ISIS: A History.

LSE Review of Books, New & Noted: ISIS: A History. Fawaz A. Gerges. Princeton University Press. 2016.

The Islamic State�s Online Strategy and Violent Extremism in Africa

David Fidler, Into Africa: The Islamic State�s Online Strategy and Violent Extremism in Africa, 19 Apr 2016 "Military campaigns in Iraq and Syria have re-taken territory from the Islamic State and damaged it in other ways, including its ability to finance military operations. As counter-attacks continue in the Middle East, the Islamic State�s activities in Africa, especially North Africa, are

What Kind of Person Becomes a Violent Jihadi?

BBC News, What Kind of Person Becomes a Violent Jihadi? "For decades researchers, academics and psychologists have wanted to know what kind of person becomes a terrorist. If there are pre-existing traits which make someone more likely to kill for their beliefs � well, that would be worth knowing. In this edition of The Inquiry � part of the BBC World Service Identity Season � we tell the story of

'Overwhelming majority of Arabs youth reject ISIS, poll finds'

alarabiya.net, Overwhelming majority of Arabs youth reject ISIS, poll finds, 14 Apr 2016 "The survey, undertaken by PR agency Asda'a Burson Marsteller, interviewed 3,500 youths aged 18-24 from 16 Arab countries, including Egypt, Algeria and Saudi Arabia."

al-Qaduli

Michael Weiss & Hassan Hassan, Daily Beast, Everything We Knew About This ISIS Mastermind Was Wrong, 15 Apr 2016 "He was one man, not two. He had at least seven names, and was mistakenly pronounced dead four times. But the fog surrounding ISIS�s No. 2 is finally beginning to part."

#WhatBritishMuslimsReallyThink

Photo: Trevor Phillips, Channel 4

BBC News, What some Muslims think of 'what British Muslims really think', 11 Apr 2016 "What do British Muslims really think? It's a question that news organisations have repeatedly tried to answer since the terror attacks of 9/11 and 7/7, and one that suggests that maybe the person asking isn't a British Muslim."

Also see Channel 4, What British Muslims

Digital Human, Home

Digital Human, Home "In The Digital Human: Home Aleks asks what turns a space into a place and whether we really need bricks and mortar anymore, when home can be anywhere you can go online."

Reading List: new ISIS book

David Kilcullen, Guardian, The deadly efficiency of Isis and how it grew on the global stage "In this exclusive extract from his hotly anticipated book Blood Year, counterinsurgency expert David Killcullen maps out the leaderless resistance, remote radicalisation, and guerrilla-style terrorism that characterise the �Isis Internationale�."

Jihad: Between Theory and Practice.

I gave a paper at Leiden University last Friday, as part of their conference Jihad: Between Theory and Practice.

It was an interesting event and well-organised event (convened by Dr Jelle Bruning), with other presentations by Asma Afsaruddin (Indiana University) on 'Qur'anic Jihad and Its Interpretations', and Yumna Masarwa Institute for American Universities, Aix-en-Provence) on 'Ribat, Jihad,

Smartphone Ownership and Internet Usage Continues to Climb in Emerging Economies

Jacob Poushter, Pew Research Center,Smartphone Ownership and Internet Usage Continues to Climb in Emerging Economies [PDF] "In many advanced economies, the ubiquity of the internet is now a given. It permeates commerce, social interactions, politics, culture and daily life. But this is not the case in all parts of the world. And while internet access continues to grow in poorer nations, there is

'Why we keep getting snared in Islamic State�s propaganda trap'

Haroro J. Ingram, theconversation.com, Why we keep getting snared in Islamic State�s propaganda trap, 21 Jan 2016 "The rise of Islamic State (IS) has reaffirmed what al-Qaeda and the Taliban proved last decade: strategic communications, particularly counter-propaganda efforts, remains one of the key weaknesses of Western counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency strategy."

'The Qur'an and its Readers Worldwide'

New and noted (III): Contemporary Commentaries and Translations. Edited by Suha Taji-Farouki (OUP)

'The Egyptian Blogosphere and the Revolution of 25th of January'

New and noted (II): Media and Political Contestation in the Contemporary Arab World: A Decade of Change, Editors: Jayyusi, Lena, Roald, Anne Sofie (Eds.), Palgrave Macmillan includes chapter, 'The Egyptian Blogosphere and the Revolution of 25th of January' by Charles Hirschkind

'Sunni Islam and Islamism'

New and noted (I): A Teti, A Mura, 'Sunni Islam and Islamism' in - Routledge Handbook of Religion and Politics, edited by Jeffrey Haynes, Routledge, 2016 includes reference to internet issues (haven't read the whole chapter yet)

'The Islamic State's Territorial Methodology'

Aaron Y. Zelin, The Islamic State's Territorial Methodology, Washington Institute " Since June 2014, when the Islamic State proclaimed itself a caliphate, a pattern has emerged in the way IS expands into new territories and consolidates its control. In this new study, jihadi expert Aaron Y. Zelin provides a framework for understanding how the Islamic State goes from no control to full