Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism
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Radical: My Journey Out Of Islamist Extremism Hardcover – October 15, 2013
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Riveting" - Christian Science Monitor
“Maajid Nawaz’s Radical is fascinating, and essential if you want to understand in a visceral way why some young Muslims embrace extremist ideology. Nawaz went from being a hip-hop loving youngster to a radical Islamist before finally renouncing extremism. He now works to prevent others from choosing such a dangerous path and his is a voice I urge you to hear.” - Anderson Cooper
"A British Muslim reveals a harrowing tale of violence, imprisonment and torture...A lively and convincing antidote to hatred." - Kirkus Reviews
“Maajid Nawaz’s Radical is fascinating, and essential if you want to understand in a visceral way why some young Muslims embrace extremist ideology. Nawaz went from being a hip-hop loving youngster to a radical Islamist before finally renouncing extremism. He now works to prevent others from choosing such a dangerous path and his is a voice I urge you to hear.” - Anderson Cooper
"A British Muslim reveals a harrowing tale of violence, imprisonment and torture...A lively and convincing antidote to hatred." - Kirkus Reviews
“This is a book for our times. It should be read by anyone who wants to understand how the extremism that stalks our world is created and how it can be overcome. It could only be written by someone who has lived this story. And Maajid has.” - Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair
"Maajid Nawaz has an extraordinary personal story about his journey out of Islamist extremism which reads like a novel. It's a coming of age story for our post-9/11 world that is pacy, well written and thoughtful." - Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad
"[Maajid] brings the insight of an insider to Radical – an absorbing story of the making and unmaking of a young, radicalized Muslim. The book is candid, dynamic, important…and brave." - Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes
"One of the essential books to understanding the path to radicalism...[it] will fill one with hope that others can find their way back as Maajid Nawaz relates so movingly." - Tina Brown, editor-in-chief of Newsweek and The Daily Beast
“Everyone should read it” - Nicola Jeal, Saturday editor, The Times of London
"This book is more powerful than America's drone attacks because it helps kill the ideas that inspire terrorists. Ultimately, it is by defeating the extremists' worldview that we will make our world safer. Maajid's compelling story from hatred to hope shows us how this can be done' --Ed Husain, author of The Islamist
"This book is the account of a redemptive journey through innocence, bigotry, hardline radicalism and beyond to a passionate advocacy of human rights and all that this can mean ... I was moved beyond measure.' --Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK
"Imagine Homeland crossed with Skins, and you will get some idea of what a gripping, revelatory book this is. Unputdownable." - Tom Holland, author of In the Shadow of the Sword
“One of the most compelling descriptions of radical and political immersion of recent times” - Mail on Sunday (UK)
"Maajid Nawaz has an extraordinary personal story about his journey out of Islamist extremism which reads like a novel. It's a coming of age story for our post-9/11 world that is pacy, well written and thoughtful." - Peter Bergen, author of Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad
"[Maajid] brings the insight of an insider to Radical – an absorbing story of the making and unmaking of a young, radicalized Muslim. The book is candid, dynamic, important…and brave." - Lesley Stahl, 60 Minutes
"One of the essential books to understanding the path to radicalism...[it] will fill one with hope that others can find their way back as Maajid Nawaz relates so movingly." - Tina Brown, editor-in-chief of Newsweek and The Daily Beast
“Everyone should read it” - Nicola Jeal, Saturday editor, The Times of London
"This book is more powerful than America's drone attacks because it helps kill the ideas that inspire terrorists. Ultimately, it is by defeating the extremists' worldview that we will make our world safer. Maajid's compelling story from hatred to hope shows us how this can be done' --Ed Husain, author of The Islamist
"This book is the account of a redemptive journey through innocence, bigotry, hardline radicalism and beyond to a passionate advocacy of human rights and all that this can mean ... I was moved beyond measure.' --Kate Allen, Director, Amnesty International UK
"Imagine Homeland crossed with Skins, and you will get some idea of what a gripping, revelatory book this is. Unputdownable." - Tom Holland, author of In the Shadow of the Sword
“One of the most compelling descriptions of radical and political immersion of recent times” - Mail on Sunday (UK)
About the Author
Maajid Nawaz is the co-founder of Quilliam. He holds a BA in Arabic and Law and an MSc in Political Theory. Maajid has addressed the U.S. Senate, been interviewed by 60 Minutes and the New York Times, and has written for The London Times, The Wall Street Journal, and others.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By
Maryam Mohammad
on June 16, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
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This book is incredible. Nawaz's story provides valuable, eye-opening insight into this worldwide movement and how we can counteract it in a way that is still respectful of people and their religion, which you learn is the only way you will have any real success. Nawaz is smart and nails every point; I highly recommend watching his interviews and talks as well as reading this book. His story should be told on the big screen. Until then I'm telling everyone I know.
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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By
Mrs. Dalal Ender
on July 11, 2012
Format: Kindle Edition
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Despite many high profile professionals, scholars and academics writing about radicalism and extremism from an intellectual perspective which is very useful to explain and unlock this phenomena, Maajid here provides an indispensable history to a certain extent that examines the origins of the extremist's ideology and it's development. Nawaz's book is a mémoire not an academic, but when you read it you will understand how difficult it is to address extremist radical groups and their history without giving an account about the history of the individuals involved themselves in the process of building and developing these groups. I think that is what "Radical", Maajid's book did. I highly recommend it for someone who's not interested in complex sophisticated arguments about extremism but rather wanting a clear fact based account.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By
Scott Haraburda
on November 8, 2013
Format: Paperback
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Describing contemporary socio-political developments involving religious freedoms, Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism provides an excellent first-hand view. It’s an autobiography of a British Pakastani, Maajid Nawaz, who used to be a former member and leader within Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamist revolutionary group.
