I Intend To Escape ......................And Come Back

Network of Networks: The Muslim Brotherhood in Europe

This week the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European parliament published the report on the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe that I have worked on with the Italian researcher Tommaso Virgili.

You can see the report launch, and download a copy of the report, on the ECR website here.

A pdf of the report can be found below.

Download Network of Networks MuslimBrotherhood in Europe Stott Virgili 2021

The Rotherham Grooming Scandal and the Creators of the Islamophobia Definition

This is a report I worked on back in February, with the writer and journalist Andrew Gilligan.

The text can be viewed online here, or read as a pdf below.

Download The-Rotherham-Grooming-Scandal-and-The-Creators-of-the-Islamophobia-Definition 2025

Extremely Confused? The Government's Counter-Extremism Strategy

Back in January I co-authored a report with Andrew Gilligan, entitled "Extremely Confused: The Government’s new counter-extremism review revealed."

This revealed that the Counter-Extremism sprint, under the direction of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, was heading very much in the wrong direction, moving away from a focus on Islamist terrorism to a much wider set of issues.

You can read our report online here, and download a pdf below.

Download Extremely-Confused-The-Governments-new-counter-extremism-review-revealed 2025

Mankind No Longer Travels to the Moon

Reading footnotes is a good habit to get into. The following quote is from Tariq Ali's 1970 book "Pakistan: Military rule or People's Power?"

"The debate on what exactly an Islamic state is continues to this very day and all the bourgeois parties in Pakistan take part. We shall touch on this debate in later chapters - but only briefly: we are nearing the twenty-first century,and man has reached the moon." p. 33, fn 14.

Mankind has not been on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Islam meanwhile is thriving. Indeed, so important is it in the UK that there is now a working group, under the former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, to establish a definition of Islamophobia.

I am not sure anyone, writing in 1970 or 1972, thought that was the future.....

Scruton on faith

Over the holiday season I enjoyed Roger Scuton's book "Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life".

Less a memoir than a series of essays on particular chunks of his life or matters of importance, Scruton grasps faith perfectly here:

"Faith is not simply an addition to our repetoire of ordinary opinions. It is a transforming state of mind, a stance towards the world, rooted in our social nature and altering all our perceptions, emotions and beliefs."

Gentle Regrets: Thoughts from a Life (London: Continuum, 2005), p. 220

Margaret Thatcher and Islam

Back in 2021 I attended a Thatcher Network conference at Newcastle University.

The city was just emerging from the Covid lockdown, and staying in the left-leaning area of Jesmond, it was remarkable how impacted it was compared to small town Northamptonshire. New cycle lines and card only payment in coffee shops demonstrated a certain marking of territory that we had simply not gone through.

My paper at the conference was on Margaret Thatcher and Islam, and that has now been published as an article by the Conservative History Journal. Its fair to say modern day Conservatives may be surprised at some of the nuances and ambiguities of Mrs Thatcher's position - and not just when it comes to Cold War alliances.

A pdf of the article can be viewed below:

Download More questions than answers Thatcher Islam Con History Journal 2024

The Balkanisation of the UK's Police Forces

I had neglected to post here a short article I wrote for the Daily Telegraph last month, on what might be called the Balkanisation of the police. We sometimes forget how rapid these changes have been - it is not that long ago the authorities in forces like West Yorkshire would struggle to recruit ethnic minority officers - now they see officers prosecuted for supporting Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas!

You can read my thoughts on the Telegraph website here, or as a pdf below.

Download The police must reckon with their extremism problem Telegraph 14 11 2024

The Decline and Fall of Brother Tariq

For a time, Tariq Ramadan was the epitome of what western elites felt they needed - the Muslim theologian they could do business with.

You can read The decline and fall of Tariq Ramadan here, or view it as a pdf below.

Download The decline and fall of Tariq Ramadan The Spectator.pdf 12 09 2024

On the dangers of Iran (again)

I had a short article - just 600 words in the Telegraph over the weekend, concerning Iranian influence in the UK.

This really ought to be addressed in Yvette Cooper's 'extremism review' currently being conducted somewhere inside the Home Office. You can read the article online here, and download a pdf below.

Download Iran promotes UK extremism – it must be stopped 31 08 2024

The Islamic Republic of ...............Torsa?

There's not much to laugh about at the moment, but there was some light relief last week at the suggestion Shia cleric Sheikh Yasser al-Habib wished to buy the Scottish Island of Morsa, currently home to two holiday lettings and not a lot else.

