Book Review: “Woke Army” by Asra Nomani

Book Review: “Woke Army” by Asra Nomani

For those of you who ever wondered why gender-bending, AntiFa activists are partnering with pro-Palestinian, Iran-supporting Islamic extremists at all the latest protests funded by billionaire George Soros, intrepid journalist and author Asra Nomani has the answer for you in her exceptional book: Woke Army: The Red-Green Alliance That Is Destroying America’s Freedom.

The book opens with a strong, personal statement from Nomani, a Muslim American woman born in India, about her opposition to both religious fundamentalism within Islam and to what she terms the “Woke Army” in the West. She describes this “Woke Army” as a coalition of Muslim radicals and leftist activists, which she claims exploits Western freedoms to promote illiberal, anti-democratic agendas. Additionally, the book is a catalog of this “army’s” anti-Western, antisemitic, and anti-American activities.

One key concept that Nomani returns to often is the “Honor Brigade,” which is the group of politicians, academics, and officials linked to influential organizations often labeled as “mainstream” by the media, despite the fact that most hold views counter to what many other American Muslims hold. This group includes organizations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations (often touted as an “expert” on all things Islam) and others with similar missions to force American society to accept (and eventually be dominated by) the most stringent forms of Islam. The term “Honor Brigade” is used to describe this loose coalition because its members are seen as consistently defending the reputation of Islam and reacting strongly to any criticism of it.

An interesting aspect of “Woke Army” is Nomani’s detailing of the inception of “Critical Race Theory” (CRT) and how it slowly morphed from its beginnings in the 1980s into the abusive tool it is today. She notes that the Woke Army’s anti-Israel, anti-West network picked up on the opportunities CRT offered to undermine American society, especially as it began partnering with the Black Lives Matter movement in drawing a connection between perceived Israeli oppression of Palestinians and the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

She also describes how the “Honor Brigade” became more empowered through through a combination of media support and politicization, achieving an astonishing level of success during Obama’s term, before the surprise election of President Donald Trump upset its gravy train. Here is a particularly fascinating passage in Nomani’s book, highlighting how the Red-Green connection found its funding:

The allegation of “Islamophobia” had become widespread during the Obama presidential campaign, leading up to the 2008 election. Critics, including Donald Trump, promoted the idea that Obama was born outside the United States or in Kenya, his father’s home country. Obama also was criticized for his twenty-year-long relationship with a controversial Chicago preacher, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who was very sympathetic to Palestinians. The effort to curb national security rules took off in early 2008 when Muslim groups built a coalition, in anticipation of an Obama victory, and they set their sights on various targets from the New York Police Department to the US Armed Forces.

In January 2008, as billionaire George Soros pumped money into Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, he launched a new initiative, the National Security and Human Rights Campaign, teaming up with Atlantic Philanthropies to fund nonprofits to “dismantle” Bush-era counterterrorism policies. They pooled their money in a joint account called the Proteus Fund and funneled at least $10 million to the effort. Soon after, Soros agreed to fund a new Security and Rights Collaborative to “restore civil liberties and human rights lost in the name of the ‘war on terror.’”

There are several poignant elements in Nomani’s discussion of the personal impact as well. She deftly recounts her journey as a Muslim woman and reformer who has become a target of harassment, threats, and widespread efforts to discredit her work—both within the Muslim community and in her professional life. She vividly describes how blogs (such as LoonWatch), and coordinated disinformation campaigns that use anonymous writers and “sock puppets” to intimidate activists, attack critics and shape online narratives in favor of the “Woke Army.”

A particularly moving passage describes her time in Karachi, Pakistan, as a reporter for Salon magazine, covering the war in Afghanistan. She spent four weeks assisting the FBI in its attempts to locate her friend, Daniel Pearl, who was tragically beheaded by Islamic terrorists. Nomani went back to the safety of the United States shortly thereafter, and endeavored to practice “gender jihad” by walking through the front door of her mosque (where she was seeking religious consolation from the tragedy). She was told to use the back. When she reached out to CAIR, Nomani was basically told to go find another mosque.

Thus, a passionate and brave reformer came into being.

“Woke Army” is a rare book: it is fearless, informative, and engaging. This book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of democratic and religious freedoms. It provides a comprehensive overview of the network of Islamist and left-wing actors who have allied to destructively reshape American discourse and policy through media influence, online propaganda, and the strategic weaponization of victimhood.

I would like to point out that “Woke Army” was originally published in 2023. I hope Nomani writes a follow-up after Trump concludes his second term in office. With USAID funding for progressive activism being cut by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and border enforcement being substantially enhanced, it will be interesting to see her assessment of how woke the “Woke Army” remains after four years of Trump 2.o!

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