The Islamist: Why I Became an Islamic Fundamentalist, What I Saw Inside, and Why I Left Paperback – April 28, 2009

First off, I want to give extremely high praise to this book. It was extremely well written and engaging. It had a great overall narrative and also was insightful and educated. While it is definitely autobiographical it has a broad application and is able to elucidate a whole spectrum of issues that are relevant today in a variety of contexts.The background of the story: Ed Husain (his full name is Mohammed Mahbub Husain but was shortened to Ed, to my surprise, while he was in Syria, not to appear more Western. You'll have to read the book to get the full, and somewhat humorous story of that.) was born in Britain and grew up largely within the significant immigrant community of London's East End. As he describes himself he is "British by birth, Asian by descent, and Muslim by conviction." His story is one that explores the struggle of coming to grips with these identities. Here is his own description of the book.This book is a protest against political Islam, based on my own experience as a British Muslim who grew up in London, became an extremist - an Islamist - and saw the error of his ways.His first exposure to Islam came through his travels with his grandfather. He was a well respected spiritual leader who during his visits to Britain allowed Ed to travel with him to various speaking engagements. Through this he was exposed to an Islam that was internal, primarily concerned with one's own relationship with God. However, it was not long before Ed came to reject this sort of Islam as dated and out of touch."A young boy's company determines his destiny. - Eastern proverb"As Ed entered his teenage years he was exposed to an Islam shaped by the writings of Mawdudi, Sarwar, Qutb and others. This Islam was not concerned with an individual's relationship to God but with a political agenda. It was one that used religious rhetoric to justify it's political ideas. As Sarwar writes "Religion and politics are one and the same in Islam. They are intertwined." Ed soon became involved with groups in Britain that appealed to young Asian's (many Pakistani and Bangladeshi) to give themselves to the cause of the "Ummah." They were not to identify as "British Muslims" but as "Muslims living in Britain." They were living in London yet it was a completely isolated experience."I was sixteen years old and I had no white friends. My world was entirely Asian, fully Muslim. This was my Britain. Against this backdrop, the writings of Sarwar's guru, Mawdudi, took me to a radically new level."In this world of Islamism Ed engaged in organizing events and recruiting others to join their cause. He was part of groups that gave a visible identity to the children of British immigrants. It seemed at the time to be much more exciting and relevant than the old "spiritual" Islam that his parents and grandfather practiced. It led to him leaving home and being embraced by this new community. In this new community they took it upon themselves to enforce an external Islam on those around them. They strongly "encouraged" changes in dress (growing beards, wearing robes, women wearing headscarves) and actions and opposed any who did not join them.It is interesting to me that for these people who were living in Britain and allowed to voice their views only because it was a democratic society were arguing loud and long against that same society. To them "democracy was haram." Yet it was only democracy - a place for dissenting voices - that allowed them to express their views."For how much longer, I ask, will we tolerate the hypocrisy of such people enjoying British life while calling for its destruction? When will Islamists halt this doublespeak?"However, as his story progressed, especially during his time abroad in Syria and Saudi Arabia studying Arabic, Ed came to see the shallowness and emptiness of the Islamist movement. At the height of his Islamist activities his actual observance as a Muslim was at an all-time low."My life was consumed by fury, inner confusion, a desire to dominate everything, and my abject failure to be a good Muslim. I had started out on this journey `wanting more Islam' and ended up losing its essence."It was at this point that he began to search for spiritual solace and meaning for life and would turn to whoever could give it. It was largely through exposure to the writings and sermons of some American Muslim's that Ed ultimately returned to an Islam in many ways similar to that of his grandfather. It was largely shaped by Sufi influences like Rumi. It was ultimately about an individual's relationship to God.Of his previous Islamist ideology he writes this:"My time in Saudi Arabia bolstered my conviction that an austere form of Islam (Wahhabism) married to a politicized Islam (Islamism) is wreaking havoc in the world: Baghdad, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Cairo, Istanbul, New York, Madrid, London . . . the list of cities that have suffered Islamist wrath goes on. This anger-ridden ideology, an ideology I once advocated, is not only a threat to Islam and Muslims, but to the entire civilized world."There is far more in this book. It provides a great backdrop for a number of extremely relevant issues. For one trying to understand the psyche of Muslims in Britain and the challenges they face this book is extremely helpful. For those worried about the dangers of homegrown terrorism this book is extremely helpful. For those who want to better understand how to relate to their neighbors of a different faith this book is extremely helpful. For those who are trying to get their heads around the concepts of democracy and religious pluralism this book is extremely helpful.Ed's conclusion to the book is fitting and definitely worth sharing:"Islam is the antidote to extremism, to Islamism. It's important to remember that ordinary Muslims have been the greatest victims of Islamist terror, and that their desire to put an end to the threat is perhaps greater than ours.We must recapture Islam from Islamists, neutralise radical theologies, and empower pluralist Muslims.This is our first line of defence against terrorism."

