Garry Smith FKA Curious Hamster has more on this week's Policy Exchange report, including some interesting titbits on its author Denis MacEoin. Also worth checking out Gabriele Marranci's thoughts.

Quick mention too for Ed Hussain's appearance this week on Newsnight regarding the Saudi state visit. He pinned all the evils of the world on Wahabism, for which he was corrected by Khalid Mahmood MP - not all Wahabis are automatically wrong. Ed posited the "not all Wahabis are terrorists, but all terrorists are Wahabis" response. Think he may be off message with his neocon chums agitating for war on Iran and defending war on Hizbullah.

Comments

[Shavez]

Dr Bari of the MCB hit the money on Ed Hussain when he was asked about him in questions posed by the public through the Independent newspaper:

Have you read The Islamist by Ed Husain? If you have, what did you think of it? If you have not, do you intend to do so? Rosemary Morton, Montrose

Yes, I have read it. It was unbelievably hyped. Contrary to some pundits, I don't think the book is very helpful in understanding why some young people turn to violence. I actually found it to be a very dated (most of its key events date before 1997) memoir of an obviously very confused young man. He has gone from one extreme to the other extreme and now describes all Muslims who seek to be guided in their politics by the values of their faith as " Islamists". Ed Husain said he has now rejoined the Muslim mainstream and yet he supported the war against Iraq. Furthermore, he said he is now a democrat, and yet he calls for the banning of Hizb ut-Tahrir. He is still a traveller and I think he still has quite a bit to learn about democratic values. I wish him well in that quest.

[inayat]

AA Osama,

I debated this report with Dean Godson of Policy Exchange earlier this week on al-Jazeera English:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiuY5JS7ucA

[michael greenwell]

not regarding the actual topic here but regarding khalid mahmood - he particpated in this disgraceful episode - another kirsty wark hatchet job and he was right on side

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p--Bb2Nf5eE

[George Carty]

Furthermore, he said he is now a democrat, and yet he calls for the banning of Hizb ut-Tahrir.
That doesn't make him "not a democrat", it makes him a "militant democrat" in the tradition of the Federal Republic of Germany...

[Osama]

Inayat, good to see someone get the opportunity to take him on, rather than him getting the usual unchallenged writeups op-ed pieces in the newspapers.

PS nice cardigan!