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Son of Hamas founder claims Islam wants to control the whole word

March 30, 2015
Staff

WRITER

Mosab Hassan Yousef is the son of the founding leader of Hamas, the terror organization that bombards Israel with rockets hidden in the schools and homes of Gaza. Despite being raised in the heart of Islamic extremism, Mosab turned away from the teachings of his father and now sounds the alarm against the untold evils of radical Islam. He shared his incredible with Glenn and TheBlaze audience on Monday's 'Glenn Beck Program'.

Glenn: Like it or not, the Middle East is changing. If we don’t decide now who our real friends, or as the case may be, friend, is and become a nation of principle, things are going to get much worse. Joining me now is Mosab Hassan Yousef. He is the son of Shiekh Hassan Yousef. He is the founding leader of Hamas. Mosab is also New York Times best-selling author of this book called Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices

, has an absolutely amazing story. How are you?

Mosab: I’m good. Thank you.

Glenn: Good. Tell me your story. You’re raised by a guy in Hamas, leading Hamas, and you’re captured by the Israelis. They flip you to the good side, but it’s my understanding because you knew what your dad was doing was wrong.

Mosab: Well, I didn’t know at that time. You know, I was brought up in a state of delusion, you know, believing the Islamic theory that once we control the globe and build an Islamic state we can bring humanity, justice, and happiness and solve the human condition. So, this is what I used to believe.

Glenn: Hang on just a second. Nobody in our country is talking about that. They will say that that’s not what we’re fighting, because they’ll say, you know, Muslims are just like us, the Muslims in the Middle East. They mocked me for saying they wanted a caliphate. Now, you’re saying they want to control the whole world.

Mosab: Right. Well, they have been mocking me for the last seven years also, so, you know, when you face humanity with a truth, people prefer to stay in their comfort zone chasing after their short-term interest, and they don’t see the higher interest of humanity and the evolvement of the human consciousness. Islam is a very dark theory, you know, and we need to face this reality.

Glenn: You were Muslim.

Mosab: I was born a Muslim.

Glenn: You’re raised Muslim. You practiced Islam.

Mosab: Yes.

Glenn: Okay, and you’re telling me—are we at war with Islam?

Mosab: No, absolutely not. I believe that Islam is at war with everything that is not Muslim. Islam has been in a war against the West and its foundations for the last 1,400 years. This is a fact. The Islamic phenomena that we see in ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Taliban, this is not just a new phenomenon. It has been out there for the last 1,400 years, and I think this is the time for humanity to have the courage and to say no to the Islamic theory.

Glenn: Do you think people can in the Middle East be woken up like you were woken up?

Mosab: Yes, I believe every human being is capable of awakening if they are willing.

Glenn: Correct. If there was a group of people that wanted to wake people up, would you be willing to help them?

Mosab: You know, I’ve been trying as much as I can.

Glenn: Right, I know.

Mosab: You know, writing the book was at the expense of losing my identity, my family, everything, and that was the reason, to help people see a different reality.

Glenn: Have you ever been contacted by Grover Norquist?

Mosab: No.

Glenn: No, okay, I just wondered because that’s his stated goal. I would think that he would reach out to somebody like you instead of the Muslim Brotherhood. Okay, so you did write this. How difficult is your life? I mean, when you said I want to tell the truth, and I’m going to put my face on it and you live here in the United States, how scary is that?

Mosab: You know, it was not an easy decision, most importantly not to disappoint people you love, which, you know, they don’t see your reality. You see theirs, but they are not capable of seeing beyond theirs. It meant losing your friends, your family, identity, and heading towards the unknown.

Glenn: Have you talked to your father? Is your father alive?

Mosab: He is alive. He’s in an Israeli prison today.

Glenn: Have you talked to him?

Mosab: Since publishing the book, he publicly disowned me and has not spoken to me since then.

Glenn: When you were taken with the Israelis or by the Israelis, what was it that opened your eyes? What changed you?

Mosab: Well, you know, many events happened that helped me evolve consciously. One of them was the important thing to see the Israeli Constitution, the Israeli law, and the Israeli democratic model versus our society where, you know, we still live in the dark ages of Islam. When I start to see the Israeli model, I came to realize that our problem is within, and we need to change our way that we see life.

Glenn: Living here in the United States, you think you guys are living right on top of each other. You’re living right there. How do you not see that when you’re over there?

Mosab: You know, because people believe in lies, not in the truth. It’s easier for them to listen to the leader who’s blaming all the social problems and many other problems on Israel and the United States of America.

Glenn: Boy, this sounds familiar.

