reviews

About Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics: The British Experience (2010)

Much of the commentary on Islam today is shrill and one-dimensional which further widens the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. Because Tahir Abbas’ Islamic Radicalism and Multicultural Politics is reasoned, scholarly and aims to provide historical context it is a powerful corrective. Being both British and Muslim allows him to present us with a truly insider’s account. Professor Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University

In the face of so many superficial denunciations of radical Islam in Britain, Tahir Abbas provides an account that is both broad in its historical coverage and profound in its social analysis. In his sweep of several centuries of South Asian Islamic thinking, Abbas includes the conflicts engendered by British colonialism, and the complex processes of immigration and settlement in Britain. He is especially good in his own speciality, the patterns of inequality in education and in the labour market, through which he shows how the global growth in radical thinking can articulate with domestic social disparities. Here is a distinctive voice entering the debate. Professor John R. Bowen, Washington University in St. Louis, author of Why the French Don’t Like Headscarves

Terrorist incidents have created controversy about Islam and Muslims, and British Muslims have been part of this debate. Media and lay people take a very superficial view and blame Islam and Muslims for radicalisation. This book is an in-depth study of the causes of radicalisation of a section of British Muslims. It is a very useful study indeed and all those who want to understand this complex phenomenon should read the book: Dr Abbas has done a good job! Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, India

A remarkable book, well researched, comprehensive in its coverage and highly relevant to contemporary British political concerns. John Rex, Professor Emeritus, Department of Sociology, Warwick University

About Islamic Political Radicalism: A European Experience (ed.), 2007, launched at the House of Lords by Baroness Falkner of Margravine, January 2007

This topical collection of articles by leading scholars confronts us with a complex and diverse post-modern phenomenon in the European context … it helps make sense of both the debates around the role of the media, Islamophobia, social and economic exclusion, crises of Muslim masculinity, gender and intergenerational conflicts, the impact of global political developments, and questions of identity in fuelling radical 'Islamism', and of the more urgent reflections on terrorism and violence post-7/7. Readers will be left in little doubt about the challenge that Islamic political radicalism poses in twenty-first century Europe to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Humayun Ansari, author of 'The Infidel Within': Muslims in Britain Since 1800

Tahir Abbas has put together a comprehensive examination of the roots – political, social, cultural, and international – of Islamic radicalism in Europe today. After the bombings in Madrid and London, there is an urgent need for an informed and probing account of why extremism has taken hold in certain quarters and how the vast majority of law-abiding Muslims are caught up in efforts to contain it. This work speaks directly to the concerns of scholars, journalists and policymakers and provides instructive and timely answers. James Piscatori, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies

A relevant read, especially in the current political climate. Regeneration & Renewal

Islamic Political Radicalism is a refreshing change... an outstanding contribution. Sajjad H. Rizvi, American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences

Islamic Political Radicalism is a wide-ranging and intellectually challenging addition to the literature that has mushroomed since 9/11 ... All in all, there is no doubt about this book’s topical significance and its relevance in the current climate. There is much in it that should be of interest and value to scholars in a range of disciplines, to policy-makers and, indeed, those socially and politically engaged in various communities, here in Britain and elsewhere, Professor Humayun Ansari OBE, Journal of Islamic Studies

Tahir Abass’s edited volume Islamic Political Radicalism: A European Perspective makes an important and timely intervention on Islamic radicalism and, to be more specific, on Britain after the July 2005 London attacks...The book’s primary contribution is in transcending the orientalist tendency to focus on Islamic theology as the source of radical Islam, instead approaching the debate from the perspective of political economy, history, and international politics...By employing historical and social scientific analyses, the book allows for a grounded understanding of the experiences of radical segments of Europe’s Muslim population in a human and humanistic way. Hakem Rustom, International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, 42(2010), pp. 352-354.

About Muslim Britain: Communities under Pressure (ed.), 2005, launched at the House of Lords by Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, July 2005

A wide-ranging and invaluable guide to the highly complex and diverse nature of British Muslims from South Asia. Those wishing to get to the heart of Muslim communities should read this book. Professor Ziauddin Sardar, author of Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim

Plunged into a post-Rushdie and now post-September 11 world British Muslims have had to face urgent issues of Islamophobia, gender, identity and media representation. Dr Tahir Abbas' excellent collection has brought together some of the leading authorities to help make sense of these issues in a rapidly changing and even threatening world. Professor Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldum Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of International Relations, American University, Washington DC, USA

We are at an important moment in the process of integration between British society and its Muslim communities. The events of 11 September 2001 focused attention on questions which had been simmering but only very carefully placed into the public debate. With increasing vitality, this process has come into the open, often in surprising and usually in surprisingly constructive ways. This collection of papers is a major contribution to that debate and will help move it forward. Jorgen S. Nielsen, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Birmingham

This essential collection brings a variety of important new data, informed insights and innovative perspectives on key issues affecting British Muslims today. It is a highly welcome and important contribution to the subject. Professor Steven Vertovec, Professor of Transnational Anthropology, University of Oxford and Director of the ESRC Centre on Migration, Policy and Society