I read Ed Husain’s “The Islamist” in 2016 to gain a better understanding of Islam, how Muslims are radicalized, and in continuance of seeking to answer the question, “Is Islam a Religion of Peace?”; in that, I was not disappointed. I appreciated Husain’s thoughts. Additionally, I was introduced to Nabhani and Mawdudi, resulting in purchases of “Forty Narrations (on the Obligation to Obey the Ruler)’ and “Let Us Be Muslims.”There was an underlying theme throughout Ed Husain’s book, however, with which I sometimes took exception; specifically, using America to mirror Islam’s troubles as well as radicalization. From what I’ve studied, Islam has been having trouble since Caliph Uthman was murdered in 656 A.D. For some of Husain’s understanding of American culture, he credits a female American friend, one Kelly. Reading those, I would take Kelly to be hard left. Regardless, here are some specific quotes from the book:“After all, the CIA was involved in assassinating heads of state across the world, not least its botched attempts on Fidel Castro.” Castro aside, I would have appreciated the names of half a dozen or so of those assassinated “heads of state.”“I was quick to remind my colleagues that when Timothy McVeigh, a Christian fundamentalist, had carried out attacks on Oklahoma in 1995, the front page of the British newspaper Today had said that he had done so ‘In the Name of Islam.’” McVeigh certainly wasn’t an Islamist, but neither was he a Christian fundamentalist. He was raised a Roman Catholic, grew away from the church, and later became agnostic; when put to death, he received last rites from a priest—that is not a Christian fundamentalist.“Kelly gave me hope that amid the chaos of extremist, literalist Christianity in America, there were decent people who sought a better, more compassionate world.” Kelly painted a bleak picture of America that in my opinion does not exist at the level she suggests, and literalist Christians practice the teachings of Christ, i.e., love and compassion. If they foment chaos, hate, and terrorism, they are hardly Christians.“In the United States, George Bush regularly used scripture in his speeches and public comments and shamelessly exploited the religious right.” Were he not a Christian, I might agree, but George W. Bush is a Christian; indeed, a New Testament, “born again” Christian. America’s religious right being spiritual and mystical at heart is Husain’s Sufism“Iraqis from Mosul told me about incidents of poor soldiers from the Deep South in America stealing gold and money from wealthy Iraqis’ homes.” Whether or not those Iraqis would know an American from the “Deep South” as opposed to the heartland, northwest, west or east coast is in question. To a degree, poverty exists in all those places, and thievery is not limited to Americans who hail from the South.“Neither is there an excuse for state terrorism: the governments of Britain, the US and Israel are as guilty as any 9/11 hijacker.” No, the equivalent would be if the US nuked Mecca, having the Kaaba as a primary target.“In political discussions our Muslim opponents were never able to defeat us. We knew how to deny, lie, and deflect.” With that training in mind, a skeptic might ask if we can now trust Ed Husain. Is he again lying to gain access to British and American political power structures in order to destroy them? I don’t know, but it’s something to consider while reading.All that aside, I gained from reading Ed Husain’s, “The Islamist,” took copious notes, and would recommend the book.

I enjoyed reading this book, very quickly finished.

A must read!

Must Read Book

Most people knows the culture of Islam as the "fundamentalistic", "chauvinistic", and sometimes, even "dangerous". Being a traveler, I know it as otherwise, having lived in too many Muslim dominant places as well as having Muslim friends.But no one has ever been able to explain to me the reason why, there are such extremism prevalence in different parts of the world, including, and even especially, in the west.Ed Husain gets into details between the difference between the Islamist groups, the feud in between them, not only the philosophy and the lack of in each groups as well as the way they go about recruiting and expressing them selves. What is Islam and what is Islamism?What did prophet Muhammad truly say, in the essence of his teaching instead of what is just "written down" on the Koran?Many a book pertaining to religion will speak of what is written in the "holy book" - but not the essence of what each religion says, nor the negativity of taking the books by the words and how each religion is taken in to the daily lives of our brothers and sisters across the world. By reading this book I got a much better insight on the beauty of Muslim religion and its true believers, as well as the clear difference between Islamism and Islam, which are very easy to mistakenly conjoin when we just listen to the news today.I'd like to recommend this book to any one who wants to get to know the (around)1/4 of the world population who believes in this religion a bit better. In a world we live today, where a bit of understanding towards different culture is much needed, a book like this should be a mandatory read.

This book was excellent in explaining the huge differences between Islam and Islamists. It gave me a better understanding of how much harm the Ilsamists are doing to the world in general and to ordinary Muslims in particular. So glad I read it!