I was quoted in the Daily Telegraph article on 30 July, which called the whole idea absurd:

"Paul Stott, head of security and extremism at Policy Exchange, added to the chorus of concern sparked by the reports."

“It’s bizarre, but not totally bizarre, in that religious communities have bought up land in rural parts of Britain before,” he told The Telegraph.

“But I can’t remember a Muslim group doing so before. If you look at al-Habib, he is a contentious figure. This would involve a part of UK territory becoming the land of a contentious religious grouping. I think that requires public debate before it can go ahead.”

Defining 'Islamophobia'?

For some reason I neglected to post on here the article on the Labour party and Islamophobia debate, which I had published back on 21 May.

You can read it on the Reaction website here, and as a pdf below.

Download Labour must define Islamophobia very carefully Reaction 21 05 2024

Turning the tables on extremism?

Yesterday I had a short piece published in The Critic on the new report by Lord Walney on political extremism.

The Critic added the sub-heading 'vital but flawed' as a description of Walney - you can read his report here, and my view is on their site. I think it is great we are having these debates, and some of Walney - for example on schools and blasphemy - is encouraging. But a large part of the problem in Batley simply came down to the school, local Labour party, and the teachers union, not having the strength of their supposed convictions to say 'No' to those who picketed the school. Until that happens, these debates will always be lost.

A pdf of the review is below.

Download Turning the tables on coercion The Critic 21 05 2024

Recognising the Islamic Republic of Iran's threat to the UK

Last month Policy Exchange published the report I have worked on for some time - 'Tehran Calling: The Iranian Threat to the UK'.

This takes the view that the Iran poses a unique challenge to both the security and social cohesion of the United Kingdom.

Iran is a hostile state in the style of Russia or China: it seeks to interfere with our online systems and takes British citizens hostage. Yet Iran also seeks to wield social and cultural influence in this country, declaring and imposing blasphemy codes, and creating institutions that project power and influence.

You can read the report online here. A pdf can be downloaded below.

Download Tehran Calling The Iranian Threat to the UK 2024

An overlooked aspect of the pro-Palestinian marches

Andrew Murray had a big piece in the Morning Star last Wednesday entitled 'Rochdale has shown what can be done'.

In it Murray raised something that was in many ways obvious, but I and many others had certainly missed concerning the London protests. Jointly organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, CND, Muslim Association of Britain, Stop the War Coalition, Friends of Al-Aqsa and Palestinian Forum in Britain, Murray writes of the marches:

"For one thing, the exclusion of Galloway from the platform at the national rallies for Palestine is not tenable. It would perversely echo the disdain for the masses of Rochdale expressed by the Prime Minister".

Well, there was still no room for George Galloway's fedora in London this weekend, and the man himself was instead to be found speaking alongside Arthur Scargill at a miners strike commemoration in Doncaster. I am guessing Galloway's exclusion, while perhaps down to personal issues, is most likely because his position on Syria rubs up some of the Islamists in the pro-Palestinian marches, the wrong way.

If so, its an interesting test of the size and nature of this coalition? Is there room for Galloway and the Workers Party of Britain, or not?

George Galloway: What next?

As George Galloway heads to Westminster, it is important to consider what comes next.

The piece below was first published, yesterday evening, by Policy Exchange. it is also saved as a pdf below.

There are three big take-aways from events in Rochdale.

Firstly George Galloway’s victory will inspire a series of challenges to Labour from pro-Palestinian candidates. This was happening anyway with Leanne Mohamad committed to standing against Wes Streeting in Ilford North, and Tasnime Akunjee taking on Rushanara Ali in Bethnal Green and Stepney. Those activists will have an extra spring in their step today, while Galloway claims to have been approached by a series of potential candidates from neighbouring constituencies. Keir Starmer’s consolidation of power within the Labour party also left at least two big beasts growling outside the tent – Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott. Both are yet to declare their intentions.