Mosab: For example, I was brought up believing in the conspiracy theory that the United States of America and the West, including Israel, is plotting day and night to destroy Islam and destroy the Muslim world, which is, you know, a lie. This is how, you know, terrorist organizations kept pushing the average person to fight on their behalf and against the United States of America and against Israel. While I believe, you know, Israel as a Democratic model in the region is a solution for that region.

Glenn: It is.

Mosab: It is not the problem, but I think today Middle Easterners see that the enemy is within. They see ISIS, they see their brutality. Even the Palestinians in Gaza, they see the brutality of Hamas and their absolute control over their lives. This is for the first time they come to realize that this is the Islamic theory in action. This is the Islamic theory manifestation.

[break]

Glenn: You are fascinating. I hope we get a chance to spend some more time with you. What is it we need to know? First of all, ISIS, what should we say? The president says they’re not Islam, that’s not Islamic. Is it?

Mosab: Well, you know—

Glenn: Does it matter?

Mosab: No, it really matters, you know? When the president of the free world mislead public, this is a big, big problem, I believe. ISIS is the real face of Islam. ISIS is the real manifestation of the Islamic ideology, of the Islamic theory.

Glenn: Have you ever heard of Zuhdi Jasser?

Mosab: Yes.

Glenn: Okay, do you respect him? Kind of? Not really? He’s a reformer of Islam. Do you believe it could be reformed?

Mosab: Islam cannot be reformed.

Glenn: Why?

Mosab: Because it’s the mentality of the seventh century. Islam is based on a tribal conflict. What’s happening right now in Yemen, in Libya, in Syria between Iran and the Sunni world is the same tribal conflict that Muhammad was doing in the seventh century.

Glenn: ISIS is using exactly the tactics that were used by Muhammad.

Mosab: Muhammad burned people. Muhammad slaughtered people. Muhammad launched military campaigns against people who did not fight against him. Muhammad killed many innocent people. How can we blame ISIS for this responsibility? The highest model of Islam led this chaos for the last 1,400 years.

Glenn: What happens if we continue down this road? Right now, the president is over negotiating, and one of the Iranian reporters who is now no longer welcome back in Iran said it’s like he is negotiating from the Iranian point of view. We’ve really lost our way.

Mosab: You know, this happens, and it happened in the past, but always we can find our sight again, I believe. In the meantime, the Middle East is a very dangerous region, and we have to be very careful how we deal with it.

Glenn: Was this caused by us going into Iraq and everything? Is this a George Bush problem? Is this a Barack Obama problem? Is it a both problem?

Mosab: I would say that this is a problem of not understanding the region very well. There is lack of intelligence, I believe, and the intention of both presidents, I believe, was pure for the higher interest of humanity, not only of the United States of America, but it’s a muddy and dangerous region. If we don’t understand the internal conflict between Shia and Sunni and between the other Muslim denominations, we will always lead ourselves from a mistake to a bigger mistake.

Glenn: When you see the Muslim Brotherhood in our government, in our White House, what do you think?

Mosab: Well, the Muslim Brotherhood is the biggest terrorist exporter in the world. The Muslim Brotherhood is the mother movement of all those movements. All the terrorist organizations that we see today are inspired by Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and by Sayyid Qutb, so basically the Muslim Brotherhood, even though they don’t get involved directly in our days in terrorist attacks, they created Hamas.

Glenn: So, when you see Benjamin Netanyahu rejected by the White House, but you see the Muslim Brotherhood invited into the Oval Office, what do you think?

Mosab: Well, I think that this is really disappointing to see. The Muslim Brotherhood is a very dangerous organization. Israel…I’m not talking now about Bibi or talking about who is Prime Minister of Israel.

Glenn: Right, no politics.

Mosab: Israel is an ally of the United States of America. United States of America can rely on Israel as the only friend in the region, not because of friendship with the Prime Minister’s office, because the values that in common between the United States of America and the state of Israel.

Glenn: Have you ever thought about running for office?

Mosab: I don’t like politics.

Glenn: Yes, that’s probably why you should run for office. I want you to read this book. It’s called Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices

, New York Times bestseller. I would love to have you back and really spend some more time with you and really kind of talk about your childhood and everything else. You’re fascinating and a great help. Thank you for speaking out.

Mosab: Thank you for having me.

Glenn: God bless you and protect you. Thank you so much.

Top THREE reasons we NEED the Panama Canal

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Is Trump seriously planning a military conquest of the Panama Canal?

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration, Donald Trump launched the Panama Canal into the national spotlight. The canal is one of the most important passages in the world, and its continued operation has been critical for both the U.S. military and economy since its construction.

