Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism
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| Author | Maajid Nawaz |
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| Original title | Radical: My Journey from Islamist Extremism to a Democratic Awakening |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Islamism, Extremism |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher | WH Allen |
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Publication date
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5 July 2012 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 296 pp |
| ISBN | |
Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism is a 2012 memoir by the British activist and former Islamist Maajid Nawaz. The book covers Nawaz's journey "from Muslim extremist to taking tea at Number 10". First published in the UK, it covers one man's journey in and out of extremism. The US edition contains a "Preface for US readers" and a new, updated epilogue.
The term "radical" is used in English to mean extreme, it is derived from the Latin word radix which means "root". Nawaz employs both these meanings, the old (root) and the new (extreme) to tell his story: to chart the path from being an extremist, to now his mission to root out the same phenomenon which once consumed him.
Radical was described by The Daily Telegraph as "A horrifying reflection on modern Britain". The book went on to become an Amazon bestseller. It was entered for the 2013 Orwell Prize for political writing of outstanding quality. In 2014, Morten Harket, lead singer of the Norwegian band A-ha, revealed that his single Brother is inspired by Radical.
It has been translated into Portuguese, and published by Texto Publishers. As of 2015, the author announced on Twitter that the book was being translated into Arabic. In May 2015, the ebook format was published.
Born and raised in Essex, England, Nawaz found his rebel voice in hip hop, graffiti and girls. A crisis of identity and news of a massacre of Muslims in Bosnia led him toward radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir (which translates as "The Liberation Party"). He rose through the ranks of the organisation, and became a rabble-rousing speaker and international recruiter.
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