Moving beyond Islamist Extremism

Dr William Allchorn is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Leeds and Associate Director at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR). He is an expert on anti-Islamic radical-right social movements in the UK and Western Europe. He is the author of Anti-Islamic Protest in the UK (Routledge, 2018). In 2019, he started a new research project-with Hedayah CVE-looking at violent far-right extremist narratives and counter narratives globally.

"Moving Beyond Islamist Extremism: Assessing Counter Narrative Responses to the Global Violent Far Right highlights the urgency with which we must turn our attention to the emergent fifth wave of far-right terrorism. Daringly, Allchorn takes the leap not only in identifying gaps in countering violent extremism but also in proposing specific counter narratives tailored to each individual context, taking into account the historical, social, and political elements at play. He does not shy away from engaging with troublesome areas of study, such as misogynist and victimhood narratives, to make practical and realistic recommendations. While many books on the far right are problem-centric, this contribution also offers timely solutions, using examples and forecasting short- and long-term effects. The emphasis on democratic values and processes is a compelling exhibit on the reality of countering violent extremism and how it may be achieved by the celebration of the diverse, united, and historically complex nation rather than with the restriction of liberties. Written in an accessible style, Moving Beyond Extremism provides the reader with an easy-to-follow roadmap on the importance of far-right narratives, how they manifest in certain geographic and online ecosystems, and how they may be countered. Allchorn effectively bridges the divide between academia and practice producing a resource which will be of value to counter terrorism practitioners, policy makers, and scholars for years to come."-Arie Perliger, Professor of Criminology, University of Massachusetts Lowell