On March 7th, 2007, three Muslim university students left their small city on the Canadian Prairies, seemingly without a trace. In the ensuing months, their disappearance raised fears among Canadian and US security agencies that the men had become “radicalized,” posing a grave threat to national security. From presidential briefings and targeted drone assassinations to a politically charged trial in a Brooklyn courtroom, the men’s story sheds new light not only on the figure of the “radical,” but also on the “moderate” Muslim, represented by a community forever changed by the men’s departure.

Homegrown Radicals highlights how post-9/11 Islamophobia has operated through the conceptual blurring of the line between “moderate” and “radical” Muslims, and asks what alternative forms of solidarity may transcend the violent boundaries of the nation-state.

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Praise for Homegrown Radicals

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"Political thriller meets sharp political analysis, deep historical exploration, empathetic storytelling, nuanced engagement with Islamic legal and intellectual traditions, and touching memoir, all in one engaging and profound book. It has changed my own thinking and research already." ~Juliane Hammer, author of Peaceful Families: American Muslim Efforts against Domestic Violence

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"A searing, personal, and nuanced critique of the concept of 'radicalization,' showing how its proponents fail to understand political violence. Using theology, history, legal theory, and a close look at his own Canadian Muslim community, Soufi paints a devastating picture of 'national security' policymaking in the twenty-first century. Homegrown Radicals convincingly shows how pseudo-scientific 'counter-terrorism' programs feed directly into long standing racist stereotypes, providing the foundation of a wide range of deeply damaging state policies, from surveillance to war. . . . Shows how it remains possible for people to have their lives needlessly upended because of guilt-by-association due to anti-Muslim racism." ~Erik Love, author of Islamophobia and Racism in America

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“Dr. Soufi’s book is a must read for everyone who wants to understand the consequences of the so-called ‘War on Terror.’ It is honest, courageous, well researched, and most of all, very personal.”~Monia Mazigh, author of Gendered Islamophobia: My Journey with a Scarf

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