Read more
Grounded in nine years of ethnographic research on the al Muhajiroun/Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah movement (ALM/ASWJ), Douglas Weeks mixes ethnography and traditional research methods to tell the complete story of al Muhajiroun. Beginning with three core events that became a primer for radical Islamic political thought in the UK, Al Muhajiroun, A Case Study in Islamic Activism traces the development of the movement form its incipient beginnings to its current status. Based on his extensive interaction with the group and its leaders, Weeks contextualizes the history, beliefs, methods, and differences between ALM/ASWJ, al Qaeda, and the Islamic State so that the group and the threat it poses is comprehensively understood.
List of contents
1. Researching the Activists: Understanding Methods, Data, and Approaches.- 2. The Vanguards of Radicalism in the UK.- 3: Al Muhajiroun: The Early Days (1996-2004).- 4. The Ideology of Al Muhajiroun.- 5. The Post Al Muhajiroun Years (2005-2014): Proscription and Other Means of Deterrence.- 6. The Impacts of the Islamic State and Strategies of Control.- 7. Comparing Ideologies: Al Muhajiroun, Al Qaeda, and Islamic State.- 8. Understanding and Managing the Threat.- 9. Conclusion: Summing up the Activists.
About the author
Douglas Weeks is a Lecturer at California State University Long Beach. Before entering academia, Dr. Weeks spent 29 years as a firefighter and served as Emergency Services and Counter-terrorism Coordinator from 1996 until his retirement in 2009. He specializes in radicalization, deradicalization, and counterterrorism policy.