Prior to the October 7th attacks on Israel, all looked rosy for Sir Keir Starmer. Opinion polls had him a mile ahead, and bar a few Corbynista malcontents, the party appeared broadly united, as those about to win power often are. That has now changed. Just as the war in Iraq removed the air of invincibility from Tony Blair, so the conflict between Israel and Hamas has re-divided Labour. Starmer has responded in two distinct ways. The first has been to recognise that Israel was going to wage war in Gaza, regardless of anything the leader of the opposition in the United Kingdom said or did. Labour calls for a ceasefire have appeared only gradually. But it is the second element in Labour’s approach which may have the greatest ramifications for the country. Labour has opted to go hard at the Conservatives ‘Islamophobia,’ concentrating their big guns at Suella Braverman, Lee Anderson and Liz Truss, and in turn asking Rishi Sunak to move against all three.

This approach deftly pivoted attention away from the Speaker of the Commons’ admission that he broke parliamentary procedure to allow a Labour motion on Gaza, due to threats being made to MPs. Not only did the Islamophobia furore move debate on from the issue of Islamist threats,

it raises significant questions about how a future Labour government will approach the issue. In 2019 the Conservatives rejected as unworkable an All-Party Group of British Muslims definition of Islamophobia. Would Prime Minister Starmer? Accepting such a definition, which would have serious ramifications for both freedom of speech and the 2010 Equality Act, currently looks like a convenient olive branch to Muslim activists.

The third takeaway from Rochdale is the question of what Galloway’s success tells us about British politics, and where our society is heading. His current vehicle, the Workers Party of Britain, evokes little love on the Left who dislike Galloway’s support for Brexit, his flurries of social conservatism and the party’s origins. Galloway has become the public face of the Workers Party, while other founders such as Joti Brar, of the Stalinist Communist Party Great Britain (Marxist Leninist), and Galloway’s former deputy, have fallen by the wayside.

Galloway’s pitch in Bethnal Green in 2005, Bradford West in 2012 and Rochdale in 2024 was directed primarily at one section of the community – Muslim voters. In Rochdale his campaign placards were in the colours of the Palestinian flag, and Galloway declared the intention of being a voice for Gaza in parliament. Some ugly rhetoric also emerged with Galloway referring to the Labour Friends of Israel as the ‘Labour Fiends of Israel.’

Separate letters appear to have been distributed in predominantly ‘white’ and predominantly ‘Muslim’ areas of the town, the latter stating “I have fought for Muslims at home and abroad all of my life.” A very different letter for non-Muslims stressed Galloway’s support for Britain, small businesses and law and order, even down to offering to arrest grooming gangs himself. Neither script mentioned the Workers Party of Britain.

Translating pro-Palestinian activism into political victories in a general election is however, a much bigger task than the one George Galloway has managed in Rochdale. A general election is about who is Prime Minister – and that means it is largely Rishi Sunak versus Keir Starmer. National issues such as the economy, the health service and the criminal justice system are likely to predominate, and the turnout (which was 37% in Rochdale) will be far higher at a likely 65-70%. Small parties and independent candidates are easily squeezed to such a backdrop, more so if this is a transformative election in the style of 1979 or 1997.

Much therefore depends on the extent to which activists from different traditions – primarily the Far-Left and Muslim representative organisations – can plan and co-ordinate their activities and produce a programme credible to voters. A Red-Green alliance anyone? This weekend in London and next month in Blackburn independent councillors, Muslim representatives and anti-war activists are meeting for ‘No ceasefire, no vote’ conferences. The ball is now in their court. Here attention also turns to The Muslim Vote, a campaign organisation whose backers include the Muslim Association of Britain, MEND, Prevent Watch and the Muslim Council’s of Scotland and Wales. The Muslim Vote’s platform is clear “This election signals a shift – Muslim issues at the forefront. We will no longer tolerate being taken for granted. We are a powerful, united force of 4 million acting in unison.”

What does this mean for the UK? Comparatively small political parties can impact beyond their numbers, even if they fail electorally. Consider the Communist Party of Great Britain in the trade union movement during the Cold War, or the National Front on the streets of London in the 1970s. The idea of voting in terms of faith – as opposed to economic interest or ideological affiliation, is unusual but not unique in the United Kingdom. It contributed to the sectarian nature of Northern Ireland politics and flared in the past on the west coast of Scotland and until the 1960s, in Liverpool. Nor is this era immune to sectarianism – consider the divisions between Hindus and Muslims in Leicester, and the violence which followed.

There is little doubt that some within the leadership of Muslim representative organisations would be very happy to lead and direct a Muslim ‘block vote’ this year. We simply do not know what impact this will have on the United Kingdom. As George Galloway made his acceptance speech in Rochdale, a heckler from Just Stop Oil began shouting, and one of the independent candidates, climate activist Mark Coleman, threw orange confetti in Galloway’s direction. No one seemed to care. Much bigger issues are afoot.