This book begins with his teenage years listening to American hip-hop while learning about the radical Islamist movement. Through racial harassment in the UK, this young teenager on the receiving end of this pain struggled to survive. Along the way, he found others suffering the same humiliation. Unfortunately, it was from an extremist religious group, intent upon hurting those who harassed them.
A well-written personal narrative, this book was the author’s search of an identity. Throughout his life, he made unwise decisions, leading to a fate determined by the ones he took. While imprisoned in Egypt for a few years, Mr. Nawaz began to question his allegiance to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Shortly upon his release, he resigned from this organization. Today, he’s the Executive Director of Quilliam, a counter-extremism think tank, and is co-founder of Khudi, a counter-extremism social movement working in Pakistan. He’s also the current Liberal Democratic candidate for the north London seat in Parliament.
In the author’s words (although not in this book), the main theme involves democracy. It’s “not just about holding elections. Hitler was elected after all. Rather, without a human rights culture, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, of association and belief, there can be no free and fair elections.” Neither an Islamist revolutionary group or an anti-Muslim group supports democracy, which is important to the future of any country.
A very good book to read. Radical provides optimism that alternatives to Islamism (and other hateful religious groups) may flourish.
This book begins with his teenage years listening to American hip-hop while learning about the radical Islamist movement. Through racial harassment in the UK, this young teenager on the receiving end of this pain struggled to survive. Along the way, he found others suffering the same humiliation. Unfortunately, it was from an extremist religious group, intent upon hurting those who harassed them.
A well-written personal narrative, this book was the author’s search of an identity. Throughout his life, he made unwise decisions, leading to a fate determined by the ones he took. While imprisoned in Egypt for a few years, Mr. Nawaz began to question his allegiance to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Shortly upon his release, he resigned from this organization. Today, he’s the Executive Director of Quilliam, a counter-extremism think tank, and is co-founder of Khudi, a counter-extremism social movement working in Pakistan. He’s also the current Liberal Democratic candidate for the north London seat in Parliament.
In the author’s words (although not in this book), the main theme involves democracy. It’s “not just about holding elections. Hitler was elected after all. Rather, without a human rights culture, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, of association and belief, there can be no free and fair elections.” Neither an Islamist revolutionary group or an anti-Muslim group supports democracy, which is important to the future of any country.
A very good book to read. Radical provides optimism that alternatives to Islamism (and other hateful religious groups) may flourish.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By
Katherine J. Brett
on November 13, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
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Extremely informative and educational. Understanding the difference between Islamism and Islam is crucial when dealing with terrorists vs the ordinary Muslim. I also found the book to be an "eye opener" in how racism was the catalyst for his conversion to an extremist.
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21 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By
R. Martenis
on October 15, 2013
Format: Hardcover
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Radical tells the life history of Maajid who grew up in Southern England as a minority, taunted and threatened because he was Pakistani. His anger turns him into a radical and he travels to Middle East to recruit and set up radical cells for terrorist group Hizb al-Tahrir (HT). He is arrested in Egypt and spends 4 years in a despicable Egyptian jail. While in jail he does a lot of thinking and figuring out that Islamism and Islam are two completely different things. He maintains that Islam is the religion, Islamism is a political ideal. I have heard other opinions that Islam is not just a religion (according to Koran), but is a complete lifestyle including politics. He sets up an organization called Quilliam to challenge both anti-Islam and Islamist extremists worldwide.
His early teenage years are interesting to show what kind of mischief unsupervised teens with money, free time, graphic music in a metropolitan area, especially with rampant racism, can get into. His conversion to radical came because he saw Islamism as a way to obtain power over his enemies and to remove Western influence from Arabian countries.
The author's genius is very evident in that he sees clearly that Islamism should not be a political force, that democracy is the best path for everybody. He may have the exact correct answer to fighting the radicals in the Middle East and Islamists everywhere. Time will tell if Quilliam can turn radicals around. However, the main problem with Islam is that the Koran was written in the 7th-8th century, insisted by all to be the word of God and therefore has not changed since. As Ibn Warraq states in his writings "Why I Am Not A Muslim", Islamic Law consists of the Koran and sunna which control every facet of everybody's lives.Read more ›
His early teenage years are interesting to show what kind of mischief unsupervised teens with money, free time, graphic music in a metropolitan area, especially with rampant racism, can get into. His conversion to radical came because he saw Islamism as a way to obtain power over his enemies and to remove Western influence from Arabian countries.
The author's genius is very evident in that he sees clearly that Islamism should not be a political force, that democracy is the best path for everybody. He may have the exact correct answer to fighting the radicals in the Middle East and Islamists everywhere. Time will tell if Quilliam can turn radicals around. However, the main problem with Islam is that the Koran was written in the 7th-8th century, insisted by all to be the word of God and therefore has not changed since. As Ibn Warraq states in his writings "Why I Am Not A Muslim", Islamic Law consists of the Koran and sunna which control every facet of everybody's lives.Read more ›
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