British Jihadism : The Detail and the Denial

Analysing the involvement of a small but not insignificant number of British Muslims in a series of conflicts since the early 1990s this book interrogates and develops understandings of Jihad, Islamic revivalism, Terrorism and the British government’s policies towards both the Muslim majority world and the UK’s Muslim population.

Utilising data compiled from a meticulous empirical study of jihadist websites, their support organisations, social media, ethnic media and local, national, international press it details and examines British Muslim involvement in Jihadist struggles in more than fifteen countries including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen as well as exploring the development of domestic political violence within the United KingdomFormulating a detailed conceptualisation of British Jihadists’ aims, objectives and practices the book presents original conceptual and theoretical critiques and broadens the current research.

The author locates British Jihadism within a politico-religious framework emerging over the last three decades and positions himself between orthodox and critical research paradigms to move beyond simplistic debates seeking to blame events on British foreign policy or Islam per se.

Instead the focus is on the desire of some British Muslims to assert, achieve and maintain ‘status’ and the refusal of others to recognise the development of international actors such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State or domestic trends involving young British Muslims willing to use violence.