In her expertly researched and riveting biography (winner of the RFI Témoin du Monde prize), Cofflard paints a picture not only of Omar Bakri, the enigmatic Islamic cleric, but also of the raging conflict between the Muslim and Occidental worlds. Bakri, or the Emir, is a well-known figure in the international intelligence community. Presiding over Al Muhajiroun, an Islamic organization with branches in countries from Great Britain, the United States and Ireland to Lebanon and Pakistsan, he recruits Muslims from all walks of life across the globe in his struggle to implant Islamic values at the core of society and attack those of Occidental democracy. He uses his incredibly powerful clerical status and extensive knowledge of the Koran to act as a kind of spiritual guide to his legions of followers, dispensing advice on, for example, whether to leave one’s family and go to war in Afghanistan, and quickly reacting to tumultuous world events such as the bombings in Madrid or Bali. The British authorities have arrested him on eight separate occasions, each time letting him go without charging him; while he spouts hatred for democracy, Jews, Christians and the United States (to name a few), he never goes so far as to encourage or plan specific attacks. Cofflard follows the rise of Bakri and explores the operations and rhetoric of his organization, always with this question in mind: “With so many people under the sway of Bakri and others, why aren’t there more terrorist attacks.”