Dushka (or DShK). A Soviet heavy anti-aircraft machine gun, frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armor-plate shield.
em. The equivalent of the male term abu, this is an Arabic word literally meaning “mother of.” The mother automatically takes the name of the oldest son prefaced with em. If the oldest son is Mike, the mother becomes “Em Mike” or “Mother of Mike.”
Enta majnoon. An Arabic term meaning “you are crazy.” Enta means “you” and majnoon means “crazy.”
fatire (or fatayer). Small triangular spinach pies.
fatwa. A religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar.
fedayeen. Several distinct, militant groups and individuals in Armenia, Lebanon, Iran, and the Arab world. The term means “freedom fighters.”
fez. A red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone. The fez is of Turkish origin.
fida’i. A single soldier in the fedayeen.
hadith. Oral traditions relating to the words and deeds of the prophet Muhammad.
hijab. The Arabic word for “cover.” In most Arabic-speaking and Western countries, the common meaning is “modest dress for women.” Most Islamic legal systems define modest as covering everything in public except the face and hands.
Hind helicopters. The Russian Mil Mi-24 Hind is the helicopter most identified with the war in Afghanistan.
hudna (or hudibiyya, khudaibiya). An Arabic word often translated as “cease-fire.” Historically used as a tactic aimed at allowing the party declaring the hudna to regroup while tricking an enemy into lowering its guard.
hūrīyah (or hur). Arabic word used to refer to a “pure virgin being” or “pure companions” of paradise to be awarded to Muslims who die for the sake of the Islamic jihad.
imam. In Islam, a recognized leader or religious teacher.
Jabal Sunnin (or Jabal Sannine). Also known as Mount Lebanon, near Beirut.
jannah. A place of eternal bliss in the afterlife for believing Muslims.
jezyah (or jizyah). A nominal annual protection tax levied on non-Muslims under the protection of Muslim rule. It is one dinar (about four grams of gold) per person per year. The elderly, women, children, and the poor are exempt.
jihad. Holy war or any combat for the sake of Allah.
jinn (also djinn). The equivalent of a genie, in Islam they are believed to be unseen supernatural creatures that possess free will and inhabit the earth along with mankind. They can be both good and evil, but are most often associated with ghosts or demons. According to pre-Islamic Arabian folklore, jinn were created by Allah. The iconic genie or jinn is Iblis or Satan.
Kalashnikovs. See AK–47.
kanafa. A pastry made with shredded wheat and walnuts and covered with a cold lemon sauce.
Katyusha. A type of Russian rocket launcher originally built and used in the field during World War II.
keffiyeh (also keffiyah). An Arab headdress consisting of a square of cloth folded to form a triangle and held on by a cord.
khefir. The Arabic word for “infidel.”
khefir kabier. This term refers to the ultimate infidel, khefir meaning “infidel” and kabier meaning “great, large, or big.”
Koran (also sometimes transliterated as Qur’an, Al-Coran or
Al-Qur’ān) The central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe the Koran to be the book of divine guidance and direction for mankind, dictated by God to Muhammad, and consider the original Arabic text to be the final revelation of God.
kursi. An Arabic word meaning “chair.” It refers specifically to a unique chair in the mosque on which the Koran is placed when it is being read.
lamajoun. Baked Armenian thin-crust pizza made with ground lamb, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and spices.
Ma sha’a allah (or mashalla). A common Muslim declaration meaning “until the time the God wants, forever.”
madrassa (or madrasah, madrash, medresa, madreseh, or madressa) The Arabic word for school, most often used to refer to an Islamic religious school.
Mafia. A group of criminals (mafiosi) organized into so-called families and operating in many parts of the world.
Makarov PM. A 9x18mm semi-automatic pistol designed in the late 1940s by Russian Nikolai Fyodorovich Makarov. This was the standard pistol used by military and police in Russia until the end of the twentieth century. Large numbers of these firearms are still in use in Russia.
manara. The Arabic word for “lighthouse.”
Masjid al Bakar. Masjid is the Arabic word for “mosque.” Al Bakar refers to the specific mosque being mentioned.
MiG-29 (or Mikoyan MiG-29). A fourth-generation, Russian-built, jet fighter aircraft developed in the 1970s. It has been used by the Russian Air Force, as well as many other nations, since it entered service in 1983.
mufti. An Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Shari’ah or Islamic law. A muftiat or diyanet is a council of muftis.
mukhtar. The head of a village or neighborhood in many Arab countries. The word means “chosen” in Arabic and refers to the fact that mukhtars are often chosen in some type of election.
mullah. A Muslim schooled in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title is derived from the Arabic word mawla, which means “vicar” or “guardian.” In large parts of the Muslim world it is simply the title given to local clerics and mosque leaders.
muttarafeen. Radical Muslims.
niqab. A veil covering the face. It was worn by some Muslim women starting at puberty. The terms niqab and burqa are often used interchangeably.
nuniah. An Arabic/Lebanese word for potty chair or potty trainer.
Quad .50. An anti-aircraft artillery gun.
qurush. The riyal is the basic monetary unit in Saudi Arabia. Twenty qurush equal one riyal.
Ramadan. The ninth month of the Muslim year, during which all Muslims must fast during the daylight hours. Indulgence of any sort is forbidden during the fast. Only soldiers, the sick, and the young are exempt. Because of the purely lunar calendar, Ramadan falls in different seasons.
RPG-7. A shoulder-fired, muzzle-loaded, recoilless antitank and antipersonnel rocket-propelled grenade launcher that launches fin-stabilized, oversized rocket-assisted heat grenades.
