Dr Paul Stott
Paul Stott is an author, researcher, and academic best known for his work on terrorism, international security, Islamism, politics and conspiracy theory. He has written on jihadist movements of South Asian origin in Britain and mainland Europe.[1][2][3]
He is a Research Fellow at the European Foundation for South Asian Studies and the Head of Security and Extremism at the London-based think tank Policy Exchange.[4] He has previously worked as a researcher at the Henry Jackson Society and as a tutor at SOAS, University of London.[5] He has been called an expert on South Asian jihadism.[6]
Education
Stott holds a master’s degree in terrorism studies from the University of East London. His research concentrated on terrorism, international security, and Islamism. He completed a PhD at the University of East Anglia in 2015. His thesis, British Jihadism: The Detail and the Denial, was later published as a book.[7][8]
Career and Views
Stott has written on British Muslim involvement in jihadist movements. [7][9][3][10] His work includes British Jihadism: The Detail and the Denial, Far-right terrorist manifestos: A critical analysis,[11][12][13] and The White Wolves: A Case Study in “Unsuccessful” Far-Right Literature.[14][15]
In 2024, Stott wrote in The Telegraph criticizing UK police recruitment policies following the arrest of an officer suspected of supporting Hamas. He argued for higher recruitment standards.[16]
In January 2024, he supported the UK government's proscription of Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist group and called for further investigation into the group’s financial activities.[17]
Stott has published research on alleged Iranian interference in the United Kingdom, recommending restrictions on visas for Iranian religious officials.[18][19] He has called for stricter application of Prevent, the UK's counter-terrorism strategy, and questioned its effectiveness. [20]
In 2022, Stott criticized aspects of the UK's relationship with Qatar, citing differing national values.[21]
Controversies
Stott has participated in debates regarding the definition of Islamophobia in the United Kingdom. [22] In a 2025 Policy Exchange report, he argued that adopting a formal definition could undermine free speech and impact the 2010 Equality Act.[23][24]
In 2024, he authored a Policy Exchange report, supported by former Home Secretary Sajid Javid, contending that the term “Islamophobia” had broadened and could be misused to restrict debate.[25][26]
In 2025, Byline Times reported on Stott’s past statements and affiliations, including a 2010 comment where he described "Zionists" among other groups as "the enemy", and his 2021 collaboration with the Sweden Democrats on a report about the Muslim Brotherhood.[27]
A 2023 article by Middle East Eye highlighted the flaws in a report on the Trojan Horse scandal co-authored by Stott. The article claimed that several people who were involved in shaping the official narrative have close links to Stott's think tank.[28]
In 2019, Stott faced criticism for his remarks againt British grime artist Stormzy who said racism was present in the UK.[29] Stott's comments prompted SOAS at the University of London to issue a statement distancing itself from Stott, calling the comments "ill-informed and extremely offensive".[5][30][31]
Academic and security expert Dr Maria W Norris said the 2022 Delegitimising Counter-Terrorism report authored by Stott was "chilling and reactionary" and targeted Muslims.[32]
References
- ↑ "Dr. Paul Stott". www.efsas.org. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "Paul Stott". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Paul Stott on Islamist Radicalization in the United Kingdom". Middle East Forum.
- ↑ "Paul Stott - Independent Researcher". independent.academia.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "SOAS to take action against 'ill-informed' academic who criticised Stormzy". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "UK, not 9/11 behind South Asian Jihadism: Expert". ANI News. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "British Jihadism: The Detail and the Denial (Religion a…". Goodreads. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "Amazon.co.uk". www.amazon.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2025-03-22. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "British Islamism: towards an anarchist response - Paul Stott | libcom.org". libcom.org. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Salisbury, Josh (2025-01-28). "Two-tier policing claim is 'right-wing extremism', Home Office review suggests". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Ehsan, Rakib; Stott, Paul (2020). Far-right terrorist manifestos: A critical analysis. Henry Jackson Society. Search this book on
- ↑ Demir, Cenker Korhan; Çona, Ömer (2024-08). "Taking stock of far-right terrorism through manifestos: Glorification of identity". European Journal of International Security. 9 (3): 398–416. doi:10.1017/eis.2024.8. ISSN 2057-5637. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Far-Right Terrorist Manifestos: A Critical Analysis". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Prolific, Digital, and Violent: The Far-Right's Online "Republic of Letters"". THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS REVIEW. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "Search results | JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Stott, Paul (2024-11-14). "The police must reckon with their extremism problem". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Stott, Dr Paul (2024-01-16). "Paul Stott: The Home Secretary's proscription of Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a major step forward, but only a start". Conservative Home. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Stott, Paul (2024-08-31). "Iran promotes UK extremism – it must be stopped". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "Scepticism at report claiming Iran interfering in Scottish elections". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Stott, Paul (2022-05-17). "Extremism review must take a tough stance on Islamism". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Stott, Dr Paul (2022-11-23). "Paul Stott: It's time that British elites had a reality check about our relationship with Qatar". Conservative Home. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ O'Callaghan, Laura. "Far-right terrorism rise in UK 'masks threat of Islamist extremism'". The National. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Williamson, David (2025-02-25). "Ministers urged not to adopt definition of 'Islamophobia' criminals could exp..." Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "George Galloway scores his electoral hat-trick: What next?". Policy Exchange.
- ↑ "A definition of Islamophobia? Old problems remain, as new problems emerge" (PDF).
- ↑ Hymas, Charles (2024-04-22). "Extremists cry 'Islamophobia' to stifle free speech, says think tank". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Ahmed, Nafeez (2022-05-18). "Tory Think-Tank Extremism Chief's Antisemitic Tirade, as Member of Violent Anarchist Group". Byline Times. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "Trojan Horse: When 'facts' are contested, who decides the truth?". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "SOAS academic accused of racism after saying Stormzy's dad 'did a runner'". UCL. 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Campbell, Paul Ian (2020-01-17). "Stormzy and Gary Neville: how privilege works in 21st-century Britain". The Conversation. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ Ali, Roaa (2020-01-16). "Why you don't see many black and ethnic minority faces in cultural spaces – and what happens if you call out the system". The Conversation. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ↑ "Why are David Cameron and Policy Exchange only targeting Muslim critics of Prevent?". Hawzah News Agency. 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
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