The Crisis
The President, the Prophet, and the Shah ~ 1979 and the Coming of Militant Islam

By David Harris

     David Harris has done an excellent job of presenting the facts, innuendos, and much deeper meanings of a very perplexing problem that has made Western understanding of the Muslim and Islamic Religions and thinking almost an impossibility. There are many reasons why there will most likely always be a chasm between the Eastern thinking and the Western ways of thinking and doing. I think that David Harris is hoping that, by presenting this book to us, many more people will come to the realization that there are deep differences but there are also ways to bridge the gaps and create peace amongst the strongest forces of the world.

     It all started on a morning in 1979 with a phone call, the call to let the President of the United States know that hostages were being held in Iran. The hostages would be held for an unprecedented 444 days and would eventually bring down President Carter and give rise to the quick and decisive response that would come from President Reagan, and would ultimately bring the world to know, start to question, and delve into the Islamic thinking nations and peoples in ways that they had never done before. There are many other players in this scenario; they include world power brokers and leaders, dissidents, militants, CIA agents, and all of the hostages that were being held and brutalized for the force of recognition.

     This is a compelling book and should be read by any person who has an interest in learning about the inner workings of Islam. I read with a new comprehension about the events even after living through that time, knowing some of the people involved in the eventual outcome firsthand, and having had many long conversations concerning this very subject. Mr. Harris certainly did his homework on this subject and is to be applauded, for it took courage and knowledge to put it all together in this form.

    The Crisis is an excellent study and a well-written book. The author takes the reader on a suspenseful ride, even though most of us know the outcome and remember all too vividly the days that the prisoners were held. This one event possibly changed history from that day forward and should be looked at with a very wide-open set of eyes, for the things that were started then are still plaguing us today. It was the start of where we are and why we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how we will possibly have to deal with Iran and other places in the future. In this year of 2005, a good 26 years later, it is still in the biggest quagmire, trying to understand the people involved in this historically deep-rooted conflict.

    Pick this one up, as the book is as relevant today as the Crisis was the day it started.