Description
Book SynopsisEchoes of Kandahar on the streets of Britain – how counterinsurgency in the Middle East is applied at home
Trade Review'In this compelling journey Sabir spells out the excruciating process of being made an extension of the 'war on terror'. Were he an employee of a pogrom pushing, state suckling think-tank, he may have a show on LBC, a column in The Times or even an OBE by now. Instead, he has complex trauma and the shadow of an invasive and voyeuristic state surveillance stalking him. Sabir's writing shows with such clarity and eloquence how communities of struggle can resist and fight back. Thank you for raising your voice and persevering in the face of state violence'
-- Lowkey, poet and rapper
'An instant classic. No other book portrays the traumatising effects of British state violence with more power or lucidity. Sabir's struggle to resist and overcome injustice is an inspiration'
-- Arun Kundnani, author of 'The Muslims are Coming! Islamophobia, Extremism, and the Domestic War on Terror'
'Discussions of Islamophobia are greatly deficient when they fail to tackle the ways in which the Muslim community has been perpetually securitised in uniquely nefarious ways. Rizwaan offers a compelling breakdown of what that has looked like through his own tragic experience'
-- Omar Suleiman, scholar, civil rights leader, writer and public speaker
'Rizwaan Sabir's captivating recollection of his Kafkaesque experiences with the British counterterrorism apparatus illustrates with devastating clarity the long-term consequences of the Prevent program'
-- Lisa Stampnitzky, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Sheffield and author of 'Disciplining Terror: How Experts Invented Terrorism'
'A raw, compelling account of the profound trauma, social harms and human costs generated by counter-terrorism policy'
-- Professor Joe Sim, Liverpool John Moores University
'A story as gripping as a thriller, a powerful account of the mechanisms and dangers of our highly dysfunctional counter-terrorism regime'
-- Professor Karma Nabulsi, University of Oxford
'A tour de force, unique in its combination of rigorous scholarship and the knowledge that comes from personal experience'
-- Deepa Kumar, Professor of Media Studies, Rutgers University
'Sabir's forensic examination of counter-terrorism sheds light on a troubling set of laws and policies that should be challenged and resisted by those who value human rights'
-- Imran Khan QC, Solicitor and Higher Rights Advocate
'Among countless books about the harms and damage of the global war on terror, 'The Suspect' stands out for its searing honesty, its courage and its powerful insights into the inner workings of contemporary counterterrorism'
-- Richard Jackson, University of Otago, New Zealand
‘Brave ... through personal testimony, The Suspect reveals in gripping detail the destructive cost of the War on Terror for Muslims around the world’
-- ‘The New Arab’
‘Fascinating … this is a frightening eyeopener of a book that reveals the systemic flaws and racism in the UK’s security services’
-- ‘Blogcritics Magazine’
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
Foreword by Hicham Yezza
1. Awakening
2. A Divine Signal
3. Suspected Terrorist
4. Detention
5. Suspicious Documents
6. Interrogation
7. Seven Interviews
8. A Convenient Witness
9. The Decision
10. Accountability
11. Subject of Interest
12. An Unlawful Stop
13. Flashing Screens
14. Travelling While Muslim
15. Spies in Our Midst
16. The Trace
17. Suspicious Scholarship
18. A Safe House
19. Sensing a Set Up
20. Seeing Spies
21. Coming to America
22. A Tap on the Shoulder
23. Counterinsurgency
24. A Different Way of War
25. Global Insurgency
26. Armed Propaganda
27. A Relapse
28. Dear GCHQ
29. Trauma Triggers
30. Withdrawing Consent
31. Sharing Our Stories
32. Global Resistance
33. Healing Trauma
Afterword by Aamer Anwar
Notes
Bibliography
Index
