From Hamas to Hezbollah – British Muslims Deserve Better Leadership

In March 2004, aged 32, I accompanied some of my elders to a “Condolences Gathering” (majlis al-‘aza’) at the Regent’s Park Mosque (RPM) for Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of Hamas, who had just been killed by an Israeli missile strike. To give some background, RPM’s trustees include the UK embassies of
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Black nationalism, identity politics and homegrown extremism

On December 28th in Monsey, New York, Grafton Thomas, entered the home of a local rabbi who was celebrating Hanukkah. Armed with a large knife, he went on a stabbing spree, leaving innocent worshippers injured, including one critically. Law enforcement authorities are currently conducting their investigation and so the details we know likely will shift.
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Black Hebrew Israelites Turn to Antisemitic Terrorism

“Black Hebrew Israelite” is a term that is applied to a range of groups, whose origins lie in the great late 19th century flourishing of new religious movements which include the Nation of Islam. Just as the Nation of Islam is defined by its heterodox take on Islam, the Black Hebrew Israelites syncretise aspects of
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Bosnia, Kosovo, Syria: Western Inaction and Radicalisation

Since the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London, it has been commonplace to hear it argued that the “root cause” of terrorism is Western foreign policy: and specifically, the interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Radicalisation is not monocausal. Ideological, personal and psychological factors all have a role to play in the process. But if we are
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UK Terror Attack: Rehabilitating extremists is hard, but it can be done!

This week’s terrorist attack in London by Usman Khan shows yet again why the international community must remain more vigilant than ever against extremism. Khan himself was previously convicted and sentenced to 16 years for plotting to blow up the London Stock exchange and was deeply inspired by the American ideologue, Anwar Al Awlaki.  Furthermore,
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How Britain Failed To Stop Usman Khan

We now know that the London Bridge terrorist, Usman Khan, was “a student and personal friend” of the Al Muhajiroun leader, Anjem Choudary. Following his conviction for terrorist offences, he served six years in prison. As Hannah Stuart, Head of Research at the Commission for Countering Extremism, noted in 2017, a high percentage of British
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The Numbers Game

When the genie is out of the bottle, it’s not easy to put it back When I was growing up in the North of England in the 1970s, we were told of a mythical number of British Jews, a number which would always be there. It was 410,000. There had always been 410,000 and there
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The Alt-Right is Resurgent. Trump Doesn’t Seem to Care

It has been more than a week since the conservative student organization Turning Point USA’s unintentionally ephemeral event, in which Donald Trump Junior was supposed to speak on his newly released book, banally titled Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us. The fact that he was de-platformed by far-right activists
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The Perils of Mainstreaming Islamism: Sahar Al-Faifi and Plaid Cymru

In our paper for the Commission for Countering Extremism,  Mainstreaming Islamism: Islamist institutions and civil society organisations, published last month, we considered the energy that Islamist organisations devote to forming links with mainstream institutions, and the risks that those bodies run when they create such relationships. One of the focuses of our paper was the
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Money over Morality: The NBA’s Shameful Capitulation to Tyranny

From elementary to high school, whenever I would practice on the basketball hoop in front of my house, I’d imagine myself as then Phoenix Suns’ star point guard Steve Nash.  A recipient of back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards, feared sharpshooter, passing wizard, and all-around basketball masterclass, Nash is widely considered to be one of the
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