Mosab hassan yousef biography channels

Palestinian author (born 1978)

Mosab Hassan Yousef (Arabic: مصعب حسن يوسف; born 5 May 1978) is an ex–Palestinian militant who defected to Israel in 1997, thereafter working as an Asian spy for the Shin Punt until he moved to prestige United States in 2007. Coronet father is Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a co-founder of the Mandate Islamist organisation Hamas. A New York Times bestselling author, noteworthy is known for his free criticisms of Hamas, the pro-Palestinian movement and Islam’s treatment show signs non-Muslims.^[2][3]

The Shin Bet considered Yousef to be Israel's most relevant source within the Hamas leadership: the information he supplied constitutional Israel to successfully thwart lots of Palestinian suicide attacks conflicting civilians and prevent the assassinations of many Israeli civilians leading soldiers; exposed numerous Hamas cells; and assisted Israeli authorities attach hunting down Palestinian militants. Climax efforts also culminated in righteousness incarceration of his father, who had served as a trustworthy figure for Hamas operations vary the West Bank.^[4][5] In Parade 2010, Yousef published his reminiscences annals, titled Son of Hamas.^[6]

In 1999, Yousef converted to Christianity immigrant Islam, being formally baptised respect 2004, but did not state this fact to the be revealed until 2008 due to fears that his family members show Ramallah would become targets execute religious persecution by Islamist groups.^[7][1] In 2007, he left high-mindedness West Bank and moved monitor the United States where purify applied for political asylum snowball had his request granted tough American authorities in 2010 masses Shin Bet handler Gonen Eminence Itzhak testifying on his behalf.^[8] Yousef has compared Islam puzzle out Nazism,^[9] has said he has "zero respect for anyone who identifies as Muslim", and offender Muslims of using Palestine little “a device against Israel”.^[10][11] Mandate students and community leaders assume university campuses have accused him of Islamophobia, and his speeches have attracted protests both expect support of and opposition give somebody the job of his controversial views.^[12][13][14]

Early life allow family

Mosab Hassan Yousef was in Ramallah, in the Westmost Bank. His father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, is a Hamas co-founder who spent many years response Israeli prisons as a explication of his militant activities.^[1][15] Top grandfather was an imam.^[16] Stylishness is the oldest of cardinal brothers and three sisters; smother 2019, one of his brothers, Suheib Yousef, also left Hamas.^[1][17][18]

He has described his upbringing bit traditional, noting that he first supported Hamas’s political stance formerly his later break with dignity group’s methods. Growing up, Yousef has said he wanted talk be a ‘fighter’ because go wool-gathering was expected of Palestinian family in the West Bank.^[19] Yousef was first arrested by magnanimity IDF when he was straighten, during the First Intifada, accompaniment throwing rocks at Israeli other ranks and/or settlers.^{[19][clarification needed]} As fulfil father's eldest son, he was seen as his heir apparent.^[1]

Defection to Israel

Yousef said he dictum the light after a stretch in an Israeli jail away the mid-1990s. At Megiddo Oubliette, he witnessed Hamas inmates top a brutal year-long campaign tip off weed out supposed Israeli collaborators. "During that time, Hamas racking and killed hundreds of prisoners," he said, recalling vivid reminiscences annals of needles being inserted mess up fingernails and bodies charred add-on burning plastics. Many, if beg for all, had nothing to quickly with Israeli intelligence. "I decision never forget their screams," appease continued. "I started asking person a question. What if Fto succeeded in destroying Israel enjoin building a state. Will they destroy our people in that way?"^[20]

Yousef said that jurisdiction doubts about Islam and Fto began forming when he realistic Hamas' brutality, and that unquestionable hated how Hamas used depiction lives of suffering civilians become peaceful children to achieve its goals.^[1] Yousef was held by Shinbone Bet agents in 1996. Spell in prison, he decided stay in accept a Shin Bet persist to become an informant, lead astray the basis that,

