Play Audiobook Sample
The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(4.00) - 478 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
On November 20, 1979, worldwide attention was focused on Tehran, where the Iranian hostage crisis was entering its third week. The same morning—the first of a new Muslim century—hundreds of gunmen stunned the world by seizing Islam's holiest shrine, the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Armed with rifles that they had smuggled inside coffins, these men came from more than a dozen countries, launching the first operation of global jihad in modern times. Led by a Saudi preacher named Juhayman al Uteybi, they believed that the Saudi royal family had become a craven servant of American infidels and sought a return to the glory of uncompromising Islam. With nearly 100,000 worshippers trapped inside the holy compound, Mecca's bloody siege lasted two weeks, inflaming Muslim rage against the United States and causing hundreds of deaths. Despite U.S. assistance, the Saudi royal family proved haplessly incapable of dislodging the occupier, whose ranks included American converts to Islam. In Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini blamed the Great Satan—the United States—for defiling the shrine, prompting mobs to storm and torch American embassies in Pakistan and Libya. The desperate Saudis finally enlisted the help of French commandos led by Captain Paul Barril, who prepared the final assault and supplied the poison gas that knocked out the insurgents. Though most captured gunmen were quickly beheaded, the Saudi royal family responded to this unprecedented challenge by compromising with the rebels' supporters among the kingdom's most senior clerics, helping them nurture and export Juhayman's violent brand of Islam around the world. This dramatic and immensely consequential story was barely covered in the press in the pre-CNN, pre–Al Jazeera days, as Saudi Arabia imposed an information blackout and kept foreign correspondents away. Yaroslav Trofimov now penetrates this veil of silence, interviewing for the first time scores of direct participants in the siege, including former terrorists, and drawing on hundreds of documents that were declassified upon his request. Written with the pacing, detail, and suspense of a real-life thriller, The Siege of Mecca reveals how Saudi reaction to the uprising in Mecca set free the forces that produced the attacks of 9/11 and the harrowing circumstances that surround us today.
Download and start listening now!
"An interesting and well-written account of a very significant event whose importance was not recognized at the time and has since been all but forgotten by the West. The author effectively puts the event in the context of the other contemporary occurences, e.g. the Islamic revolution in Iran and subsequent US hostage crisis, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, etc. and reveals a signifcant inflection point in the history of the Middle East which accelerated the emergence of violent Islamic extremism on the world stage in the decades to follow."
— Mike (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Action-packed…[Trofimov] combines political analysis and breathless narrative to describe the deadliest terrorist attack prior to 9/11.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Fascinating…remarkable…Anyone can read The Siege of Mecca, and everyone should.”
— Washington Post -
“A gripping, highly informed narrative of this momentous event.”
— Financial Times -
“[The Siege of Mecca] begins with all the menace of a political thriller…Riveting.”
— Condé Nast Portfolio -
Trofimov's descriptions of the events lie somewhere between real-life tragedy and political thriller. The story is expertly realized by narrator Todd McLaren's clear elocution and well-paced reading.
— AudioFile
Awards
-
A Washington Post bestseller
The Siege of Mecca Listener Reviews
-
" Should be very very interesting. Non fiction by the way. "
— Bridget, 2/17/2014 -
" This book is a masterful work - easy to read and very infromative about the birth of alQaeda - you may never really know just how incompetent the Carter administration was in dealing with foreign policy - after reading this book there is no doubt. The instability we are dealing with now - including the terrorist acts that lead up to 911 clearly have their foundation in the blundering our nation's chief executive and staff were reponsible for in 1979. The Saudi's are not blameless either. "
— Chris, 2/16/2014 -
" Despite being a very small book, it took an unseemingly long time to get through. Interesting factual information, but too many details on each person with little to no character development. "
— Stephanie, 2/16/2014 -
" A spellbinding thriller, packed with vivid details, it illuminates a little-known hostage crisis in Mecca that helped give rise to Al Qaeda. "
— Khalid, 1/20/2014 -
" This is a well written and thoroughly fascinating true account of an event that occurred in 1979. It was out of the group which perpetrated this event that al qaeda grew. "
— Susan, 1/15/2014 -
" Very informative on a subject I know far too little on. "
— Gdupe1, 1/7/2014 -
" Book describes the violent takeover of the Grand Mosque in Mecca Islam's holiest shrine by Muslim (Sunni / Wahabbi) fundamentalists in 1979 along with the regional impacts on both Shia and Sunni Iran and Pakistan. "
— Dan, 12/21/2013 -
" Wow - what a story, full of suspense, fascinating detail about the muslim world. Loved this book. "
— Rob, 4/24/2013 -
" Review menyusul:D "
— Giyanto, 11/19/2012 -
" An excellent book and very gripping. "
— Shereen, 9/21/2012 -
" Provides perspective and context to 9/11 and beyond. "
— Michael, 8/29/2012 -
" I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of one's level of interest, or lack thereof in the Middle East. Trofimov's prose are engrossing and throughly enjoyable. "
— Adam, 6/9/2012 -
" A very easily digestible book about one of the most pivotal moments in modern Islamic history that gave birth to the radical Islamic movements we see shaking the world today. Highly relevant, historically significant, and an eye opening read-- awesome book! "
— Tian, 12/9/2011 -
" An important and under-reported topic to be sure, but the book's hyperventilating tone, stilted, pre-ordained conclusions, and occasionally weak connective tissue ("the birth of al-Qaeda" portion is less than 10 pages and only tenuously connected to the siege) get in the way. "
— Christopher, 9/10/2011 -
" An important and under-reported topic to be sure, but the book's hyperventilating tone, stilted, pre-ordained conclusions, and occasionally weak connective tissue ("the birth of al-Qaeda" portion is less than 10 pages and only tenuously connected to the siege) get in the way. "
— Christopher, 2/23/2011 -
" Trofimov's political analysis is pretty thin and prone to sweeping generalizations. The event is interesting and some of his arguments held up, but his description of action read like someone wishing, oh so badly, to write the next Black Hawk Down, but he can't pull it off. "
— Aaron, 5/28/2010 -
" I would recommend this book to anyone regardless of one's level of interest, or lack thereof in the Middle East. Trofimov's prose are engrossing and throughly enjoyable. "
— Adam, 4/22/2010 -
" A spellbinding thriller, packed with vivid details, it illuminates a little-known hostage crisis in Mecca that helped give rise to Al Qaeda. "
— Khalid, 2/14/2010 -
" for me this book explains the lack of western understanding of the modern islamic world through a tragic event for devout followers of islam. "
— Richard, 10/11/2009 -
" Provides perspective and context to 9/11 and beyond. "
— Michael, 7/26/2009 -
" dipinjemin palsay <br/> <br/>----- <br/> <br/>One lesson I got from this book is: if you read or hear something provocative, just be wise. <br/> <br/> "
— lita, 5/9/2009
About Yaroslav Trofimov
Yaroslav Trofimov, an award-winning foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, has extensively reported from Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries. He is also the author of Faith at War: A Journey on the Frontlines of Islam, from Baghdad to Timbuktu.
About Todd McLaren
Todd McLaren, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, was involved in radio for more than twenty years in cities on both coasts, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He left broadcasting for a full-time career in voice acting, where he has been heard on more than five thousand television and radio commercials, as well as television promos; narrations for documentaries on such networks as A&E, Discovery, and the History Channel; and films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit?