Book Description
How does a regular young man from Cairo grow up hating Jews? How does he free his mind from that hatred and ultimately free himself, even at the risk of losing his life? What do pivotal world events like 9/11, the rise of the Information Age, and the Arab Spring look like through his eyes?Minority Of One takes the reader along on the transformative journey of Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, an outspoken Egyptian political dissident who was raised in a conservative Egyptian Muslim family, obsessed with antisemitic hatred of Jews. In his teenage years, after questioning these attitudes, he decided to learn Hebrew which enabled him to see Jews, Israel, and Arab-Jewish relations in a very different light. His new opinions resulted in clashes with Egyptian security agencies as well as with his family. Jailed and tortured for his activities, Hussein participated in the Egyptian Tahrir Square revolution in 2011 and sought asylum in the United States in 2012.About the author, Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, born in 1989 in Cairo, Egypt received a conservative Muslim education and grew up religiously devout originally wanting to become a jihadist. While witnessing the creeping radicalization of society he developed his own personal beliefs, pursuing with strength and determination the right to live freely. He participated in the Arab Spring protests in 2011 and soon afterward sought political asylum in the United States which was granted in 2014. Hussein has since served as an Assistant Professor of Hebrew Language at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, became a U.S citizen in 2017, served in the U.S Army Reserve, and is currently a public speaker, a blogger and an advocate for peace and education."As an avid reader, I have rarely, if ever, read such a compelling and beautifully written book. Minority of One is an autobiography that takes you into the mind of a brilliant young man, whose journey from a would-be jihadist to a potential professor who sees the beauty and value in all of mankind. Through a very circuitous route, Hussein Aboubakr grew to challenge the all-pervasive propaganda in his native Egypt, driving her citizens to hate the United States, the state of Israel and the Jewish people. His deeply inquisitive intellect led him to interrogations, imprisonments and torture, until finally being granted political asylum and arriving on these shores. This book is an absolutely gripping page-turner. It is the first from this young, deeply gifted writer with a radiant mind. I hope it will not be the last."Sarah N. SternFounder and PresidentEndowment for Middle East Truth