Since America relinquished sovereignty of the canal, China has asserted its authority in the region. The Chinese Communist Party has been growing its influence in Panama and neighboring Latin American countries, convincing them to join their "Belt and Road Initiative," an effort to poise China as the main economic power in developing nations across the world. Panama in particular is quickly becoming a Chinese puppet state. There are currently over 200,000 Chinese living in Panama, a Chinese company runs two of the canal's five major ports, and another Chinese company provides telecommunication service for a large portion of the canal. The government of Panama has even gone as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

It's clear that the Panama Canal is under serious threat of falling into Chinese hands, but President Trump doesn't intend to let them move in. Here are the top three reasons we need the Panama Canal:

1. The canal was built by the U.S.

Hulton Archive / Stringer | Getty Images

Without the United States, neither Panama nor the Panama Canal would exist. In 1903, after Colombia refused to allow the U.S. to build a canal across the isthmus of Panama, President Teddy Roosevelt devised a controversial plan. He supported a Panamanian independence movement, which swiftly overthrew the local Colombian government. Meanwhile, he stationed a U.S. warship off the coast, preventing Colombia from sending military forces to retake Panama.

The moment Panama declared its independence, the U.S. recognized it and struck a deal with the new government: the U.S. would control the Canal Zone, while Panama would receive $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000. Construction of the canal took over a decade, cost $375 million, and resulted in thousands of American casualties, making it the most expensive U.S. construction project of its time.

Fast forward to 1964 when tensions between the U.S. and Panama over the canal erupted into a riot. President Lyndon B. Johnson decided it was time to transfer control of the canal to Panama. However, this proved more complicated than expected. In 1968, General Omar Torrijos, a known ally of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, seized control of Panama in a coup. Negotiations over the Canal stalled, as many Americans opposed giving such an important asset to a controversial figure. It wasn’t until 1999, following the deployment of 27,000 U.S. troops to facilitate yet another change in power, that the Canal was officially handed over to Panama.

2. The canal is vital for the U.S. economy

IVAN PISARENKO / Contributor | Getty Images

The U.S. relies heavily on the Panama Canal for commercial shipping. Between 13 and 14 thousand ships use the Panama Canal every year, which is roughly 40 percent of the global cargo ship traffic. Additionally, 72 percent of ships traversing the canal are either heading toward or leaving a U.S. port.

The time ships save using the Panama Canal reduces shipping costs massively. For example, when the canal first opened in 1922, it was estimated that a ship’s journey from Oregon to the UK, was shortened by 42 percent, reducing costs by 31 percent. If the Panama Canal was blocked or destroyed, or if American merchant vessels were denied passage, the effects on the U.S. economy would be tremendous.

3. The canal is a key defense point for the U.S. military

Historical / Contributor | Getty Images

Similarly, the canal is key to the U.S. military and national security. The canal shaves off approximately 8,000 miles of the voyage between the Pacific and the Atlantic. If U.S. Navy ships were denied access in a time of crisis, the extra time required to bypass the canal would be disastrous. Conversely, if the U.S. can keep the Panama Canal from being used by foreign aggressors, it would provide a massive advantage in future conflicts.

A foreign enemy could easily exploit the canal's current vulnerability. This was proven in 2021 when a cargo ship accidentally blocked the Suez Canal for a week, paralyzing global trade. Imagine China intentionally sabotaging the Panama Canal, considering it controls ports on both ends, owns a bridge that spans the Canal, provides its telecom services, and has the second-largest fleet of ships using the route.

TOP 5 takeaways from JD Vance's 'Face the Nation' interview

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

After an eventful first week in office, JD Vance wrapped the week up with a bang of an interview on "Face the Nation."

Last weekend, Vice President Vance joined "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan, who drilled Vance on everything from the economy to immigration. Vance clapped back with polite yet cutting responses, and he defended Trump against some of her more accusatory queries.

If there was any lingering doubt that JD Vance wasn't vice presidential (or presidential) material, they have just been blown away. Here are the major takeaways from his electricinterview on Sunday:

1. J.D. Vance defends Trump's cabinet picks

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Brennan opened the interview with a barrage of questions that brought up concerns surrounding some of Trump's cabinet picks, specifically Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard.

Brennan began by questioning how effective Pete Hegseth could be as Secretary of Defence, given that he was confirmed with a tie in the Senate that VP Vance broke. Vance responded with a quick breakdown of all of the issues the military is currently facing. Vance argued that Hegseth's unpopularity in the Senate results from his being a disruptor.

