Essay --

We like to think that once a criminal is put behind bars that he or she no longer poses a threat to society. In The Fertile Soil of Jihad: Terrorism's Prison Connection, Patrick Dunleavy, a former official within the New York State Department of Correctional Services, shows the delusion behind this mindset. Dunleavy’s thesis is that terrorists use the American prison system to recruit the disenfranchised to radical Islam. While many Americans may be oblivious to this practice, Dunleavy’s involvement in Operation Hades, an investigation conducted by the State of New York to determine the extent of recruiting to Islamic extremism that took place within the state’s prisons, makes him quite familiar with the process. Writing from experience, Dunleavy examines cases that show just how this recruitment takes place. Throughout the book, Dunleavy follows the story of Abdel Nasser Zaben. An immigrant and member of Hamas, in 1993 Zaben was arrested and sent to prison in New York State. Dunleavy finds that â€Å"convicts today are not isolated from society† (p.100), Zaben being a prime example. Like others before and since, once within prison Zaben became a clerk for a prison imam. This expanded his influence, furthered the radicalization process, and put him in contact with other radicals outside of prison. The Fertile Soil of Jihad demonstrates that Dunleavy has a clear understanding of the prison system in America. It benefits the reader by showing the problems in this system (at least as far as its connection to terrorist recruitment goes) as characterized by Zaben’s experience. Perhaps the most glaring issue is that of prison imams. Dunleavy indicates that many of the imams in the employ of the New York State Department of Correctional Servi... ... Patrick Dunleavy’s The Fertile Soil of Jihad endeavors to bring to light an often misunderstood or unrecognized problem. And in so much as it does that, it should be praised. However, his analysis of this issue is fraught with his own misunderstanding. Ultimately, the book’s worth depends on what the reader wants to get out of it. If he or she seeks to understand the radicalization process that occurs in American prisons, then it is a good source. Yet, if the desired outcome is to understand Islam, jihad, or how prison radicalization can be addressed on a societal or cultural (rather than institutional) level, then it is inadequate. Whether America is at war with Islam or it is the other way around is never made clear. The book could be read either way. To truly address the problem, an understanding of Muslim culture and Islam is necessary: a radical notion indeed.