I was one of them: 3 years undercover in Islam

I don't say this easily, but this is a book you must have read. “I was one of them” is the account of Maarten Zeegers who, after studying Arabic in Damascus, returns to the ghetto districts of The Hague – feel free to call it the Dutch Molenbeek – and lives undercover among Muslims for three years.

I read the book almost in one go. For me, the main lesson is that there is indeed no such thing as 'the Islam'. As a Mormon and thus a Christian, I know that Christianity is sometimes insanely fragmented, but it is no different for Muslims. Anyone who thinks he can get by with the division into Sunnis and Shiites is sorely mistaken.

The differences in interpretation of the doctrine range from, on the one hand, not being allowed to accept Christmas presents from the boss, to, on the other hand, eating pork and drinking alcohol with the indigenous population. Between these extremes lies a colorful spectrum of religious experience so immense that you actually have to take notes when you read this book. Zeegers travels from mosque to mosque, and sometimes you have to flip back to check 'ah yes, these are strict in doctrine' and those 'believe in invisible spirits'.

For an outsider, this book finally provides insight. Where you also find explanations for why jihad is alive. Where you learn that for one Muslim, jihad is the inner struggle against the ego, and for another, it is the armed or unarmed struggle against unbelievers.

I also find it striking that I now realize that a large part of Muslims will not come out on the streets and 'turn away' from acts of IS such as Charlie Hebdo or Zaventem. They condemn these actions in large numbers, but they cannot simply do so publicly because it is adopted so unnuanced in the media. They condemn the violence, but they equally condemn the disrespect towards their faith.

The book also gives a glimpse of how young people suddenly slide off and become Syrian fighters. The lesson I learn there is that recruitment does not so much happen in mosques, but via the internet. That many Muslims themselves are at a loss as to how they can counteract this.

It is also shocking to note how it has become an us versus them story. The segregation goes much further than we can suspect. After reading this book, I myself no longer have hope for a multicultural society.

I am also shocked to discover how Muslims here are "governed" by foreign powers. Turkey even has a ministry that watches over its expats. Saudi Arabia spends a lot of money on mosques, imams, and  cultural associations to expand their vision of Islam. In all this, you clearly see that those governments are not concerned with faith, but with the (maintenance of) power.

In short, hurry to the bookstore or order it online, but read this book. It suddenly gives you a completely different view on all the discussions at the bar, on TV, …