Dr Paul Stott is the Head of Security and Extremism at Policy Exchange.

Download George Galloway scores his electoral hat trick what next PX 02 03 2024

On Iran, The Hijab and Freedom of Choice

My 22 September Talk TV interview with Peter Cardwell is available to watch, here, and below.

The concert for Bangladesh 1971

Part of my summer reading was a short book by Abu Sayed and Priyajit Debsarkar on the 1971 concert for Banglagesh, one of a series of momentous events in the period which saw east Pakistan break away from West Pakistan, in a bloody conflict marked by outrageous crimes on the part of the Pakistani military and its supporters, to become the independent nation of Bangladesh.

"The concert for Bangladesh: United friends of Bangladesh" is a 112 page work which first appeared in Bangla last year, followed by an English translation in 2023. It is beautifully produced with a colour cover, and excellent quality black and white photographs throughout. This is history poorly known to British readers, and is all the more valuable for that. Some of the baddies however, are all too familiar - the Chinese government and Henry Kissinger for example, had few concerns about Pakistani atrocities, as they sought a balance of power in the region which weakened India.

This work will also be of interest to Beatles completists motivated to buy anything and everything with George Harrison (and indeed Ravi Shankar) on the front cover. As for the Madison Square garden concert, the concept of cultural diplomacy is now one that is very familiar - less so in 1971. As Sayed and Debsarkar record, by 1985 some $12 million had been raised for Bangladesh - the impact on later interventions, such as Live Aid and Ethiopia, is clear.

Gripes? The text needed a tighter spell and grammar check, and as yet, the book does not appear to be available on some of the main online book sales sites?

Looking Critically at the National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP)

Back in January I contributed to a Policy Exchange report on police staff associations.

Blurred Lines: Police staff networks politics or policing? has a marvelous front cover, and a small section on the National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) which I was keen to write as it may be the first critical examination of this grouping.

You can download the full report from the Policy Exchange website here.

I attach as a pdf, below, my section on NAMP, which focuses on their interventions on the language of counter-terrorism, and their associations.

Download Case Study NAMP p 24-27

The CONTEST review: Incels, LASIT – and the changing threat from Islamists and the far right

This week saw the government announce its update to the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, known as CONTEST. It is from CONTEST that we get the 4 Ps of Protect, Prepare, Pursue and Prevent - the later of course being the bit anyone has ever heard of!

Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced the review on Tuesday at Westminster Hall, and the strategy itself has been published online here.

Yesterday I had a short piece published on Conservative Home analysing the review and offering some broader comment on counter-terrorism. For all the froth and fuss, in reality the two threats that really count are Islamist terrorism, and to a much lesser extent, the far-right. The Home Secretary does, I think, get this. You can read it here, or as a pdf below.

Download The counter-terror review. Incels LASIT - and the changing threat from islamists and the far right Con Home 20 07 2023

No the government should not do God

Earlier this year the Bloom report called for a greater relationship between government and faith. It argued government should recognise faith groups as a force for good. You can read Colin Bloom's report here.

I see things as much more complicated, and in May put pen to paper with the Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, discussing both Bloom's report and the wider dangers it's suggestions signpost. You can view our article on the spiked website here, or as a pdf below.

Download No the government should not do God 09 05 2023

How the Abedi brothers slipped through the net

Earlier this month I wrote a short piece for spiked on the third and final part of the Manchester Arena inquiry.

It details some of the sorry revelations to emerge, and highlights the reluctance of sections of the British state to really get into the weeds and the dirt when it comes to Islamist extremism.

You can read the article online here, and a pdf can be viewed below.

Download How the Abedi brothers slipped through the next spiked 09 03 2023

The Trojan Horse Affair: A Documentary Record

Last month I was co-author, along with my colleague Damon Perry, of a report into the Trojan Horse Affair in Birmingham Schools.

You can read The Trojan Horse Affair: A Documentary Record online here. A pdf of the report can also be downloaded below.

Download The Trojan Horse Affair A Documentary Record

Qatar: Two Contributions to Debate

During November we saw the opening of a World Cup that, for the first time in the modern history of football, was not greeted with universal enthusiasm by supporters. Why? The host, and the methods used to win the hosting of the tournament.

