Ed Husain: Difference between revisions
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In [[The Islamist]], Husain describes how he became an [[Islamic fundamentalist]] at the age of 16. He explains that, ''"Five years later, after much emotional turmoil, I rejected fundamentalist teachings and returned to normal life and my family." Husain says that his book explains "the appeal of extremist thought, how fanatics penetrate Muslim communities and the truth behind their agenda of subverting the West and moderate Islam."'' |
In [[The Islamist]], Husain describes how he became an [[Islamic fundamentalist]] at the age of 16. He explains that, ''"Five years later, after much emotional turmoil, I rejected fundamentalist teachings and returned to normal life and my family." Husain says that his book explains "the appeal of extremist thought, how fanatics penetrate Muslim communities and the truth behind their agenda of subverting the West and moderate Islam."'' |
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A [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1702333.ece review] of |
A [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article1702333.ece review] of The Islamist in the Sunday Times notes that Husain asserts that [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]] supported [[Saddam Hussain]] and recruited the suicide bomber [[Asif Hanif]] in London. However, academics have documented the execution of [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]] members by the Saddam regime. Taji-Farouki notes that "In December 1990 five activists were executed in Suleymaniyya and six in Mosul in response to a note sent to the Iraqi embassy in Amman urging Saddam Hussain to abandon Ba'thism and to declare an Islamic Caliphate" <ref>[[Suha Taji-Farouki]], A Fundamental Quest – Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Search for the Islamic Caliphate, p. 154, Grey Seal, London 1996</ref>. An Islamic scholar and leader from Hizb ut-Tahrir was also tortured and killed by the Saddam Hussain regime after the scholar criticised Saddam's treatment of thier Shia brothers. [[Asif Hanif]] was associated with 'LightStudy', an international Sufi Muslim group with its British base at Hounslow mosque, incidentally Ed now also attributes himself to the Sufis <ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,949104,00.html] Making of a Martyr</ref>. The group is led by the Syrian cleric Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi and an investigation by [[The Observer]] found that Hanif was most probably recruited in Damascus, not London. |
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Following the publication of the book, [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]] issued a [http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/press-centre/press-release/press-statement-regarding-media-coverage-of-the-islamist.html press release] stating that ''"Mr Ed Husain's account is based upon a very limited association that ended over ten years ago. While he may have attended our study circles and lectures in the early 1990s as he claims, like tens of thousands of others, he never joined Hizb ut-Tahrir. Unfortunately some people have accepted this dated and highly personal viewpoint as evidence for a comprehensive thesis on Islam, Muslims and extremism."'' |
Following the publication of the book, [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]] issued a [http://www.hizb.org.uk/hizb/press-centre/press-release/press-statement-regarding-media-coverage-of-the-islamist.html press release] stating that ''"Mr Ed Husain's account is based upon a very limited association that ended over ten years ago. While he may have attended our study circles and lectures in the early 1990s as he claims, like tens of thousands of others, he never joined Hizb ut-Tahrir. Unfortunately some people have accepted this dated and highly personal viewpoint as evidence for a comprehensive thesis on Islam, Muslims and extremism."'' |
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Some have accused Husain of having been a 'peripheral character' whose association with Islamic groups in Britain occurred over a decade ago. In a critical article, [[Riazat Butt]] of the [[Guardian]] writes, ''"He is happy to reinforce stereotypes and justifies this by saying he knows what inspires terrorists - the likely inference being that his book is an educational tool. But Husain was not a terrorist and his account is dated and misleading. The groups he mentions, and their modus operandi, are more fluid and sophisticated now. Husain provides no new answers and no fresh information. The activities of [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]] and their ilk have been well documented already. I have to ask why, when his experiences are firmly based in the 1990s, this book is being published now and is being greeted with an adulation that is both embarrassing and unwarranted."''<ref>[http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/riazat_butt/2007/05/there_is_much_excitement_about.html How Mohammed became Ed]</ref>. |
Some have accused Husain of having been a 'peripheral character' whose association with Islamic groups in Britain occurred over a decade ago. In a critical article, [[Riazat Butt]] of the [[Guardian]] writes, ''"He is happy to reinforce stereotypes and justifies this by saying he knows what inspires terrorists - the likely inference being that his book is an educational tool. But Husain was not a terrorist and his account is dated and misleading. The groups he mentions, and their modus operandi, are more fluid and sophisticated now. Husain provides no new answers and no fresh information. The activities of [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]] and their ilk have been well documented already. I have to ask why, when his experiences are firmly based in the 1990s, this book is being published now and is being greeted with an adulation that is both embarrassing and unwarranted."''<ref>[http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/riazat_butt/2007/05/there_is_much_excitement_about.html How Mohammed became Ed]</ref>. |
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Husain criticises [[Islamism]] and argues that the desire for the re-establishment of an Islamic [[caliphate]] is borne out of an alien, [[Wahhabi]] or [[extremist]] interpretation of Islam. However others argue that the concept of the [[Islamic State]] or [[caliphate]] has been well documented in Islamic theology. Indeed, a Professor of Islamic History at Georgetown University has described the [[caliphate]] as ''"the core political concept of [[Sunni]] Islam, by the consensus of the Muslim majority in the early centuries"''<ref>[http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=13296 John O. Voll: Professor of Islamic history at Georgetown University]</ref>. |
Husain criticises [[Islamism]] and argues that the desire for the re-establishment of an Islamic [[caliphate]] is borne out of an alien, [[Wahhabi]] or [[extremist]] interpretation of Islam. However others argue that the concept of the [[Islamic State]] or [[caliphate]] has been well documented in Islamic theology. Indeed, a Professor of Islamic History at Georgetown University has described the [[caliphate]] as ''"the core political concept of [[Sunni]] Islam, by the consensus of the Muslim majority in the early centuries"''<ref>[http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=13296 John O. Voll: Professor of Islamic history at Georgetown University]</ref>. |
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==Works== |
==Works== |
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Revision as of 17:13, 14 May 2007
Ed Husain (born 25th December 1975 in London) is the pen name of the British writer Mohammed Mahbub Hussain who is the author of The Islamist.
