Available From UC Press

CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title, 2022

To better understand current events and threats, this book outlines the organizations and beliefs of domestic terrorists in the United States and how to counter their attacks on American democracy.
 
Who are the American citizens—White nationalists and militant Islamists—perpetrating acts of terrorism against their own country? What are their grievances and why do they hate? How can this transnational peril be effectively addressed?
 
Homegrown Hate is a groundbreaking and deeply researched work that directly compares White nationalists and militant Islamists in the United States. In this timely book, scholar and holistic justice activist Sara Kamali examines these Americans’ self-described beliefs, grievances, and rationales for violence, and details their organizational structures within a transnational context. She presents compelling insight into the most pressing threat to homeland security not only in the United States, but in nations across the globe: citizens who are targeting their homeland according to their respective narratives of victimhood. She also explains the hate behind the headlines and provides the tools to counter this hate from within, cogently offering hope in uncertain and divisive times. Innovative and engaging, this is an indispensable resource for all who cherish equity and justice in the United States and around the world.

Sara Kamali is the founder and director of Kamali Consulting, a firm that supports organizations to center equity and to create a culture of belonging in their policies, practices, and programs. She is also a holistic justice activist and a scholar of systemic inequities, White nationalism, and militant Islamism. Her scholarship and activism address how interlocking institutions of power oppress the many while maintaining systems of privilege for a select few. 

 

"This book is a must-read for all who care about saving and keeping our democracy. Sara Kamali's poetic voice is profound and prophetic, lighting the path for us in our quest for social justice."—Dolores Huerta, President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, organizer, and civil rights activist

"In this fascinating and highly original book, Kamali expertly examines White nationalism and critically addresses the different ways in which mainstream American media, the counterterrorism industry, and the US justice system have become complicit in perpetuating this global security threat. Homegrown Hate is required reading for anyone interested in how the dynamics of racism, political violence, and religion continue to shape and challenge American society."—Mattias Gardell, Nathan Söderblom Professor of Comparative Religion, Uppsala University

"This is an extraordinary and courageous work. It excavates staggering links between the violent perspectives, justifications, and methods of White nationalists and US Islamists. Through interviews and trenchant analyses, Kamali allows us to parse the political vitriol and understand the 'homegrown' phenomenon across religious boundaries."—Michael Jerryson, editor of Religious Violence Today: Faith and Conflict in the Modern World