What Makes Youths Volunteer?

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Most British Muslims reject al-Muhajiroun's militant campaigning; fellow Muslims in Luton have been giving the hard-liners a rough time. Al-Muhajiroun leaflets have been banned from Luton's Central Mosque, and last week the local al-Muhajiroun leader, known simply as Shahed, was attacked in the street after he staged a noisy demonstration in support of the Taliban. Although Daymi of the Muslim Students Society rejects al-Muhajiroun's message, he does believe that now is the time for jihad--but not the kind others are pursuing. "In these days of war, our jihad is to show the peaceful face of Islam," he says. "Retaliation and revenge will just lead to more retaliation and revenge. You can defend your religion peacefully." That may be the kind of jihad worth joining.

--By Helen Gibson. With reporting by Jeff Chu/Birmingham and Ghulam Hasnain/Karachi