I Was Told to Come Alone by Souad Mekhennet
In I Was Told to Come Alone, the author goes in search of answers. Answers that people need when asked about the why of a number of things, in her case about the why of committing the ‘little’ jihad. Because she believes that no one party can have a monopoly on the whole truth, she objectively ensures that the jihadists can tell their story, so that we can begin to understand.
As the child of a Shiite-Sunni marriage, where the parents have successfully sown a seed of tolerance in their daughter’s soul, she has a unique point of view in the middle, without condemning, but also without approving of everything.
In I Was Told to Come Alone starts her story in her childhood, which was not easy. From a young age, she was lucky enough to find her passion: journalism. In doing so, she goes to great lengths to make her point. Together with the readers, she travels to all corners of the world to write down the stories that would otherwise never have been known. In doing so, she does not shy away from danger to a large extent, which is why she herself became the target of a number of organizations, whether government or not.
In addition to the world problem of organized jihad, which is the subject of the book, there is also a conclusion at the end. In the final pages, the author mentions in her own words that the problem cannot be solved as long as there are parties that pursue polarization in the name of self-interest, and feed it by limiting the view of young Muslims regarding their own possibilities, and feeding hatred. Eliminating polarization is a sine qua non for peace in the Middle East. The simple insight of two young boys, a Shia and a Sunni, that they can be friends ‘no matter what’ could have been an example of this. Hatred, fueled by injustice, put an end to it.
I Was Told to Come Alone addresses a social problem, of a series of crises worldwide, which also have their share in the West.
Title: I Was Told to Come Alone – My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad, Author: Souad Mekhennet, Uitgeverij: Virago, ISBN: 978-0349008370