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Society, Politics, Travel

The Islamist

Ed Husain

Penguin

May 2007 (Reprint)

In a remarkably frank and compelling memoir, Ed Husain analyses the appeal of political Islam to young Muslims in Britain. The Islamist is an insider’s account of why young Muslims gravitate towards Islamism: how they are recruited, how they act once inside, and what links these groups have to the Middle East and the wider Muslim world.

He tells of his encounters with leading Islamists, including the now self-exiled Syrian cleric, Omar Bakri, and Britain’s first suicide bomber, Asif Hanif. He explores the links between his own extremism and the beliefs of less extreme Islamists such as Sir Iqbal Sacranie and the Muslim Council of Britain. And he tells of his family’s heartbreak over his decision to join a radical group, and their joy when he made the difficult decision to leave Islamism behind forever.

A Shadow Falls in the Heart of Java

Andrew Beatty

Faber & Faber

April 2009

Andrew Beatty brought his family to live in a village in East Java for two and a half years. On his arrival in 1992, Javanese mysticism and Hindu traditions coexisted harmo­niously with Islam. Ancient rituals such as prayer meals and the shadow play continued to punctuate village life.

 

During Beatty’s second period in Bayu, in 1997, a harsher, more puritan Islamism suddenly gripped the village. Young women began to wear the veil and the mosque megaphone blared through the night. Growing violence and witch-killings in the surrounding countryside threatened to end tolerant pluralism for good.

The island of Java is a cultural and religious palimpsest. Andrew’s book chronicles the rise of Islamism in one village of the world’s largest Muslim nation, Indonesia.

Walking London: Thirty Original Walks in and around London

Andrew Duncan

IMM Lifestyle

April 2016 (Updated edition)

This book is the essential companion for any urban explorer - visitor or native - committed to discovering the true heart of one of the world’s greatest capital cities.

In thirty original walks, distin­guished historian Andrew Duncan reveals miles of London’s endlessly surprising landscape. From wild heathland to formal gardens, cobbled mews to elegant squares and arcades, bustling markets to tranquil villages - Duncan not only reveals the pick of the famous sights, but also steers walkers off the tourist track and into the city’s hidden corners.

 

Handsomely illus­trated with specially commis­sioned colour photo­graphs and complete route maps, the book provides full details of addresses, opening times and the best bars and restaurants to visit en route.

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