I was involved in two contributions which attempted to provide a little more background to Qatar, and in particular Britain's relationship with it. The first was supplying some additional information, along with Dr Damon Perry, to a report by Sir John Jenkins for Policy Exchange. A pdf is below.

Secondly, I wrote a short piece for the Conservative Home which argued that in our dealings with Qatar, the UK's social cohesion must come first. Again, a pdf is below.

Download Qatar-Friend-or-Frenemy 2022

Download Its time that British elites had a reality check about our relationship with Qatar Con Home 23 11 2022

The Islamist Attack on Salman Rushdie: Comment

On Friday 12 August an attempt was made to murder the writer Salman Rushdie at a public event in New York State.

I was quoted on the issue of Rushdie's security, and the wider threat from terrorism in the Sunday Post newspaper on 14 August. As the article does not appear to be online, I attach it as a pdf below.

Download Sunday Post Peter Swindon on Rushdie attack p 8-9 14 08 2022

Research Note: The Lady of Heaven Protests

The protests against The Lady of Heaven movie have ended in a complete victory for the protestors.

England and Wales abolished laws against blasphemy under the last Labour government in 2008. As at Batley Grammar School in 2021 however, it appears possible for Islamist protestors to enforce blasphemy codes by taking to the streets.

This research note, published yesterday by Policy Exchange, considers events this month, and traces the opposition to The Lady of Heaven movie back to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

You can read the research note online here, and download a pdf below.

Download ‘The-Lady-of-Heaven Research note 20 06 2022

Extremism review must take a tough stance on Islamism

My take on the Shawcross review on Prevent, currently sitting in the Home Secretary's in tray.

Published in the Times on Tuesday 17 May.

You can view a pdf of the article below.

Download Extremism review must take a tough stance on Islamism 17 05 2022

Delegitimising Counter-Terrorism: The activist campaign to demonise Prevent

Last month I was one of three authors of a new report for Policy Exchange, looking at the Islamist campaign against the prevent policy.

You can find a link to the report here. And download a pdf of the report below.

Download Delegitimising-Counter-Terrorism 2022

Anti-Zionism Coordination Committee and Jeremy Corbyn MP

This is a short piece for the Understanding Islamism project of the think tank Policy Exchange.

It considers the advertised appearance of Jeremy Corbyn MP at an anti-Zionist event. Mr Corbyn did not however, join the proceedings. The controversy was covered in the Daily Mail.

A link to the article can be read here, and a pdf of the article, below.

Download Anti Zionism Coordination (AZC) Annual Conference and Jeremy Corbyn MP - Policy Exchange 25 02 2022

UK Islamist responses to the proscription of Hamas

This is a short article, for the Understanding Islamism project of the website Policy Exchange.

It considers the responses of British Islamists to the complete proscription of the Islamist group Hamas - previously only its military wing had been illegal in the United Kingdom.

You can download a pdf of the article below, and read it online here.

Download UK Islamist reactions to the proscription of Hamas as an international terrorist group - Policy Exchange 16 01 2022

Turkey expands its religious influence

As Saudi Arabia increasingly looks to move away from influencing the growth of Islam in the west, Turkey is a more important player than ever.

This article, for Policy Exchange's Understanding Islamism project, seeks to explain the influence of the Diyanet, Turkey's Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Read it online here, and as a pdf below.

Download Turkeys Ministry of Religious Affairs An increasingly important player at home and abroad 19 10 2021

14 Questions following the killing of David Amess MP

I wrote the following for the Policy Exchange website earlier this month.

You can read the text here, and as a pdf below.

Download 14 questions for ministers and police emerging from the killing of Sir David Amess MP 19 10 2021

British connections of banned French charity BarakaCity revealed

This article, for Policy Exchange, examines the French NGO BarakaCity.

Proscribed for extremism in its home country, its CEO Idriss Sihamedi, has publicly sought asylum in Turkey. However it has for several years been active in this country, and is currently seeking to expand its operations in Britain, an issue that should raise concerns.

There is a link to the article here, and a pdf below:

Download British connections of banned French Islamic charity BarakaCity revealed

20 Years On From 9/11, Are We Still Funding Those Who Mock Us?

9/11 retrospective articles are everywhere this weekend.

This piece, for the Policy Exchange website, dabbles with that, but attempts to look more broadly at the importance of funding in the propaganda wars which follow in the wake of both terrorism and counter terrorism.

