The Siege of Mecca | Yaroslav Trofimov

Author Yaroslav Trofimov talks about his book "The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam’s Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda," published by Doubleday. Mr. Trofimov is the Middle East, Africa, Asia correspondent with the Wall Street Journal.

The author talks about the 1979 siege on the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the consequences of the Saudi government’s efforts to end it. Mr. Trofimov argues that this event eventually led to the creation of Al Qaeda and other jihadists groups. After his presentation, Mr. Trofimov was joined in discussion by Faisal Devji (Assistant Professor of History at New School University) and then responds to questions from members of the audience.

Yaroslav Trofimov is also the author of "Faith at War: A Journey on the Frontlines of Islam, from Baghdad to Timbuktu." Faisal Devji is the author of "Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity," published by Cornell University Press.

The World Policy Institute co-sponsored this event with the New School’s Committee on Historical Studies and South Asia Forum. It was held at the Eugene Lang College of The New School for Liberal Arts. It was broadcast on C-Span on October 1, 2007.

Watch more Muslim-Americans & Islam on C-Span in 2007:

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