The definitive account of the career and legacy of the most influential Western exponent of violent jihad.

Anwar al-Awlaki was, according to one of his followers, “the main man who translated jihad into English.” By the time he was killed by an American drone strike in 2011, he had become a spiritual leader for thousands of extremists, especially in the United States and Britain, where he aimed to make violent Islamism “as American as apple pie and as British as afternoon tea.” Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens draws on extensive research among al-Awlaki’s former colleagues, friends, and followers, including interviews with convicted terrorists, to explain how he established his network and why his message resonated with disaffected Muslims in the West.

A native of New Mexico, al-Awlaki rose to prominence in 2001 as the imam of a Virginia mosque attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers. After leaving for Britain in 2002, he began delivering popular lectures and sermons that were increasingly radical and anti-Western. In 2004 he moved to Yemen, where he eventually joined al-Qaeda and oversaw numerous major international terrorist plots. Through live video broadcasts to Western mosques and universities, YouTube, magazines, and other media, he soon became the world’s foremost English-speaking recruiter for violent Islamism. One measure of his success is that he has been linked to about a quarter of Islamists convicted of terrorism-related offenses in the United States since 2007.

Despite the extreme nature of these activities, Meleagrou-Hitchens argues that al-Awlaki’s strategy and tactics are best understood through traditional social-movement theory. With clarity and verve, he shows how violent fundamentalists are born.

"Anwar al-Awlaki was one of the foremost prophets of modern global terrorism…Incitement documents Awlaki’s journey through the ideological and political dynamics that have defined contemporary Islamism…The author reveals a figure shaped by both fundamental beliefs and shifting applications of them." - Times Literary Supplement

"Jihadism is here; it’s not leaving anytime soon, and we need to understand it so we can better fight it…An outstanding book on the subject and has much to teach us on the nature of homegrown jihadism." - The Spectator

"A fascinating analysis of the career of this most dangerously charismatic of fanatics…Meleagrou-Hitchens has provided an essential analysis of the career of one of jihad’s most successful devotees and enlightened us as to the broader nature of Islamic holy war…If you want to understand the nature of Islamic terrorism and its evolution, look no further…If we want to combat the ideology that leads to such violence, we must understand it. Incitement will be central to that understanding." - Areo

"A rigorous analysis of American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki’s influence on the global jihadist movement…[Meleagrou-Hitchens’s] lucid and deeply informed presentation reveals just how difficult it is to stamp out extremist ideologies once they’ve taken root. This sobering account makes a meaningful contribution to the study of terrorism." - Publishers Weekly

"A fascinating insight into al-Awlaki’s personal ideological evolution and how he became so effective in communicating the Salafi-Jihadist message…You can’t help but see just why al-Awlaki was and remains so effective as a communicator and recruiter…Meleagrou-Hitchens is an excellent guide." - Diplomatic Courier

"Illustrates the long tail of one ideological figure…Incitement shows how Awlaki…initiated a new departure in mass violence." - The National

"Meleagrou-Hitchens…has spent the better part of a decade poring over Awlaki’s ideological production, interviewing his former acquaintances, and sifting through the historical record…The result is not only the definitive work on Awlaki, but an impressive text that marries the readability of a trade press biography and the analytical rigor of an academic monograph." - War on the Rocks

"An excellent book about one of the most significant—and often misunderstood—terrorist propagandists of the modern day…While terrorism is often thought of and studied as a collective phenomenon, this book shows the significant and enduring role the individual can have. It is a lesson that deserves to be well heeded." - American Religion