Epigraph: We prescribed for the children of Israel that whosoever killed a person — unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land — it shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whoso gave life to one, it shall be as if he had given life to all mankind. And Our Messengers came to them with clear Signs, yet even after that, many of them commit excesses in the land. (Al Quran 5:33)

Jürgen Todenhöfer nonfiction book “Thou shalt not kill” is a passionate plea against the realpolitik in the Arab world. The book is so far only available in German: Du Sollst Nicht Toeten.

Against ‘The ‘good’ War’

(Please bear with us, Google translation from the German article being used)

Rarely has a new release added so perfectly into the world news situation as a “Thou shalt not kill” by Jürgen Todenhöfer . Behind the title is a book against war in general. The 72- year-old former leading CDU politicians and media manager writes about war in general and in Arab countries in particular. Countries, such as Egypt and Libya are in no man’s land between a hotspot and a democratic awakening, others like Iran are among the international grubby children or as now in Syria, a country where a brutal civil war rages .

“Thou shalt not kill” is to a small part preaching and political commentary . To a much larger part, it is a mixture of stories, memories of the young Todenhöfer at the end of the war and a Algeria Travel , interspersed with the clear message that the West, demonize the Islamic states in order to secure their own (energy) interests. The story is told grippingly and sometimes excitingly. Outer frame is the description of the journey to the Libyan Brega , where Todenhöfer and his colleague Julia Leeb almostperished . In the newspaper interview, he said curtly : “We have been shot at. We wanted to photograph six burnt-out cars. My host has died in the flames of his car. We were bombed over two and a half hours . “Today, the detailed description of these events is the plot of the book.

However, we know where you are with Todenhöfer . He lives his morale and consistently has invested most of his wealth to foundations that are to alleviate suffering – whether in Germany or the world. Who visited him in his office in a working-class neighborhood of Munich , in a sober environment experienced a citizen of the world seems to have largely solved by material wealth .

Jürgen Todenhöfer , Thou shalt not kill , My dream of peace . 448 pages, Bertelsmann Verlag 19.99 EUR .

Juergen Todenheofer: Du Sollst Nicht Toeten, Mein Traum vom Frieden. 448 Seiten, Bertelsmann Verlag, 19.99 EUR.

READ THE FULL BOOK REVIEW IN GERMAN HERE: