Audio-book Review
By Chet Yarbrough
(Blog:awalkingdelight)
Website: chetyarbrough.blog
Agent Storm
By: Morten Storm, Paul Cruickshank, Tim Lister
Narrated by Neil Shah
On the one hand, “Agent Storm” outlines terrorism; its origin, its practitioners, and where it comes from. On the other, “Agent Storm” sounds like a comic book. With co-authorship of two CNN newsmen, Morten Storm’s story offers insight, but its credibility is challenging.
Morten Storm (aka Murad Storm and Murad Storm Al-Denmarki, former Danish convert to Islam) 
Paul Cruickshank (CNN Terrorism Analyst). 
Tim Lister (CNN vice president and Middle East Correspondent).
Morten Storm is “Agent Storm”. He is a Danish citizen who becomes a religious convert as a young man but abandons his Muslim faith in his late twenties. Storm is born into a family broken by a father’s abuse. He turns to religion for refuge.
Morten Storm looks for a substitute home. He finds it in a thobe (long dress worn by Muslim men).
Morten Storm’s story is like many told about lost children–looking for belonging and acceptance in the world. Abused children look for solace by finding substitutes for uncaring parents.
For lost children, finding religion is one end of a spectrum: the other is gang life. “Agent Storm” is a story combining both ends in religious zeal and gangsterism.
The authors of “Agent Storm” show how a young person can become a Jihadist. One wonders–is Storm’s journey different than what one may find in the Catholic crusades of the eleventh and thirteenth centuries?
Religion has been a rallying flag many times for children who are lost and wish to be found. Religion attracts the highly educated, as well as the unschooled, based on wanting to be part of something greater than oneself.
Storm attaches himself to the sport of boxing but either because of lack of discipline or skill, Storm becomes attracted to religion.
The Muslim faith is under attack in the 20th century and today. The Muslim religion offers a refuge and acceptance to Storm. His acceptance connects him to radical practitioners of the faith that terrorize the world. Storm’s early world view is the view held by Osama bin Laden and other distorters of the Muslim faith.
The killing of innocents appears to be a turning point for Storm who becomes a spy for the English and then American governments. Storm becomes an agent for identification of terrorists that hide behind interpretations of Koranic teaching.
Storm becomes disillusioned by the Quran’s contradictory interpretations.
To some, Storm’s sudden conversion may seem disingenuous. However, he does help Denmark, England, and America in its fight against terrorism. What is somewhat galling about Storm’s story is its formulaic meme of changing sides. Storm’s story might be told of any converted religious zealot who finally rejects false interpretation of religious text. Whether Christian, Muslim, Jew, or Protestant, killing or harming innocents is wrong.
Any religion that is interpreted to harm those who do not accept another’s version of the faith may be attacked. The attack may be classified as terrorism. It may be classified as fanaticism. It comes by many names, but it is death of innocence in every case.
Though Morten Storm may have become a better person, he sounds more like a lost boy-man. How many Jihadists, Catholic crusaders, or Protestant reformers will come to the realization that their way is not the only way?
