The Islamist [Paperback]

Ed Husain (Author)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ed Husain was an Islamist radical for five years in his late teens and early twenties. Having rejected extremism he travelled widely in the Middle East and worked for the British Council in Syria and Saudi Arabia. Husain received wide and various acclaim for The Islamist, which was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for political writing and the PEN/Ackerley Prize for literary autobiography, amongst others. He is a co-founder of the Quillium Foundation, Britain's first Muslim counter extremism think tank. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Global (April 9, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141030437
• ISBN-13: 978-0141030432
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Every Westerner, March 28, 2008

By 

Arthur R. Martin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Islamist (Paperback)

This is truly a must read for every Westerner. The basic story is engaging enough--how a peaceful Muslim becomes a radical Islamist and then becomes disillusioned and returns to true Islam. But the real value in the book is the education you get about the origins of radical Islam, how it is spread and why it is dangerous. I learned more by reading this book than anything else I have ever heard or read. I don't know why it isn't published in the USA. It should be required reading for all.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For a better understanding..., April 14, 2008

By 

Miz Black (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Islamist (Paperback)

This book clarified for me the difference between being a Muslim and being an Islamist and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of the difference. All too often, it's difficult to separate the actual religion from what this group of people who are called Islamists practice but I can now say that after reading this book I will never ever just lump the two together.

Read this book and you will be given a lesson on the origins of radical Islam and how it is spread. In contrast, you will also be given a glimpse into how Islam is practiced and learn that the religion has a number of teachings and beliefs which are both beautiful and peaceful.

Ed Husain is also a gifted writer. His words manage to convey enough details that allows me to almost visualize what he is expressing. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Inside Scoop, January 31, 2009

By 

Elmer L. Birney - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Islamist (Paperback)

Ed Husain was born into a traditional Muslim Pakistani family in England. He chronicles his transformation from a moderate sufi background into the world of radical islamism where he becomes an activist and a leader. In the end he returns to an anti-islamist stance of very religious but non-political sufiism. It is fascinating and instructive to observe how a boy who appreciated Britain and whose family opposed political islamism was radicalized as a young man. And it is highly informative of the islamist strategies, practices and goals. He specifically names people, organizations, and mosques, along with their activities, inner workings, and strategems. He reveals not only the islamist attitudes and attacks on British society, but also the conflicts among competing islamist groups and between the islamists and more traditional Muslims.
The account is straightforward, detailed, and journalistically accurate, with neither ranting nor whitewashing. It is a real inside look at the real world of Islam in its various manifestations, mainly in Britain but also in Syria and Saudi Arabia where he spent time after leaving the Islamist movements. In the end he personifies and promotes a traditional sufi type of Islam that is strictly religious but non-political, and laments that this "real" Islam is in the minority.
Mr. Husain fulfills well his objective to tell "the story of my journey from the inside,...inside today's Islam, inside Britains's Muslim communities, inside my own heart."