You can view online here, or as a pdf below:

Download 20 years on from 9 11 are we still funding those who mock us Policy Exchange 10 09 2021

What is Islamism and why should it concern me?

A publication unpublished when I left the Henry Jackson Society earlier this year was a short briefing document entitled 'What is Islamism.'

Aimed at the general reader, it can now be viewed online here, and as a pdf below.

Download What is Islamism and why should it concern me

Labour's Victory in Batley was Based on Hate not Hope

I neglected to post my final comments for Spiked on Labour's eventual victory in the Batley and Spen by-election.

You can read it on the excellent spiked website, here.

I also place the article as a pdf below. Perhaps the most significant development since the result has been the Labour MP for Bradford West and Shadow Minister for Social Cohesion, who spoke in the Commons of the need to protect Muslims from the 'hurt' of insults to Muhammad. It is hard not to see a connection between the by-election result, and Ms Shah's intervention. It bodes ill for the direction Labour is taking.

Download Labour's batley victory was based on hate not hope 06 07 2021

Batley's Islamist Crybullies

Shakeel Afsar has given us a masterful display of the crybullies art - hectoring and aggressive one moment, pleading for our support and sympathy the next.

Read my analysis on spiked, or in the pdf below.

Download Batleys Islamist crybullies 29 06 2021

Labour gets itself into a mess in Batley and Spen

It seems likely the Conservatives will win the Batley and Spen by-election on 1 July. There is even the possibility of George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain beating Labour into third place.

As I discuss for spiked, having played the game of identity politics, abandoning the Batley Grammar school teacher in the process, Labour now risks being outplayed at their own game by Galloway. You'd need a heart of stone not to laugh.....

A pdf of the article is available below:

Download The Batley and Spen by-election a mess made by identity politics 24 06 2021

Behind the Debates: Iranian Networks in the UK

Iran pursues its interests in the UK, and seeks to build and maintain influence, in two ways.

The first is through perfectly legal outreach work and inter faith initiatives. The second is a much more underhand campaign of online disinformation and skullduggery. I set out some examples of both in an article for The Levant, available here.

You can read the article as a pdf, below.

Download Thelevantnews.com-Behind the debates Iranian Influence in the UK 15 06 2021

Batley and Spen: Bigger Than Red v Blue

The Batley and Spen by-election on 1 July is one of the most exciting in years.

My latest article for Spiked considers the challenge of George Galloway's Workers Party of Britain, the backdrop of threats and violence that have scarred the constituency in recent years, and the candidacy of several pro-Brexit parties, who are searching for political space in the pro-Brexit era.

You can read the article here, and find a pdf below.

Download Batley and Spen bigger than red v blue 10 06 2021

Discussing Iranian Influence Networks in the United Kingdom

I took part in a panel discussion yesterday on Iranian influence overseas, as part of the promotional work following the report I published with the Henry Jackson Society earlier this week.

The panel was chaired by the Conservative MP Theresa Villiers, and I was joined by Prof Saul Chorev, Simone Rodan-Benzaquen and Jonathan Spyer.

You can see a video of the event here.

Iranian Influence Networks in the United Kingdom: Audit and Analysis

I am the author of a new report on Iranian influence in the United Kingdom. You can read the press release and find a link to the report here.

The report looks at seven areas of interest: political networks, religion, the media, cultural networks, the Iranian diaspora, education and academia, and finally, the fields of business and finance. The bulk of the focus, however, is in the fields of politics and religion.

A pdf of the report can be downloaded below:

Download HJS-Iranian-Influence-Networks-in-the-UK-Report 2021

Could the Fishmongers Hall attack have been prevented?

Following the inquest into the killing of Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt in the November 2019 terrorist attack at Fishmongers Hall in London, I have written a short piece for Spiked on the question of whether the attack could have been prevented.

The article is on the Spiked website here.

It can also be read as a pdf below.

Download Could the Fishmongers Hall attack have been prevented spiked 02 06 2021

Blasphemy must be an issue in the Batley & Spen by-election

It is not sure exactly when it will happen, but a by-election in the west Yorkshire constituency of Batley and Spen appears inevitable, after the sitting MP, Tracy Babin, was elected as the new Mayor for West Yorkshire.

