Usman Butt is multimedia television researcher, filmmaker and writer based in London. Usman read International Relations and Arabic Language at the University of Westminster and completed a Master of Arts in Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter.
Book Club: As Tunisia descends deeper into Kais Saied's dictatorship, David L Johnson's translation of Ennahda leader Rached Ghannouchi's 1993 manifesto for a modern, reformist Islam is a stark reminder of what Tunisia was versus what it now is.
Book Club: Seldom do we read a first-hand account of the deception, radicalisation and atrocities of the Islamic State group. In the Shadow of Daesh by Sophie Kasiki is just that, unveiling the insidious work of IS from the perspective of a returnee.
Book Club: Award-winning investigative journalist Tam Hussein's debut novel deals with the question all journalists are familiar with: where does the line of ethical consideration lie? Well-written and deeply evocative, the novel is a stellar read.
Book Club: Marc Owen Jones' latest book uncovers the virtual tactics used by authoritarian governments in the Middle East to discourage and deceive those away from uncovering the systematic abuses of power that continue to plague the region.
Book Club: A key treatise for the philosophy of yoga, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a foundational handbook for millions of yoga practitioners. Little is known however about the text's author, Al-Biruni, whose service to Indology is invaluable.
Book Club: Victoria Malko's book exposes the brutal methods used by Stalinist Russia to crush Ukrainian nationalist dissent. In the midst of Putin's invasion, the book is a timely reminder one can often predict the present by looking into the past.
Book Club: Gilbert Achcar's re-issued book traces the development of the Arab Uprisings, and posits their future prospects. In particular, its multi-faceted analysis and pinpoint precision of social phenomena make the book an important body of work.
Book Club: Research into the Circassian's role within the Ottoman Empire has been largely muted since the establishment of the Turkish Republic by Ataturk in 1923. In Caner Yelbasi's latest book, he examines the ethnic group's varied engagements.
Book Club: While most people know the East India Company through its activities in the Indian subcontinent, few are aware of its involvement in Iran. Peter Good's latest book paints a nuanced picture of how the company operated in spite of turmoil.
Book Club: In an enlightening examination of religions, Mehmet Karabela's Islamic Thought Through Protestant Eyes elaborates how, in the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation, Islam became a key theological concern in Western Europe.
