Radical Islam Rising: Muslim Extremism in the West

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 264 pages
• Published by: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. July 28, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0742536416
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0742536418
• Book Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Weighs: 13.6 ounces

Product Description
This unique book represents one of the first systematic attempts to explain why thousands of Westerners heed international calls to jihad and join radical Islamic groups. Drawing on his unprecedented access to a radical Islamic group, Quintan Wiktorowicz details the subtle process that can turn seemingly unreligious people into supporters of religious violence. The author's extraordinary fieldwork forms the basis of a detailed case study of al-Muhajiroun, a transnational movement based in London that supports Bin Laden and other Islamic terrorists. Through its rich empirical detail, the case study explains the greater question of why ordinary people join extremist movements.

Reader Reviews
Unlike many of the books available today, Wiktorowicz has written a book that is based on social science, not the faddish headlines of the day. The book will invariably divide readers into two camps; those who are interested in extremism and those who truly want to understand the recruitment and radicalization process. The book is best summarized by looking at his three central questions: 1. How are individuals drawn into the socialization process where they can be exposed to radical, religious education? 2. How do individuals come to accept and adopt the radical Islamic ideology as their own world view? 3. How does socialization overcome "the free rider dilemma?" In other words, convince individuals to do things that are not in their own self interest, and participate in high risk behavior that could lead to arrest, jail or death? In the end, the author shows how terrorists capitalize, or if necessary create, "cognitive openings," which are periods in which individuals are willing to question their own long held personal beliefs and consider radical new ideas. Once an individual is convinced that the group's radical goals or the rewards for participation in the group's activities (e.g. eternal paradise) are MORE IMPORTANT than their well beings, you have yourself an operative. This is a great read for those who seriously want to understand the recruitment and radicalization problem, as well as those who are charged to slow the spread of radicalism.