Overview

An autobiographical account of a young man's journey into extremism In 1986, when this memoir opens, Khaled al-Berry is a typical fourteen-year-old boy in Asyut in Upper Egypt. Soon, his love of soccer draws him into the orbit of members of a radical Islamist group, university students from the surrounding countryside who play the game regularly on a pitch near his home. Attracted at first by the image of the group as ""strong Muslims,"" al-Berry's involvement develops until he finds himself deeply committed to its beliefs and implicated in its activities. This ends when, in his third year at university, he is arrested on campus by the police and thrown in jail. His experience of confinement and a return to life on the outside lead to his eventual alienation from radical Islam. Vulnerable, searingly honest, gripping, and often funny, this tale of one man's journey to the edge of radicalism and back also gives critical and intelligent insight into an Islamist movement's debates, preoccupations, motives, and intentions.

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9781617979651

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Reviews

Enjoyable and pioneering.--Marcia Lynx Qualey, al-Masri al-Yom Authentic and extremely important.--The Huffington Post Gripping. . . captivating and exciting.--Church Times A rare perspective.--Diplomat Magazine The memoir reaches the core of how fanatics--sects of any kind--draw in conceited youngsters by essentially appealing to a naive hunger for self-sacrifice.--The Independent Required reading for anyone with an interest in the mechanics of radical Islam or the historical realities of militant Islamic activism. . . . The sensitivity to the nuances of the Arabic language and Islamist idiom made manifest in the meritorious translation of Humphrey Davies truly makes this work an ideal jumping-off point for any Westerner who is curious about reading the Muslim mind--Al-Ahram Weekly

""Enjoyable and pioneering.""--Marcia Lynx Qualey, al-Masri al-Yom ""Authentic and extremely important.""--The Huffington Post ""Gripping. . . captivating and exciting.""--Church Times ""A rare perspective.""--Diplomat Magazine ""The memoir reaches the core of how fanatics--sects of any kind--draw in conceited youngsters by essentially appealing to a naive hunger for self-sacrifice.""--The Independent ""Required reading for anyone with an interest in the mechanics of radical Islam or the historical realities of militant Islamic activism. . . . The sensitivity to the nuances of the Arabic language and Islamist idiom made manifest in the meritorious translation of Humphrey Davies truly makes this work an ideal jumping-off point for any Westerner who is curious about reading the Muslim mind""--Al-Ahram Weekly

Enjoyable and pioneering. --Marcia Lynx Qualey, al-Masri al-Yom Authentic and extremely important. --The Huffington Post Gripping. . . captivating and exciting. --Church Times A rare perspective. --Diplomat Magazine The memoir reaches the core of how fanatics--sects of any kind--draw in conceited youngsters by essentially appealing to a naive hunger for self-sacrifice. --The Independent Required reading for anyone with an interest in the mechanics of radical Islam or the historical realities of militant Islamic activism. . . . The sensitivity to the nuances of the Arabic language and Islamist idiom made manifest in the meritorious translation of Humphrey Davies truly makes this work an ideal jumping-off point for any Westerner who is curious about reading the Muslim mind --Al-Ahram Weekly

Author Information

Khaled al-Berry currently resides in London.

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