The Looming Tower - Lawrence Wright [259]
THIS BOOK comes heavily mortgaged to the generosity of hundreds of people. Although I can never repay their kindness, I hope they will feel that I have honored their trust.
Sayyid Qutb may have been miserable in Greeley, Colorado, but he did not have the advantage of meeting Peggy A. Ford, the archives and research coordinator at the City of Greeley Museum, or Janet Waters, the head of archival services at the James A. Michener Library of the University of Northern Colorado, who made themselves and their useful files available. Ken McConnellogue, the vice president for university advancement at the same institution, graciously provided vital background information; and Michael Welsh, a professor of history, took me around the campus and the town and gave me such an insightful and delightful tour that I came away envying his students.
Foreign correspondents rely on “fixers” to guide them through cultures they barely understand. Fixers make appointments, translate, and often provide context that a stranger could never grasp on his own. In Cairo, I was especially blessed by the delightful company of Mandi Fahmy, as well as Rola Mahmoud and Jailan Zayan. Samir Rafaat was an invaluable escort into the Maadi childhood of Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. I am deeply indebted to Mahfouz Azzam and Omar Azzam for their patient and gracious responses to my endless queries. Gamal al-Banna and Essam el-Eryan provided invaluable insights on the Muslim Brotherhood, and Kamal Habib was highly informative about the origins of al-Jihad. Mamdouh Ismail, Gamal Sultan, and Montassir al-Zayyat were indispensable informants on Islamic movements, and Fouad Allam helped me understand the government’s response to the challenges such organizations posed. Abdallah Schleifer was a source of great insight and amusement, and a surprisingly fine cook to boot. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, fresh from prison and still suffering the effects of that ordeal, was kind enough to give me the benefit of his invaluable research. For their friendship and hospitality, I particularly thank Jan and Safwat Montassir, Sanna Hannonen Negus, Dr. Abdul Wahab Ibrahim and Aida el-Bermawy, Raymond Stock, Jim Pringle and Samia el-Bermawy, Essam Deraz, Ali Salem, and my old professor Dr. Yehia el-Ezabi.
I spent more than a year after 9/11 seeking a visa from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Finally, realizing that I wasn’t going to get in as a reporter, I took a job “mentoring” young reporters at the Saudi Gazette in Jeddah, bin Laden’s hometown. This serendipitous ploy permitted me an understanding of Saudi society that I could never have gained from the journalist’s lofty vantage. For that, I have to thank Dr. Ahmed al-Yousef, the editor in chief; Dr. Mohammed Shoukany, the editor who invited me into his newsroom in the first place; and my colleagues Iftikar Ahmed, Ramesh Balon, Ramzi Khouri, and Mazhar Siddiqi. My greatest teachers, however, were my reporters: Faisal Bajaber, Hasan Basweid, Najla Fathi, Mamdouh al-Harithi, Hasan Hatrash, Mohammed Zoheb Patel, Mahmoud Shukri, and Sabahat Siddiqi. I owe a great debt to the generous spirits of Faiza Ambah, Elizabeth O. Colton, Dr. Khaled Batarfi, Berhan Hailu, Peter Harrigan, Jamal Khalifa, Jamal Khashoggi, Khaled al-Maeena, Dr. Abdullah al-Shehri, Hussein Shobokshi, and Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, who made my journeys to the Kingdom both productive and enjoyable.
In Pakistan, I shamelessly milked my colleagues for their experiences in covering the jihad. I thank Kathy Gannon of Associated Press, Françoise Chipaux at Le Monde, Jamal Ismail at Abu Dhabi television, Ismail Khan at Dawn, Rahimullah Yusufzai