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The Messenger

By: Shiv Malik
Narrated by: Shiv Malik
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  • Summary

  • When investigative journalist Shiv Malik was betrayed by a source he considered a friend, he spent almost fifteen years tracking down the truth about what happened. The Messenger is an extraordinary audio tale of friendship, lies, betrayal, terrorism, the destruction of a marriage, and the insidiousness of fake news long before it went viral. In the wake of the 7/7 London bombings, Shiv Malik began working for the BBC to discover how young South Asian men like him had turned into suicide bombers. That's when he met notorious Islamist spokesman Hassan Butt, who told Shiv that he'd repented and left al-Qaeda. Hassan wanted Shiv to write his biography, and Shiv thought he'd found the biggest story of his life—a story that would help to change the world for the better. Little did he know that Hassan Butt would almost destroy his life. Over the next three years, Shiv and Hassan became friends, until one day there was a knock on the door from police investigators and everything fell apart. In eight revealing episodes, featuring Shiv's own audio recordings of his conversations with Hassan, Shiv searches for where he can place his trust: in the reams of evidence, in the cops, in a terrorist who swears he's changed, or in a friend who has no one else to turn to? Produced by Topic Studios.
    ©2020 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2020 Audible Originals, LLC
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What of your source betrays you?

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Episodes
  • Episode 1: The Charming Jihadist
    Nov 5 2020
    In the aftermath of 9/11 and the 7/7 London bombings, journalists were desperate to explain why young British Asian men were apparently turning against the country of their birth. Ambitious young reporter Shiv Malik prided himself on being able to persuade them to open up to him. Then he met Hassan Butt, one of the most notorious spokesman for Islamic terrorism in the UK. Hassan told Shiv he now denounced violence and asked Shiv to help him write a book to help others leave the terrorist network.
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    28 mins
  • Episode 2: How to Make A Terrorist
    Nov 5 2020
    Shiv spends hundreds of hours recording conversations with Hassan in his small house near Manchester in the north of England to try and find out what it was that made Hassan the voice of violent Islamist idealogy. Hassan shares personal secrets and Shiv discovers they have more in common than he thought.
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    26 mins
  • Episode 3: How to Be A Terrorist
    Nov 5 2020
    Hassan tells Shiv about how he moved to Pakistan and got deeper into the terrorist network. After 9/11, Hassan starts to meet some of America’s most wanted men and glories at being at the center of global attention. Then he gets involved in a bomb plot in Pakistan and tells Shiv that that’s when everything changed.
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    21 mins

What listeners say about The Messenger

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Wow.. Excellent

What applicability to all people in today's social media and mainstream media world. I'm amazed that Shiv revealed the level of self honesty he did. That's what I liked so much about this podcast. Well worth listening to.

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Just read it 😁

I’m so glad I read The Messenger. This is totally not my kind of book. And, yet it was.!!was it ever. Read it.....I think you’ll love it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow! Not what I was expecting at all!

A reporter is conned by his subject, or was he? The reporter wants to know why he fell for the con, but was he conned? At the end, the questions remain, the reporters family life and career are in shambles because the subject of his reportage conned him. But was he conned? You decide.

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8 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

A nailbiter of a story

I listened through these in one go. Brilliant narration and a story that rivals the Greek tragedies. Highly recommended.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A gripping story

It’s sad so many lives have been ruined by the biggest lie of all “Religion”

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Intriguing non-fiction (or is it)

This was a great story describing the human experience. The concept of using actual recordings to enhance the story is great, IF the recording is discernible & of even modest audio quality.

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3 people found this helpful

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The best podcast in 2021 until now

I binged this podcast in one set , it’s shocking, the host is a hero, and he sustained a great trauma after facing real evil, I also bought the book

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2 people found this helpful

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great example of modern journalism

he demonstrates his desire for the story overrides the search for truth. which has become far to common journalism today

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story!

Exciting, unpredictable story with a great twist. An emotional ride imagining what Shiv experienced. Will definitely listen to more by Shiv Malik.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I just wanted to hear more.

Wow, definitely not what I was expecting. This story was well worth signing up for a free trial of Audible. Episode after episode, I just wanted to hear more. I wanted to know what happened. “Was the reporter scammed? Was he conned?” Questions your left with, after listening. Awesome work.

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