Brennan also attacked Tulsi Gabbard, calling her unfit for the title of "Director of National Intelligence." Vance defended Gabbard, citing her formidable resume and strong character. Vance also discussed the corruption of our intelligence services, which out-of-control bureaucrats have weaponized against the interests of the American people. He expressed his belief that Gabbard would be the right person to reign in the corruption and return the National Intelligence Service to its intended purpose.

2. J.D. Vance explains how Trump's economic policies will lower consumer prices

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan pushed Vance on the economy, specifically questioning when prices for consumer goods would begin to fall. Vance explained that within the plethora of executive orders issued by Trump during his first week in office, many were aimed at bringing more jobs back into America, which will raise wages and lower prices. Other orders will boost energy production, which will reduce energy costs and decrease the costs of goods.

3. J.D. Vance sheds light on needed FEMA reforms

ROBYN BECK / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan drilled Vance on President Trump's proposed FEMA reforms, specifically regarding Trump's suggestion to send states a percentage of federal disaster relief funds so that they can quickly distribute aid rather than wait on federal action. While Brennen argued that FEMA has specialists and resources that states would not have access to, leaving people without aid, Vance argued that recent disasters, like Hurricane Helene, have proven that FEMA's current bureaucratic red tape deprived Americans of immediate aid when they needed it most.

4. J.D. Vance defends Trump's mass deportations

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

Vance defended Trump's decision to allow ICE to conduct raids into churches and schools against Brennen's criticisms, arguing that law enforcement should remove a dangerous criminal from a school or church, regardless of their immigration status. He also advocated for Trump's proposed changes to birthright citizenship to prevent illegal immigrants from abusing the constitutional amendment by having "anchor babies" on U.S. soil.

Vance also took a hard stance supporting Trump suspension of admitting Afghan refugees. Brennan argued that Afghan refugees were going through a thorough vetting process and were now being abandoned by the U.S. However, Vance cited the foiled terrorist attack in Oklahoma City during Trump's 2024 campaign that was orchestrated by an Afghan refugee, who was allegedly vetted by federal agents. The vetting process is clearly flawed, and it was a prudent decision to halt the admission of these refugees until further notice.

5. J.D. Vance insists that Trump will still reign in Big Tech

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

To wrap up the interview, Brennan questioned the Trump administration's stance on Big Tech given the attendance of the industry's biggest names at Trump's inauguration, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Vance assured Brennan that Trump is still resolved to curb the power and influence of Big Tech.

Top THREE reasons the U.S. NEEDS Greenland

EMIL STACH / Contributor | Getty Images

Are Trump's repeated promises to claim Greenland for the U.S. just belligerent imperialism or a deft move to secure the future of America?

During his patriotic inaugural address, President Trump reiterated his campaign promise to expand American territories, including securing U.S. control over Greenland. This is not a new idea despite what the mainstream media may claim.

The idea of buying Greenland was originally introduced by progressive hero Woodrow Wilson in 1917 as an attempt to secure the homeland as America was gearing up to enter the First World War. The second attempt came after World War II when President Truman tried to buy the island from Denmark in another attempt to shore up national security, this time against the Soviets. Since then, Trump floated the idea in 2019, which was met with much the same ridicule as now.

The truth is that the acquisition of Greenland represents far more than just an outlet for repressed imperialist desires. It would be one of America's best investments in a long time, which is why we've been eyeballing it for so long. Here are three reasons the U.S. needs Greenland:

Strategic Military Position

THOMAS TRAASDAHL / Contributor | Getty Images

For the majority of the 20th century, Europe was the region from which a foreign attack on American soil could be launched: the Germans for the first half of the century, and the Russians for the second half. On both occasions, Greenland stood between our foreign enemies and the United States.

After the World War II, America was the official military defender of Greenland, per an agreement with Denmark. Under this agreement, the U.S. built Pituffik Air Force Base, a remote base 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Due to its location, approximately halfway between D.C. and Moscow, the Pentagon still views Pituffik as a vital component of America's nuclear defense.

The U.S. also built a secret base within the ice cap known as Camp Century. Camp Century was part scientific outpost, part nuclear-tipped ballistic missile silo built in the ice to withstand a direct atomic strike. The nearly two miles of icy tunnels were powered by a nuclear reactor and were designed to survive a nuclear first strike, and return fire. Although abandoned in 1967, Camp Century still symbolizes the strategic importance of Greenland for U.S. security.