SA-7 or SAM (or Surface to Air Missile). The SA-7 is a Soviet-built, shoulder-launched, surface-to-air missile developed in 1959 and first used in combat in 1968. The SA-7 is intended to force low-flying enemy aircraft into higher altitudes where they can be detected by radar.
sajada. The Arabic word for “a prayer rug.”
salat. The five daily Muslim prayers.
Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG), German for “Swiss Industrial Company” produced one of the finest semi-automatic pistols—the SIG 210 series. However, the pistol was not affordable until SIG entered a business collaboration with the German gunmaker J. P. Sauer & Sons, creating the SIG SAUER line of handguns in the 1970s.
Seminov. A 7.52mm semi-automatic rifle.
serviz. A chauffeur-driven shuttle.
shahada. The Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as his prophet.
Sharia (or Shariah). The body of Islamic religious law. The term means “way” or “path.”
sharmouta. A loose woman or a prostitute.
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. The co-founder with Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi of Hamas, a Palestinian paramilitary organization and political party. Yassin served as the spiritual leader of the organization, which has been characterized by many western nations as terrorist in nature.
sheikh (also sheik, cheikh, shaikh). An Arabic term literally meaning “elder,” and used to designate an elder of a tribe, a lord, a revered wise man, or an Islamic scholar. The term usually refers to a man, but in a few cases a woman.
shiska. A hamburger cooked with mint and red onion and served in pita bread.
Sikhoi. A Russian bomber.
souk (also sook, souq, or suq). A commercial quarter in an Arab or Be
rber city. The term is often used to designate the market in any Arabized or Muslim city.
sunnah. In Sunni Islam, those religious achievements that were instituted by the Prophet Muhammad during the twenty-three years of his ministry. The word literally means “trodden path,” and therefore the sunna of the Prophet means, “the way and the manners of the prophet.”
sura. A term commonly used to mean a chapter of the Koran. The Arabic word literally means “something enclosed or surrounded by a fence or wall.”
Sura al Anfal. The eighth chapter of the Koran. In Arabic, it literally means “the spoils of war.”
Tanakh (also Tanach, Tenakh, or Tenak). The Bible used in Judaism. The elements of the Tanakh are incorporated in various forms in Christian Bibles, in which, with some variations, it is called the Old Testament.
Tesat (or besat). A rug that is homemade, using old cloth no longer needed by the family.
Umma. One Muslim nation. The Arabic word umm means “mother,” and from that is derived “mother nation.”
yah habebe. Yah in Arabic is always followed by a descriptive word. Habibi is an Arabic word that translates “my baby” or “my darling” or “my love” or “my boy.”
yah ibny (or yah waldie). An Arabic term of endearment meaning “my son.”
Notes
1. “Egypt Makes Muslim Brotherhood Arrests,” Associated Press Online, August 23, 2007.
2. Steven Emerson, American Jihad (New York: The Free Press, 2003), 172.
3. Ibid.
4. Emerson, American Jihad, Appendix A.
5. Joseph Abrams, “List of Thwarted Terror Attacks Since Sept. 11.” Fox News. Online at; http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,335500,00.html]
6. Hanan Greenberg, “IDF arrests Palestinian boy carrying explosives,” August 30, 2007. Online at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0.7340.L-3443790.00.html.
7. Yaakov Lappin, “Egypt primes children for jihad,” July 5, 2006. Online at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3271274,00.html.
8. “The Military Use of Children.” Online at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_use_of_children#Middle_East:_Palestine.
9. John Burns, “Palestinian Summer Camp Offers the Games of War,” New York Times, Aug. 3, 2000.
10. Howard M. Sachar, A History of Israel: From the Rise of Zionism to Our Time (New York: 1976), 660.
11. Adnan Mijad, “Pleasantly surprised by ‘Three Ex-Terrorists’ event,” The Stanford Daily, April 18, 2007.
12. Amnesty International, “Violence against women in Pakistan.” Online at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA33/010/2002/en/dom-ASA330102002en.html.
13. Austin Fenner and Hasani Gittens, “‘Honor’ killing for God—Dad’s ‘sick confession,’” New York Post, August 6, 2008, p. 15.
14. Pam Zubeck, “Factious choice in public speakers,” The Gazette, February 5, 2008.
15. Neil MacFarquhar, “Speakers at Academy said to make false claims,” New York Times, February 7, 2008.
16. Steven Emerson, “Paper of CAIR,” National Review Online, February 8, 2007. Online at http://www.investigativeproject.org/article/600.Notes
17. “Islamic Charity Convicted in Retrial,” Facts on File World News Digest, December 23, 2008.
Acknowledgments
It is with great shame that I acknowledge my terrible past.
But it is with great joy that I acknowledge those who brought me out of it and those who made this book possible:
My Lord Jesus—whose unconditional love completely disarmed the hate that guns and bombs could not.
My best friend and wife, Victoria, and my children and grandchildren, who stood with me. I love you more than you’ll ever know.
My literary agent, Lee Hough, who listened, believed, and championed my story through every stage. My trust is sacred; you’ve earned it, friend.
My cowriter, Lynn Vincent, was simply incredible. Your tireless efforts at interviewing and your wordsmithing were a godsend. We both got a little bloody accomplishing this mission. You know what I mean. But you never quit. Victoria and I cannot thank you enough.
My editor, Philis Boultinghouse, who caught the vision when no else did and worked tirelessly with more than just expertise—but also with love.
And this book would not have come about without all the hours and hours invested in me by my pastor, Mark C.
Finally, I must acknowledge the love and support of our close friends—they kept me, my family, Lee, Lynn, and the publisher in constant prayer as we all worked together. They pray even now, dear reader, for you.
I humbly thank you all.
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