SAQI BOOKS

The Roots of Radical Islam

by Gilles Kepel

The suicide attacks of 11 September 2001 originated deep within Islamist circles. One of the prime suspects behind the attack, the Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, was heavily influenced by Egypt's radical movements and by Sayyid Qutb, a Muslim Brother who became a prime advocate of jihad and renewed Islamist thought in the 1950s. Widely considered the heir to this legacy, al-Zawahiri remains a driving force behind al-Qaeda itself. Gilles Kepel, one of the world's leading experts on Islamist movements, was amongst the first to identify Egypt as the cradle of contemporary Islamism. This seminal work, with a new introduction that puts it in perspective, gives a profoundly perceptive account of the foundations of today's radical Islamic organisations, and offers compelling insights into the structure, theory and tactics employed by the various groups as early as the 1970s in Egypt.

REVIEWS:
'Broadly conceived and incisive.' New York Review of Books 'Kepel offers the interested observer a fascinating insight into the Islamist movement.' Financial Times 'An extremely thoughtful and balanced guide to a movement whose influence can no longer be ignored.' The Cambridge Review 'The best book so far published on Egypt's Islamic movements ... essential reading for anyone interested in the wider 'Islamic revival' The Middle East 'An excellent work: stimulating, rich in first-hand information, and replete with lessons.' Maxime Rodinson

AUTHOR BIO:
Gilles Kepel is chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the Institute for Political Studies in Paris. He is the editor of four volumes of essays and the author of six books, including Jihad (2002).