This is the story of how a young man becomes a Fundamentalist, and how he turns his back on Fundamentalism and goes back to normal life.

It's written very much in the style of an slightly stilted autobiography, but it's a good read, and I read it an a fairly adsorbing sitting. ( )

Very interesting book, very insightful and informative. Highly recommended source of info on the nature of the islamic extremist threat, why and how they develop, and whether they are a political or religious pheonom. The author characterises it as largel

A book to be read for its content - a window into the world of Islamist organizations in the UK - rather than for its style - dry and rather impersonal. Husain's experiences are thought provoking and worrying, but the early part of his account detailing his radical years is sadly lacking in depth or feeling. ( )

This is James Alison's review of the book, which I found in his paper: "Love your enemy within a divided self." Alison recommends The Islamist ... "I cannot recommend highly enough to those of who haven’t read it already Ed Husain’s book The Islamist. This is a Londoner’s account of how he joined the world of radical Islam in the East End, participated in it, found himself disgusted at what he was becoming, and was able to move away from that world, bringing with him a wonderfully informed vision of how its groups and ideologies work. Husain’s writing impacted me not because he was opening my eyes to something entirely different from anything that I knew. In one sense he was doing that: the world of Arabic-named groups, the scholars and idealogues of a different cultural world, that was fairly new to me."

From here: "Two good books"

(Mohamm)Ed Husain, has been a member of an number of Islamist militant organisations, culminating in a position in Hizb ut-Tahrir - a weird bunch of coves that we seem to be the only country on God's green or sandy Earth don't realise are a militant terrorist nut-job collective. His book is the interesting journey from a bright young schoolboy to remarkably close to being a terrorist - and certainly being a terrorist sympathiser - and back to being a true believer in the "Religion of Peace".

This is an utterly remarkable book - comparable to the "Anarchist's Cookbook" and the original "2600" samizdat copies. It is but competently written however remains wholly engrossing. We see the techniques used to prize young Muslim men away from their families; the techniques used to force the politically correct British establishment into allowing a fascist regime to establish itself in its midst; the gradual journey back to an orthodox Quranic faith. ( )