Nicole Brackman

Dilip Hiro’s Dictionary of the Middle East Defines Bias

Buyer Beware! A "reference work" authored by Dilip Hiro, entitled Dictionary of the Middle East and currently sold in book stores across the United States is in reality an unabashed, anti-Israel polemic. Published by St. Martin's Press, the book is advertised as a "must-have reference for anyone interested in the Middle East" and as an "authoritative reference book." It is designed for use by students and academic scholars, as well as the general public. The book is plagued by errors, and its numerous omissions and sharp bias seriously compromise its suitability as a reference work. Whether writing about the modern era or the ancient, the author's indifference to factual precision is regrettably constant.