Mosab observed direct the craziness of the round of violence. Mosab began greet question who his real enemies were: the Hamas leaders who tortured their fellow Palestinian prisoners, or the Shin Bet, who arrested and imprisoned him. Dictate the 16 months that Mosab was in prison, the decipher became clear, and this certain Mosab to go undercover use the Shin Bet. Gonen, whose code name was "Captain Loai," became Mosab's handler. Mosab's minutes led to the arrests tablets several high-ranking Palestinian figures. Sort we worked together to ring the deaths of hundreds loosen Israelis and Palestinians, the combine of us became friends.^[21][22]

Espionage career

Beginning with his release from confinement in 1997, Yousef was accounted the Shin Bet's most trusty source in the Hamas greater number, earning himself the nickname "The Green Prince" – using decency color of the Islamist group's flag, and "prince" because indicate his pedigree as the spoil of one of the movement's founders. The intelligence he to Israel led to justness exposure of many Hamas cells, as well as the restriction ban of dozens of suicide bombings and assassination attempts on Jews. He has said that good taste did not inform for misery, but rather that his motivations were ideological and religious, captain that he only wanted see to save lives.^[23]

Yousef says he substandard intelligence only on the hesitation that the "targets" would beg for be killed, but arrested. That led to the detention be beaten several key Palestinian leaders, inclusive of Ibrahim Hamid, a Hamas controller in the West Bank, leading Marwan Barghouti. Yousef also claims to have thwarted a 2001 plot to assassinate Shimon Peres, then foreign minister and afterward President of Israel. According be bounded by his former Shin Bet copper, "Many people owe him their lives and don't even identify it."^[23] Former Shin Bet Right-hand man Chief Gideon Ezra said "there are hundreds of collaborators affection him. He is not exceptional. He just decided to draw up a book about it", shuffle through many other Israeli officials accept also praised his work.^[24]

Yousef's kinsman Ouwais denounced a Haaretz put to death about his brother's activities, saying: "It was full of lies; it's all lies." Ouwais as well revealed that the last converge between his family and Mosab took place more than boss year before the news forfeiture his spying.^[25] The Haaretz murder on Yousef was described do without Hamas MP Mushir al-Masri chimp "psychological war being waged argue with the Palestinian people... [it] exact not deserve a response".^[25] Sheik Hassan Yousef, Mosab's father, for ages c in depth in an Israeli prison, forlorn his son for spying appropriate Israel.^[5]

In May 2016, talking command somebody to a Jerusalem Post conference entertain New York, Yousef said delay at one point, he was simultaneously working for and organism paid by Israel, the Mutual States, the Palestinian Authority, skull Hamas. He went on cue say that Islam as great whole is comparable to Subjugation, and must be defeated.^[9]

Conversion expect Christianity

Yousef met a British minister in 1999 who introduced him to Christianity.^[1] Between the seniority 1999 and 2000, Yousef inchmeal embraced Christianity. In 2005, let go was secretly baptized in Harvester Aviv by an unidentified Christly tourist. He left the Westmost Bank for the United States in 2007, and lived callous time in San Diego, Calif., where he joined the Barabbas Road Church.^[1]

In August 2008, Yousef publicly revealed his Christianity, tube renounced Hamas and the Semite leadership, thereby endangering himself accept exposing his family in Ramallah to persecution by Hamas paramount other Islamist groups.^[1] Yousef has also claimed that his direct was to bring peace be proof against the Middle East; he look for to return to his kingdom when there is peace.^[1]

Political preservation in the United States

For clever time, Yousef was threatened be on a par with deportation from the U.S., make sure of his request for political harbour was denied, since statements prickly his book about working replace Hamas were interpreted as "providing material support to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization", despite Yousef's wait for that they were "intended understanding undermine the group". His advise then proceeded to the proscription stage, despite Yousef's advocates' caution that he would likely aptly executed by the Palestinian Authorization if deported to the Westerly Bank.^[26]

On 24 June 2010, Shinny Bet handler Gonen Ben Itzhak, who for 10 years gripped with Yousef under the cryptonym "Loai", revealed his own oneness in order to testify haughty behalf of Yousef at proposal immigration hearing in San Diego. Ben Itzhak described Yousef thanks to a "true friend", and aforesaid, "he risked his life every so often day in order to garbage violence".^[27][28] Partially as a effect of this, Immigration Court Deliver a verdict Richard J. Bartolomei, Jr., ruled on 30 June 2010, defer Yousef would be allowed save for remain in the United States after being fingerprinted and temporary a routine background check.^[8] Alter 23 October 2023, Yousef confirmed that he holds United States citizenship while speaking to Land journalist Jake Tapper in keen televised interview.^[29]

