The Islamic extremist presence in Britain has been well documented by writers like the right-leaning Melanie Phillips and blogs like the left-leaning Harry's Place;, but The Islamist offers a rare, valuable view from the inside.
Husain tells us organizations like Hizb-ut-Tahrir have been much more successful recruiting amongst second- and third-generation British Muslims, instead of their parents and grandparents; that Islamists have taken advantage of bureaucrats and public institutions too cowed by political correctness to stand up to them; and, that American and British "ally" Saudi Arabia continues to be the world's greatest promoter of radical, uncompromising, Wahabbist Islam. (Not radical and uncompromising enough for Husain in his younger years, alas.)
Most importantly, The Islamist shows how even a true believer in Islamic extremism found his way out. As he continued to learn more about his faith, Husain discovered that Islam was a much more complex and moderate faith than his radical colleagues and teachers had told him. Eventually, he discovered the relatively peaceful Muslim mysticism known as Sufism, and turned his back on extremism and xenophobia.
Over the past few months, amongst the conservative blogs I read, there has been a heated debate over whether the Islamic faith is inherently violent and supremacist. Husain and The Islamist are exhibits for the defence. If he could make the journey out of fundamentalism, there is no reason others cannot.
Article comments
1 - Rich Rostrom
Yes, it's possible for a devout Moslem to be not a violent Islamist. That's not sufficient. Even today, the vast majority of Moslems are not violent Islamists. The problem seems to be that Islam consistently generates violent fanatics in non-trivial numbers. It's arguable that the text of the Koran offers so many justifications for violence as to make this inevitable.
There are over 1 billion Moslems; 1% of those going Islamist is 10 million terrorists. If there is a 1% chance that a food product is contaminated, it is discarded. If there is a 1% chance that an airplane might crash, it is grounded. Can the world tolerate a religion if even 1% of its adherents become "mad dogs"?
But wouldn't be unfair to the peaceful 99% to suppress it, in gross violation of freedom of religion?
2 - ?????
Every Living Person Has Problems
3 - ?????
Every man is the architect of his own fortune.
4 - kvov
All that ends well is well.