The central issue in the by-election that brought Ms Babin into office in 2016 was the fascist terror attack which saw Jo Cox MP murdered by Thomas Mair. This by-election will occur to the backdrop of threats of violence to a teacher at Batley Grammar, who is in hiding after threats from Islamists. In an article today for Spiked, I argue standing up to the aggressors in this case must be a central issue when the by-election is held.

The article can also be read as a pdf, below.

Download Blasphemy must be an issue in the Batley by-election - spiked 13 05 2021

Is Macron's Stance Against Islamism Applicable in Other Countries?

On Tuesday 22nd December I will be chairing an online event at 1500 for the Henry Jackson Society entitled 'President Macron's Response to Islamism and Jihadist Terror: Lessons for Other Nations'.

The discussion should last for about an hour, with three leading researchers in the field - Liam Duffy, Dr Tommaso Virgili and Simone Rodan-Benzaquen. There will also be a Q and A session. Sadly, as the event is online, the anticipated mince pies and glasses of sherry will have to wait until next year.

To attend, all you need to do is register online with HJS, and you will receive an emailed link to join the event as it starts.

Remembering 26/11: Mumbai and State Sponsored Jihadist Terrorism

Bridge India has now published on its You Tube page the discussion marking the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, which I participated in last Friday.

You can listen below to

involving Burzine Waghmar of SOAS University of London, the author Priyajit Debsarkar, and myself.

Discussing The Mumbai Attacks with TAG TV

This is a 45 minute discussion of the 2008 terror attacks carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba, at the direction of the Pakistani deep state.

From the Canadian station TAG TV, I contribute to a panel with the SOAS orientalist Burzine Waghmar. The sound is a little ropey at first (part of one answer sounds as if I am impersonating the late Norman Collier) but it soon improves.

You can view the discussion below

.

Mumbai 26/11: The nature and impact of a state sponsored jihadist attack

Over the weekend I had a short article published in the Sunday Guardian in India, concerning the 2008 terror attacks in the city.

In it I attempt to characterise some aspects of jihadist violence, for example its anger and hatred directed at 'the other', and also discuss aspects of the impact of the attacks. For example, the view of Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, was reinforced.

You can read the article on The Sunday Guardian website here, and also get a pdf of the piece
Download Nature and impact of Mumbai attacks 21 11 2020.

Now - what are my chances of getting a commission to write for the Guardian in this country?

Islamism threatens us all

There is much to be encouraged by in the response of President Macron to the wave of jihadist attacks in France.

His understanding of the threat posed to the west's freedoms is correct, and in casting the question in terms of sovereignty, Macron illustrates that the goal of both Islamists and jihadists is to enforce the laws of Islam in the west. That cannot pass.

I discuss this, the emergence of President Erdogan's Turkey as a key player in Islamist circles and the response of British Islamists to events in France, in an article today for Spiked. It can be read here.

A pdf of the article is available
Download Islamism threatens us all - spiked 04 11 2020.

Three Points of the Triangle: Islamic State, Britain and the Indian Subcontinent

The Sunday Guardian in India has published my article on the overlap between British jihadists, Islamic State and the Indian subcontinent. You can follow a link to it here.

I have also saved the article as a pdf attached
Download Three points of the Triangle Islamic State Britain Indian subcontinent - The Sunday Guardian Live 03 10 2020

More generally, most of my writing is collected on my Academia.edu page here. It is all free to download, but you will need to register to do so. In time I will bring over everything from there, to here.

A Jihadist Triangle: Islamic State, Britain and South Asia

On Tuesday I was part of a panel organised by the European Foundation of South Asian Studies, on Islamic State in South Asia. This should have been held in Geneva at the United Nations as one of the side meetings by accredited organisations at the UN HRC, unfortunately Covi19 forced us onto zoom.

Along with Malaiz Daud from Afghanistan and the analyst Tim Foxley, we spent two hours battling through the nature, characteristics and ambitions of Islamic State, as well as discussing more generally the Afghan peace process, Pakistan's influence in the region and America's intentions.

My twenty minute presentation, delivered in a somewhat wintery blue jumper, can be seen below.

A Return To Blogging

Just when you thought 2020 could not get any worse...............

I am going to use this space to promote some of my research and writing, and to draw attention to things I find interesting.

But for Covid19 I would have been over in Geneva this month with the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) at the side meeting of the UN's Human Rights Council. The EFSAS intervention has instead moved online, and I will be speaking on Tuesday afternoon (details below) on the triangle between Islamic State, the UK and Pakistan.