'Pantucci's description of the jihadi plots that have been hatched in the UK concentrates on the question of what causes radicalisation in the first place. With the usual caveat that no single explanation seems adequate, he offers the analogy of a fruit machine. A jihadist recruiter looking for a new volunteer hits the jackpot when three drivers
ideology, grievance and ... Read moremobilisation
all come together at the same time.'
Owen Bennett-Jones, London Review of Books
'The most articulate and carefully researched account of Britain's 'suburban terrorists' to date. ... [Pantucci] covers a sweeping, underexplored arc of British cultural history, from early waves of migration from the 1950s to 1970s to the flourishing of extremist movements across the UK and the terrorist cells they have spawned. Every significant terror plot of the past two decades is covered. ... We Love Death could not be more timely.'
Financial Times
'Pantucci has produced a useful chronicle of every terror plot down to and beyond the 7/7 London bombings, whether they involved major networked conspiracies or lone-wolf actors like the mad boy Nicky Reilly, who in 2008 blew himself up in the lavatory of the Exeter branch of Giraffe with a homemade nail bomb... Well-written.'
Evening Standard
'Sober, informative and nuanced.'
Prospect
'Interesting and accessible enough to keep the attention of the general reader, this book will help an international audience understand the story of UK Islamist terrorism and will provide experts with sound analysis and the chance to read for the first time the full story in one volume. Pantucci avoids the tendency of more politically biased commentators to blame the terrorists' radicalisation on either British foreign policy, poverty and islamophobia or radical foreign preachers, "an evil ideology" and multiculturalism. Instead, through in-depth research into the personalities involved in the UK terrorist plots, the author shows that no single one of these explanations is sufficient but that all have played a role in motivating some of Britain's suburban mujahedeen.'
Innes Bowen, BBC; author of Medina in Birmingham, Najaf in Brent: Inside British Islam
'Raffaello Pantucci carefully details how over several decades Britain came to develop its own mini-jihad. He gives a vivid and at times shocking description of the formative experiences of Britain's self-appointed Muslim warriors. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how religious, political, social and broader cultural narratives combined to end in murder on the streets of Britain.'
Professor Sir David Omand, King's College London and former UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator
'A compelling narrative of the origins and evolution of violent Islamism in the United Kingdom, its precipitants - ideology, grievance and mobilisation - and ever expanding geographical reach. Its lively pen portraits of the main perpetrators amounts to an indispensable A to Z of the individuals, groups and organisations involved. Essential reading for policy maker, specialist and citizen alike - Muslim and non-Muslim.'
Philip Lewis, Inter-Faith Adviser to the Bishop of Bradford and author of Young, British and Muslim
'This book will be one of the definitive texts on the study of radicalisation for years come - well researched, articulate, and rich in understanding. We Love Death as You Love Life provides the kind of detailed, rich analysis which is important for students, policy makers and any one with an interest in how radicalisation in Britain actually works.'
Jonathan Githens-Mazer, Associate Professor in Ethnic-Politics, University of Exeter
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