Untapped Resources

OLIVIER MORIN / Contributor | Getty Images

While Greenland's population is a mere 56,000, the island has a total landmass nearly three times the size of Texas. According to a 2009 geological assessment, a whopping 30 percent of the Earth's undiscovered natural gas, and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil is locked away beneath Greenland's icy ground. There are also untapped deposits of valuable rare earth metals including copper, graphite, and lithium.

Neither Greenland nor Denmark have any real plans to tap into this immense wealth trapped beneath the ice, but it could prove crucial for ending the West's dependency on China. China has the global market cornered on rare earth minerals- including America. We acquire 72 percent of our rare earth mineral imports from China, making us entirely dependent on them for the manufacturing of many essential goods. Tapping Greenland's natural resources would help free America, and the West, from China's yolk.

Polar Silk Road

mark peterson / Contributor | Getty Images

In 2018 China launched an ambitious project that aimed to cut the travel time of cargo vessels between its ports and European markets in half. China, in collaboration with Russia, plans on developing new shipping routes through the Arctic Ocean. This bold new strategy, dubbed the "Polar Silk Road," has been made possible thanks to new tech, including a fleet of Russian, nuclear-powered icebreakers, the latest of which is capable of breaking through nearly 10 feet of ice.

With clear waterways from eastern China and Northern Europe, it won't be long before the first cargo ships brave the frigid sea and China looks to the next leg of the journey: the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage is the area of sea between Canada and the North Pole that would be an optimal shipping route between America's East Coast and Asia if it wasn't frozen over most of the year. But with new technology, we may be able to overcome the challenges of the ice and open the passage to commercial traffic, and Greenland is positioned directly on the passage's easternmost mouth.

Greenland would quickly become a key location along the Northwestern Passage, acting as a sentinel of the east, with the ability to control traffic through the trade route. If China or Russia were to take control of Greenland, they would dominate the Northwestern Passage, along with the rest of the new northern trade routes.

Is Romania squashing its own 'Trump' candidate?

DANIEL MIHAILESCU / Contributor | Getty Images

This week the streets of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, erupted in protest after the Constitutional Courts annulled the recent first round of the presidential election after the "far-right" candidate won.

The government is lying to you. If you have been listening to Glenn for a long time you already know that, and you also know that if you try to call attention to the lies you get labeled a conspiracy theorist or "far-right." This is not only true in America but across the world. Politicians cheat, steal, and grab power, then lie about all of it. This is the root of countless issues across every government on the planet, and recently Romania has become the latest example of this unfortunate phenomenon.

But what is really happening in Romania? Was this an actual attempt to stamp out someone who would shed light on lies and corruption? Or did the Romanian government put a stop to a genuine bad actor?

The Election

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

On December 6th, 2024, the Romanian Constitutional Court canceled the second round of the presidential election amid claims of Russian interference. The second round of the election would have seen right-wing candidate, Calin Georgescu face off against pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi.

The trouble surrounds Georgescu, who stands accused of using Russian aid to run an unprecedented social media campaign that helped him win an election pollsters claimed he stood no chance of winning. Georgescu's rapid rise in popularity on social media does raise some eyebrows, and to add to the suspicion he declared he had zero campaign spending. On the other hand, Georgescu's supporters claim that his quick rise to stardom and underdog victory is due to the growing resentment for the ever-out-of-touch political elite.

Georgescu's Platform

Andrei Pungovschi / Stringer | Getty Images

Georgescu rose to prominence on a platform many of his detractors have labeled "far-right," "pro-Russian," and "populist" (sound familiar?). His positions include supporting Romanian farmers, increasing Romanian self-reliance, and increasing local energy production. Georgescu has been lauded for his message of hope and vision for the future and his dedication to truth, freedom, and sovereignty.

Georgescu is also a vocal Christian and a supporter of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He has questioned the climate change and COVID-19 narrative as well as NATO and the war in Ukraine, which is how he earned his "Pro-Russian" monicker. Georgescu promised to respect and honor its obligations to the EU and NATO, but only to the extent that they respect Romania and its interests.

What Happens Next?

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

After Georgescu's unexpected victory, the Romanian Constitutional Courts annulled the election's first round and scheduled it to restart on May 4th. As of now, it is unclear whether Georgescu will be allowed to participate in the new election. This act by the Constitutional Courts triggered mass protests in the capital, Bucharest, and has caused many Romainians to question the state of democracy within their country.

Many of the protesters are calling what happened a coup and are demanding the election be allowed to continue to the second round. They are also calling for the resignation of current President Klaus Iohannis, who has maintained power thanks to the incomplete elections. Georgescu has officially challenged the court's decision and even made a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, but it is unclear if his appeal will make any difference.