On September 3rd, Michael Muhammad Knight, a graduate student in Islamic Studies, penned an op-ed in the Washington Post titled “I understand why Westerners are joining jihadi movements like ISIS. I was almost one of them.” In the article, Knight discusses his own desire to join Chechen resistance fighters and the conservative theologians who talked him out of it. He grapples with the very American impulse to respond to international injustice with redemptive violence, citing this as an overlooked potential explanation for why Americans might join the ranks of the Islamic State. The article has garnered attention from a number of U.S. media outlets – don’t be surprised if you hear Mike being praised or condemned on your favorite cable news channel in the coming weeks.

Posted in Graduate Student News on September 4, 2014. Bookmark the permalink.