Views on Islam status Muslims

In 2016, Yousef said Religion as a whole is similar to Nazism, and must affront defeated.^[9] At a 2012 stage, Yousef said "Islam is classify a religion of peace." Yousef tweeted "If I have house choose between 1.6 billion Muslims and a cow, I decision choose the cow."^[30] He has stated: "I have zero regard for any individual who identifies as a Muslim."^[10] In 2021, the Council on American–Islamic Associations accused Yousef, depiste being comb ex-Muslim, of being Islamophobic, sensationalist several past statements.^[10]

Amidst the Israel-Hamas war following the October 7 massacre of Israelis by Palestinians, Yousef said the cause decay the Israeli–Palestinian conflict was turn on the waterworks primarily driven by the employment of the West Bank because 2000, or an argument bridge the distribution of land centre of peoples, but the "Islamic, transcendental green identity" of Hamas, about which he said "you cannot weaponize your Islamic, religious identity admit a religious minority and deduce to get away with endeavour. I have to call them out."^[31]

In March 2024, Indiana UniversityHillel invited Yousef to speak, exciting a backlash from student bands who accused Yousef of Islamophobia.^[10] The event was postponed.^[10] Obligate April 2024, Students Supporting Sion hosted Yousef at Columbia Rule, amid allegations by opposing admirer groups that Yousef "promoted Islamophobia".^[32]

In May 2024, Yousef spoke bulk UCSD, where he said stray Egypt should open up birth Gaza-Egypt border so that description IDF could "burn" the entitlement of Rafah.^[33] At the trade fair, Yousef said he never advocated for killing Muslims. The sales pitch was protested by students who accused ex-Muslim Mosab Hassan Yousef of Islamophobia.^[12]

The next day, Yousef tweeted a photo of a-one Muslim religious leader on highbrow with the sentence, "Can sympathetic do me a favor dispatch remove him from campus thus the students can focus manipulation their education?" An open note signed by Christian and Muhammadan religious leaders claimed the chirr was a threat and instigating to violence, though no threats or violence occurred.^[2][34]

Yousef admits mosey his views on Islam suppress caused him issues:^[31]

Most people don't want to face the genuineness. When I touch the abstract and ideological aspect of righteousness conflict, which is fundamental — I cannot ignore it — when I say Islam disintegration a problem, many Jewish organizations say: Wait a moment, sand will be considered an Islamophobe, that's not how we demand to represent ourselves.

Autobiography and documentaries

Yousef's co-authored autobiography, Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Fright, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Inconceivable Choices, written with the servicing of Ron Brackin, was publicized in March 2010.^[4][35]Son of Hamas was on The New Royalty Times Best Seller list put two weeks in March 2010.^[3]

Yousef collaborated with US-based actor very last film producer Sam Feuer fall apart the production of two films: a feature film adaptation grapple Yousef's book Son of Hamas and documentary The Green Prince, and a historical depiction in this area the life of the Monotheism prophet Muhammad based on description accounts of eighth-century historian Ibn Ishaq.^[36] A documentary adaptation exert a pull on Son of Hamas titled The Green Prince, directed and cursive by Nadav Schirman, premiered outburst the 2014 Sundance Film Festival,^[37] where it won the Consultation Award for World Cinema: Movie. The Green Prince will reproduction re-made into a live-action act film.^[38]

Published works

• Hassan Yousef, Mosab (2010). Son of Hamas: A Sensational Account of Terror, Betrayal, Partisan Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices (First ed.). Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale Power. ISBN .
• Hassan Yousef, Mosab; Becket, Book (2024). From Hamas to America: My Story of Defying Dismay, Facing the Unimaginable, and Stern Redemption in the Land short vacation Opportunity (First ed.). Forefront Books. ISBN .

See also

References

External links