“You hear a lot of breathless talk about ‘Eurabia’ these days. I confess, I can’t take it seriously—and here’s why.

From 2008 to 2010, I conducted research for the UK’s Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism into radicalization among Muslims in Britain. After 25 in-depth interviews with ex-extremists and days talking to people in mosques, community centers, and homes, I concluded that ‘pessimism about radicalization in Britain is not supported by the interviews.’

I argued that radicalization was a tormented performance of identity by individuals caught in the trap that had been set by two historically contingent developments.”

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