Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism Paperback – March 1, 2016

If you are interested in world affairs and learning about Islam this is the perfect book. He tells his story from being radicalized to finding the truth. It is amazing that he lived through it. His bravery and dedication to truth is inspiring.

A fascinating autobiographical account of a young English man growing up in the 80s and 90s, becoming radicalized through his love for hip-hop, then joining an Islamist group and finally withdrawing. While he may not be typical of all young people growing up in Western countries who join radical Islamist movements, Nawaz provides useful insights into how this young man and his friends became enmeshed in the movement. Nawaz is clear-eyed and self-critical and he provides a good explanation of what attracted him to Islamism and what eventually repelled him. The book constitutes a valuable antidote to some of the simplistic explanations of Islamic radicalization. It reminds me a bit of the rise of Students for Democratic Society (SDS) and the Weathermen in the U.S. during the 1960s, although the latter movements did not arise so much out of exclusion and prejudice as did Islamism in Europe and the U.S. What links them was a frustrated desire to engage with a political system that seemed incapable of hearing their ideas and unable to understand the roots of revolutionary movements in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

I just got done reading this along with Maajid's joint-effort with Sam Harris.This book is excellent. It's honest, eye-opening, clarifying and unflinching in its portrayal of problems relating to global Islamism and Jihad. Nawaz makes clear the differences between Islam, Islamism and Jihad, and I appreciate that he had the courage to tell his story.Quilliam is a much-needed light of reinterpretation and reform from within Islam—insomuch as Islam informs and inspires Islamism and Jihad. His strategy of reinterpretation (of the Koran) dives right into the trenches with those attempting to live by the meaning of the Koran whilst steering them gently toward progressive reform. After all, simply killing-off individual cells doesn't cure the cancer where it lives. It's not just an insurmountable task, but one that likely comes at no small risk. For that, it's 5 stars from me.I'm glad Maajid made it through that ordeal alive and I hope he continues his work whilst inspiring others to do the same.

Those living in countries such as the U.S., U.K. tend to believe our world views and values, are shared by the majority of people and nations outside of our own boundaries. This book provides deep insight into how values are adopted as children and young adults, and how often we do not seek to challenge those views, based on personal perceptions and world views that are heavily influenced by our own maturity, life experiences, knowledge, resiliency from childhood and throughout the various cycles of adulthood. We maybe so entrenched in our views, that it takes a large wakeup call to shake us out of our discomfort to see things differently. Thus, well entrenched prejudices (race, religion, culture, etc.) can lead to faulty judgment, actions and justification of actions, which are often rewarded and further entrenched by group-think, especially those tending to reside on the far "left" or "right" that leave little flexibility for the "rights" of others, especially if it tends to differ from one's own comfort zone.Inequality and/or feelings of superiority are not created nor fed by happenstance, by rather by family, religion, social, economic, education and culture causes, and age (teen and adulthood) does not merely dictate personal maturity nor resilience . Nawaz takes the reader on a fascinating journey of a child becoming a man and the multiple stages of 'adulthood' that one walks through in thought processes, values, understanding, compassion, empathy and recognizing that even long held beliefs may no longer serve one well and/or may be ineffective or damaging to one's personal growth as emotionally intelligent and responsible human being.

Nawaz's life is a search for deeper meaning. Like many of today's youth, who don't understand why their existence is not absurd, they become easily led down destructive paths. Maajid paid a heavy price for is poor choices. He is one of the lucky ones that brought about change in his own life. People do have the capacity to change. No matter our varied circumstances, life has meaning. Nawaz's experiences are singular and unique. I gained insight to a slice of the world that is dark and misdirected. There are evil forces at work anxious to destroy even the participants. Maajid was nearly one of those casualties. The book was good. I'd recommend it.

A great book! Anyone who cares about what is happening in the world today or what it might be tomorrow should read this book. So much confusion exists about Islam, even within Islam. Maajid Nawaz is a very articulate and brilliant man who "walked the walk" of the jihadist before it got him confined for years in one of the world's worst prisons. He went in knowing well the Islamist's position but while there he also met other political/religious prisoners, some among the most educated and brilliant within his faith, men who helped him sometimes see radically different ways to interpret the Koran and put it into better historical context. I found it not only extremely informative but also a fast-paced read that often made me unable to put it down. Great book!