The Battle for British Islam ― Reclaiming Muslim Identity from Extremism

Across Britain, Muslims are caught up in a battle over the very nature of their faith. And extremists appear to be gaining the upper hand. Sara Khan has spent the past decade campaigning for tolerance and equal rights within Muslim communities, and is now engaged in a new struggle for justice and understanding – the urgent need to counter Islamist-inspired extremism.

In this timely and courageous book, Khan shows how previously antagonistic groups of fundamentalist Muslims have joined forces, creating pressures that British society has never before encountered. What is more, identity politics and the attitudes of both the far Right and ultra-Left have combined to give the Islamists ever-increasing power to spread their message.

Unafraid to tackle some of the pressing issues of our time, Sara Khan addresses the question of how to break the cycle of extremism without alienating British Muslims. She calls for all Britons to reject divisive ideologies and introduces us to those individuals who are striving to build a safer future.

Sara Khan is a leading human rights campaigner. In 2008, she co-founded Inspire, a non-governmental women’s rights and counter-extremism organisation, of which she is currently director. Sara delivers training to teachers and parents across Britain, advising them on how to combat the rise of radicalisation, and is regularly called on for her expertise by the Government, European Parliament, Metropolitan police, schools, local communities and the media. She publishes articles widely and is a regular guest on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, CNN’s Amanpour, Sky News and Channel 4 News, among others. Her awards and recognitions include: 2016 winner of Marie Claire Future Shapers; 2015 BBC Woman’s Hour Power List Top 10 Influencers; 2015 Kraemer Middle East Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, the Wendy & Emery Reves Center, Virginia, USA. www.sarakhan.co.uk

Tony McMahon is an independent consultant working with the UK Government and civil society groups on counter-extremism projects. For the last fifteen years, he has advised Government, global companies and community groups on communications strategies. He is a former Financial Times magazine news editor and BBC news producer.