In the book Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, author Mahmood Mamdani explains a very important and surprising story: how the U.S. government, especially the CIA, helped create the very type of jihadist groups they later called terrorists. This part of history is often hidden, but it’s very important if we want to understand what is happening in the world today, especially in Muslim countries.

Let’s take a closer look at what the book says — in simple and clear language.

🧊 It Started During the Cold War

In the 1980s, the United States and the Soviet Union (now called Russia) were enemies. They were not fighting directly, but they were always trying to beat each other in different parts of the world. This was called the Cold War.

When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the U.S. saw a chance to fight the Soviets indirectly. Instead of sending American soldiers, the CIA gave money, weapons, and training to Afghan fighters called the mujahideen. These fighters were mostly Muslims, and the U.S. encouraged them to use Islamic ideas — especially the idea of jihad, or fighting for Islam.

💵 Billions Spent on “Holy War”

According to Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, the CIA worked closely with Pakistan’s intelligence agency (ISI) to support these fighters. Billions of dollars were spent.

The goal? To turn jihad into a weapon against the Soviets.

• Islamic schools were opened to teach a radical version of Islam.
• Children’s textbooks had pictures of guns and bombs.
• Fighters were trained to believe they were part of a holy war — a war blessed by religion.

The U.S. media and politicians at the time called these fighters “freedom fighters.” They were the “good Muslims” because they were fighting America’s enemy.

🎭 But Later, Everything Changed

Once the Soviets were defeated and left Afghanistan, the U.S. also stopped helping. Afghanistan was left in chaos. The same fighters who were trained and armed by the U.S. now had nothing to do — and no country to rebuild.

From this mess, new groups were born. These included the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. One of the most famous mujahideen fighters was Osama bin Laden — yes, the same man behind the 9/11 attacks.

Now, suddenly, the U.S. began calling these same people terrorists.

In other words, yesterday’s “good Muslims” became today’s “bad Muslims.”

🤔 What Does Mamdani Say?

Mahmood Mamdani argues that the U.S. created a dangerous system. Instead of solving problems through politics, they used religion and violence as tools. They created a story where Muslims are either “good” (if they support the West) or “bad” (if they resist or disagree).

But this is not fair. It hides the truth — that violence is not a result of religion alone, but also of politics, foreign interference, and past mistakes.

🧠 What Can We Learn?

1. The U.S. helped create the jihadist problem through funding and training during the Cold War.
2. Religion was used as a tool, not the cause of violence.
3. The same people were called heroes or terrorists, depending on what the U.S. needed at the time.
4. We need to stop labeling Muslims as good or bad based on Western interests.

🌍 Final Thoughts

Good Muslim, Bad Muslim teaches us that we must look deeper into history. Blaming Islam or Muslims for everything bad is not only unfair — it is dangerous. Real peace can only come when we understand the past and stop using religion as a weapon.

If you want to know why the world is like it is today — especially in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, or Palestine — you must learn the full story. And that includes the part where the CIA helped fund jihad in the name of freedom.

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