Homegrown Radicals: A Story of State Violence, Islamophobia, and Jihad in the Post-9/11 World

by Youcef Soufi

The powerful story of how the War on Terror created the conditions for the emergence of a novel theory of jihadThe post-9/11 period saw the emergence of the figure of the homegrown radical Muslim, raising fears and worries about the possibility of an enemy exceptionally capable of harming and destabilizing the nation-state. Against this figure of the radical stood that of the moderate Muslim who represented the possibility of national unity despite religious and racial differences.In Homegrown Radicals, Youcef Soufi brings the radical and moderate Muslim together in uneasy tension, offering a study into how state violence inextricably tied them together in post-9/11 Canada and the US. By focusing on the radicalization of three Muslim students on the Canadian prairies, it traces North American Muslims’ general sense of affective injury over the loss of Muslim life in Western military campaigns overseas.In this context, a new theory of jihad rooted in a Muslim utopian imagination emerged, one that marked a significant rupture with premodern Islamic thought. The three “radicals” focused upon in this book were among thousands of Anglophone Muslims who found this new theory compelling as a diagnosis and solution to the violence unleashed in the War on Terror. The book examines how, why, and with what consequences for their families, friends, and Muslim community.In so doing it highlights that post 9/11 Islamophobia has operated through the conceptual blurring of the line between the “moderate” and “radical” Muslims and asks what alternative forms of solidarity may transcend the violent boundaries of the nation-state.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2025

Reviews

[Bin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So interesting and important! At times dense, probably because I needed some extra background knowledge. Hardest hitting when Soufi was talking directly about his own experiences but overall a very engaging read.

[Toby Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you sum up a book as comprehensive as Homegrown Radicals? It’s challenging as it covers so much in its 250 pages. The world after September 11, 2001, is such a different place than it was the day before. The story of the years since then is a powerful one.

Canada was greatly affected by the 9/11 tragedy, especially Canadian Muslims. Winnipeg is one of the largest hubs of Muslims in Canada; that community is closely linked to the pockets of Muslims in the United States, places like Chicago, Houston, and Dearborn.

Homegrown Radicals delves into Islamophobia, which is anti-Muslim racism. Muslims were already on the CSIS’s radar - Canadian Secret Intelligence Services - and past academic studies show that the CSIS generally saw the Muslim community as an object of suspicion. And in reverse, many Muslims were skeptical of security agencies. Soufi is hopeful that one day there will be a deep national contrition for the treatment of Canadian Muslims during the War on Terror; we are just not there yet.

A common thread runs through the entire book: the disappearance of three men from the Winnipeg Muslim community. Muhanad, Ferid, and Miawand were University of Manitoba students who had undergone radicalization years before. Homegrown Radicals chronicles their journey, veering into dozens of side tangents along the way.

Reading about the 9/11 experience through the eyes of people in the Muslim community is fascinating. For example, in the days after the tragedy, many non-Muslim Canadians asked, “Where were you when the two towers fell?” But in the Muslim community, a common thought was: How will they treat me now? One upside is that numerous North American Muslim leaders praised Canada and the US for the freedoms the two countries granted their citizens, freedoms they often didn’t receive in their home countries.

Soufi is clearly an expert in the subject matter of Homegrown Radicals. He is the former head of the Connaught Global Challenge Project’s international working group on Islamophobia and the former Chair of CASIM, the Canadian Association for the Study of Islam and Muslims. This is his second book in this field; his first was The Rise of Critical Islam: 10th - 13th Century Legal Debate. Reading a book written by an author who is so knowledgeable is a pleasure and feels like a privilege. Adding to that is the fact that this is a University of Regina Press book, a publication company that only puts out thoroughly researched, top-notch works.

Homegrown Radicals is eye-opening in an awesome way that I didn’t expect. Any book that broadens your worldview and expands your thinking is something that needs to be read. Snag a copy and dive in!

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[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful! Added nuance to my understanding of Islam and “Jihad” as a concept, especially the classical and modern understanding of it. Puts forward a very compelling explanation for the origins of post-9/11 “radical” strains Islamic thought and how they were induced in many ways by the war on terror itself and the way Muslims writ large are treated in Western societies. Soufi’s deep knowledge of Muslim legal tradition and history is invaluable in adding context to the stories of his former acquaintances who “went away” in the mid-2000s.