The Islamist
| Author | Ed Husain |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Islamism |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
Publication date | 2007 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-141-03043-7 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
The Islamist is a book that records the journey of Ed Husain (full name Mohammed Mahbub Hussain) who became an Islamic fundamentalist at the age of sixteen, but "after much emotional turmoil...rejected fundamentalist teachings and returned to normal life". The Islamist was published in May 2007.
Reviews
Approving Critique
The Sunday Times describes the book as "insightful and gripping".
The columnist David Aaronovitch argues in The Times that "Husain's account is not sensationalist, tending more to understatement than to hyperbole."
In a lengthy review [1], the Islamic researcher Yahya Birt criticises other reviews of the book in the mainstream press noting that they were "quick to draw sweeping and general conclusions about today’s situation, even though the heart of this book is really about the early Nineties." Birt goes on to say that "While this personal memoir is a must-read, offering with authority and nuance an insider’s view of the context that shaped the period, it is not a definitive analysis."
Rejecting Critique
Riazat Butt of The Guardian wrote, "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."[2].
Brian Whitaker, who was Middle East editor of The Guardian for seven years, concludes his review by writing that, "The tricky question is what, in the hothouse of youthful politics - whether at Oxford, in Liverpool or east London - leads some to violence while others, like Ed Husain, end up writing books about it. Ed doesn't seem to have an answer, and I doubt that anyone else really knows either."
In a critical review, the writer Andrew Booso argues that Husain "shows a serious inadequacy of knowledge regarding theology and Sacred Law as expounded by the masters through the ages." Booso is critical of Husain's criticism of Islamism and challenges Husain's assertion that the Caliphate is associated with an extremist interpretation of Islam. Booso argues that the divine obligation of the Caliphate is a "standard, orthodox belief expounded and endorsed by the jurists throughout time."
References
External links
- The Islamist - Penguin Books
- Review of the Islamist by The Guardian
- CNN Interview with Ed Husain (Video), Interview Transcripts