Synopses & Reviews
Baker provides a unique insider perspective on factors affecting British Muslim converts and their susceptibility to violent radicalisation, including firsthand accounts of convicted terrorists Richard Reid (the "Shoe Bomber"), Zacarius Moussaoui (the 20th 9/11 bomber), and Abdullah el-Faisal who is alleged to have been a radicalising influence.
Review
"
Extremists in Our Midst: Confronting Terror comprises a rare, indeed unique, contribution to the field of terrorism studies. This book presents actual empirical research data about the experiences of a community not only facing the challenges of finding extremists in their midst, but also a community experiencing the securitisation of their religious identities and practices in the post 9/11 'war on terror' era. Abdul Haqq Baker provides an insightful account into the issue of violent extremism within the UK context, focussing upon a Muslim convert community in London. The book comprises of a case study analysis of three extremists who were convicted of terrorist related offences and consequently imprisoned, alongside the case study of a convert who was drawn towards violent extremism but moved away from this position. The book therefore helps to shed important light upon a much researched, but little understood, phenomenon: understanding the gravitational pulls towards violent extremist narratives and disengagement from these.
Extremists in Our Midst: Confronting Terror also examines the ways in which community groups can play an important role in countering terrorism, and explores wider issues of identity in relation to religion and nationality. The book draws attention to the ways in which particular communities have been demonised by security policies and practices that rarely take into consideration the richness, complexity and nuance of communities. As such, the book offers a powerful counter-narrative against the crass securitisation of Salafi and other identities, and so I fully recommend this book to anyone interested in better understanding the complex intersectionalities of Islamic conversion, identity, politicisation, traumatisation, marginalisation, violent extremism and counter-terrorism." --Basia Spalek, Reader in Communities and Justice and Director of Research & Knowledge Transfer, Institute of Applied Social Studies, University of Birmingham, UK
About the Author
ABDUL H. BAKER is Lecturer in Terrorism Studies at the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews, UK and a research fellow at the European Muslim Research Centre (EMRC), University of Exeter, UK. He is also the founder and Managing Director of Strategy To Reach Empower and Educate Teenagers (STREET) UK Ltd. His position and experiences as the former chairman of Brixton Mosque, London between 1994 and 2009 have led to him being widely acknowledged as an authority on processes relating to violent extremism and counter-radicalisation in the UK.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Brixton Mosque's Early Encounters with Extremism
British Muslims and Identity
British Muslims and Religious Conversion
Methodology
Case Studies:
Zacarius Moussaoui Richard Reid
Trevor William Forrest (el-Faisal)
Sean O'Reilly
Case Study Conclusions
Research Analysis of Interviews
Countering Terrorism in the UK: A Convert Community Perspective
Glossary
Bibliography