A Book Talk with Shiraz Maher

Summary

On April 5, 2019, the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University hosted Dr. Shiraz Maher to discuss his book Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea. Dr. Maher's book, selected by Foreign Affairs magazine as Book of the Year in 2017, traces the evolution of the Salafi-Jihadist movement and examines its influences and impact on violent militants worldwide, with a focus on the theology and ideology behind contemporary jihadist movements. The discussion was moderated by Audrey Alexander, Senior Research Fellow at the Program on Extremism. Following this discussion on the thematic elements of Dr. Maher's book, the event concluded with a brief Q&A session with the audience.

Dr. Shiraz Maher is Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) and a member of the War Studies Department at King's College London. He currently leads the Centre's research on the Syrian and Iraqi conflicts, as well as the study of non-state actors in ungoverned spaces. In 2016, he was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in journalism for his writings on issues related to radicalization, foreign fighter mobilization, and the terrorist threat to Europe.