must break wind in.’ There was a short silence. ‘And which direction do you break wind in?’ I asked. ‘In the direction of the non-believer!’ Omar said. ‘Ha ha ha! The direction of the non-believer!’ Omar laughed heartily for some time and slapped me on the back.

It has been estimated that 25 per cent of all Klansmen are undercover federal officers.

I took my glasses off. I slipped the hood over my head. Through the eye-slits, I could see Pat and Joe smiling and giving me the thumbs up. And how did it feel for me, a Jew, to be wearing a Klan hood? I found myself feeling a little sad, imagining the time in the future when Pat would inevitably discover my Jewishness and feel just awful about letting me try on his hood.

People who had survived actually being blown up on trains were getting hounded by paranoid Miss Marples who’d been watching too many Alex Jones You Tube videos.