Personal life, education, and career
Husain's father was born in India and his mother originates from Bangladesh. He grew up in the Limehouse area of London and attended Sir William Borough School, Stepney Green School, Tower Hamlets College and Newham College. He later worked for HSBC and the British Council in Saudi Arabia and Syria before enrolling at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
Husain claims that in the early 1990s he was associated with Jamaat-e-Islami, East London Mosque, Young Muslims Organisation and Hizb ut-Tahrir. However, to date there has been no independent corroboration of any substantive association with any of these organisations. In an interview broadcast by CNN on May 3 2007, a spokesman for Hizb ut-Tahrir denied Husain's claim that he had been a member of the organisation. In the same interview, Husain claims that while he was a Hizb ut-Tahrir activist at college, his activities led to female Muslim students covering their faces with the veil or niqab. This seems to contradict Hizb ut-Tahrir's official stance on covering the face of women, as they do not believe that the face veil is a religious duty.
Husain writes in The Islamist that he was an associate of Inayat Bunglawala and Omar Bakri Muhammad.
The right-wing Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips has described Husain as a "brave Muslim".
The Islamist
The Islamist has been described as a "wake-up call to monocultural Britain" [1]
In The Islamist, Husain describes how he became an Islamic fundamentalist at the age of 16. He explains that, "Five years later, after much emotional turmoil, I rejected fundamentalist teachings and returned to normal life and my family." Husain says that his book explains "the appeal of extremist thought, how fanatics penetrate Muslim communities and the truth behind their agenda of subverting the West and moderate Islam."
A review of The Islamist in the Sunday Times notes that Husain asserts that Hizb ut-Tahrir supported Saddam Hussain and recruited the suicide bomber Asif Hanif in London. However, academics have documented the execution of Hizb ut-Tahrir members by the Saddam regime. Taji-Farouki notes that "In December 1990 five activists were executed in Suleymaniyya and six in Mosul in response to a note sent to the Iraqi embassy in Amman urging Saddam Hussain to abandon Ba'thism and to declare an Islamic Caliphate" [2]. An Islamic scholar and leader from Hizb ut-Tahrir was also tortured and killed by the Saddam Hussain regime after the scholar criticised Saddam's treatment of thier Shia brothers. Asif Hanif was associated with 'LightStudy', an international Sufi Muslim group with its British base at Hounslow mosque, incidentally Ed now also attributes himself to the Sufis [3]. The group is led by the Syrian cleric Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi and an investigation by The Observer found that Hanif was most probably recruited in Damascus, not London.
Following the publication of the book, Hizb ut-Tahrir issued a press release stating that "Mr Ed Husain's account is based upon a very limited association that ended over ten years ago. While he may have attended our study circles and lectures in the early 1990s as he claims, like tens of thousands of others, he never joined Hizb ut-Tahrir. Unfortunately some people have accepted this dated and highly personal viewpoint as evidence for a comprehensive thesis on Islam, Muslims and extremism."
Some have accused Husain of having been a 'peripheral character' whose association with Islamic groups in Britain occurred over a decade ago. In a critical article, Riazat Butt of the Guardian writes, "He is happy to reinforce stereotypes and justifies this by saying he knows what inspires terrorists - the likely inference being that his book is an educational tool. But Husain was not a terrorist and his account is dated and misleading. The groups he mentions, and their modus operandi, are more fluid and sophisticated now. Husain provides no new answers and no fresh information. The activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir and their ilk have been well documented already. I have to ask why, when his experiences are firmly based in the 1990s, this book is being published now and is being greeted with an adulation that is both embarrassing and unwarranted."[4].
Husain criticises Islamism and argues that the desire for the re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate is borne out of an alien, Wahhabi or extremist interpretation of Islam. However others argue that the concept of the Islamic State or caliphate has been well documented in Islamic theology. Indeed, a Professor of Islamic History at Georgetown University has described the caliphate as "the core political concept of Sunni Islam, by the consensus of the Muslim majority in the early centuries"[5].
Works
- The Islamist (2007)
See also
References
- ^ [1] Review: The Islamist by Ed Husain
- ^ Suha Taji-Farouki, A Fundamental Quest – Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Search for the Islamic Caliphate, p. 154, Grey Seal, London 1996
- ^ [2] Making of a Martyr
- ^ How Mohammed became Ed
- ^ John O. Voll: Professor of Islamic history at Georgetown University
External links
- The Islamist - Penguin Books
- BBC World Have Your Say with Ed Husain
- CNN Interview with Ed Husain
- The 'Islamist' bogeyman