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	== See also ==		== See also ==
	~~{{Portal\|Books\|Politics}}~~
	{{div col\|colwidth=20em}}		{{div col\|colwidth=20em}}
	* [[Unholy Wars]]		* [[Unholy Wars]]

->Ser Amantio di Nicolao: now in infobox template, removed stub tag

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{{short description|book by Mark Curtis}}
{{Infobox book
| italic title = 
| name = Secret Affairs
| image = Secret Affairs.jpg
| image_size =
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| alt =
| caption =
| author = [[Mark Curtis (British author)|Mark Curtis]]
| audio_read_by =
| title_orig =
| orig_lang_code =
| title_working =
| translator = Kamal al-Sayyid
| illustrator =
| cover_artist =
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| language = [[English language|English]], [[Arabic]]
| series =
| release_number =
| subject = [[International relations]], [[Politics]], [[Terrorism]]
| genre =
| set_in =
| publisher = [[Serpent's Tail]]
| publisher2 = Egyptian National Center for Translation
| pub_date = First published in 2010 by Serpent's Tail, an imprint of [[Profile Books Ltd]]
| english_pub_date =
| published =
| media_type =
| pages = 430
| awards =
| isbn = 9781846687631
| isbn_note =
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| followed_by =
| native_wikisource =
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}}

'''Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion With Radical Islam''' is a 2010 [[Nonfiction|non-fiction]] book written by the British historian and journalist [[Mark Curtis (British author)|Mark Curtis]] which explores the [[United Kingdom]]'s relationship with [[Islamic extremism|radical Islamism]].

==Content==

In the book, using declassified [[Government of the United Kingdom|UK government]] documents, Curtis argues that the British state has supported Islamic extremists since the early 20th century to further their [[Foreign relations of the United Kingdom|foreign policy goals]] in the [[Muslim world]], claiming that Britain's policies in the region "have generally aimed at maintaining in power or installing governments that will promote Western-friendly oil policies."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/jul/05/islamist-terrorism-foreign-policy|title=UK's collusion with Islamists 'catastrophic'|publisher=[[The Guardian]]|website=theguardian.com|archive-url=https://archive.today/XBVNA|archive-date=18 Sep 2021}}</ref><ref name="Frontline Magazine">{{cite web|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/other/article30189647.ece|title=Islamist proxies|publisher=[[Frontline Magazine]]|website=frontline.thehindu.com|archive-url=https://archive.today/lNCiv|archive-date=18 Sep 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://socialistreview.org.uk/350/secret-affairs|title=Secret Affairs|publisher=[[Socialist Review]]|website=socialistreview.org.uk|archive-url=https://archive.today/Xh8lQ|archive-date=17 Sep 2021}}</ref>

Curtis writes that this relationship between the UK and radical Islam started as the British government looked for a way to counter the rise of [[Arab nationalism|nationalism]] in the [[Middle East]] and maintain Western dominance in the wider Muslim world, focusing on events such as the [[1953 Iranian coup d'état]], the [[Unification of Saudi Arabia|unification]] of [[Saudi Arabia]] and the [[Free Aceh Movement]]-led [[Insurgency in Aceh|insurgency]] in [[Indonesia]]. ''Secret Affairs'' also claims that British support in radical Islam is primarily rooted in Britain's [[Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations|relationship with]] the [[Politics of Saudi Arabia|Saudi government]], as Saudi Arabia is a primary purchaser of military equipment from UK-based [[Arms industry|weapons manufacturers]]; leading to the British state intentionally overlooking promotion of Islamic extremism in Britain by the Saudi government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/secret-affairs-mark-curtis-2038691.html|title=Secret Affairs, By Mark Curtis|publisher=[[The Independent]]|website=independent.co.uk|archive-url=https://archive.today/jm1e2|archive-date=28 Aug 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2010/07/20/secret-affairs-book-review-453399/|title=Secret Affairs should be required reading for politicians|publisher=[[Metro UK]]|website=metro.co.uk|archive-url=https://archive.today/QQQDz|archive-date=17 Sep 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newhumanist.org.uk/2340/book-review-secret-affairs-by-mark-curtis|title=Book Review: Secret Affairs by Mark Curtis|publisher=[[New Humanist]]|website=newhumanist.org.uk|archive-url=https://archive.today/6zIFp|archive-date=17 Sep 2021}}</ref>

Claiming the British government supported various radical Islamic groups in [[Iran]], [[Egypt]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Iraq]], [[Libya]], [[Syria]], [[Indonesia]] and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]], Curtis places these developments in a larger pattern of British foreign policy of self-interest in the Muslim world; citing the example of British attempts to cultivate a relationship with the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] in order to overthrow Egyptian political leader [[Gamal Abdel Nassar]] after he nationalized the [[Suez Canal]] (as a precursor to the [[Suez Crisis|Tripartite Aggression]] by the UK, France and Israel in 1956).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/in-bed-with-radical-islam|title=In bed with radical Islam|publisher=[[Morning Star (British newspaper)|Morning Star]]|website=morningstaronline.co.uk|archive-url=https://archive.today/jwRFI|archive-date=17 Sep 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newint.org/columns/media/books/2010/09/01/secret-affairs/|title=Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam|publisher=[[New Internationalist]]|website=newint.org|archive-url=https://archive.today/3pYae|archive-date=17 Sep 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.executive-magazine.com/business-all/society/secret-affairs-a-book-by-mark-curtis|title=Secret Affairs: a book by Mark Curtis|publisher=[[Executive Magazine]]|website=executive-magazine.com|archive-url=https://archive.today/wWDtf|archive-date=17 Sep 2021}}</ref>

Curtis also focuses on a lack of media attention in the UK towards British foreign policy, citing British news coverage of Britain's support for [[Syrian opposition]] in the [[Syrian civil war|ongoing civil war in Syria]] as an example of "how poorly the mainstream media serves the public", stating in an interview with ''[[openDemocracy]]'': "While large sections of the public are deluged with misreporting, disinformation or simply the absence of coverage of key policies, there may never be a critical mass of people prepared to take action in their own interests to bring about a wholly different foreign policy."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/britain-s-collusion-with-radical-islam-interview-with-mark-curtis/|title=Britain’s collusion with radical Islam: Interview with Mark Curtis|publisher=[[openDemocracy]]|website=opendemocracy.net|archive-url=https://archive.today/9CSPf|archive-date=23 Jul 2020}}</ref>

==Reception==

In a review for ''[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]]'', Robert Murphy wrote that "''Secret Affairs'' deserves to become a key reference point in the debate over terrorism and Middle East policy", though he criticized the "exclusive focus on Britain’s involvement [which] pushes the [[Foreign policy of the United States|US’s larger role]] to one side." The book was translated into [[Arabic]] by Kamal al-Sayyid and published in [[Cairo]] by the [[Egyptian National Center for Translation]] in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/details/292081|title=العلاقة السرية بين بريطانيا وجماعات الإسلام السياسي.. كتاب لمارك كورتيس|publisher=[[Al-Masry Al-Youm]]|website=almasryalyoum.com|language=ar|archive-url=https://archive.today/s7ylj|archive-date=18 Sep 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://elaph.com/Web/NewsPapers/2013/12/860207.html|title=التاريخ السرّي لتآمر بريطانيا مع الأصوليين|publisher=[[Elaph]]|website=elaph.com|language=ar|archive-url=https://archive.today/ondCV|archive-date=18 Sep 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youm7.com/story/2013/2/19/وثائق-تاريخية-بريطانية-إنجلترا-وجهت-الإخوان-والسعودية-لاغتيال-«عبدالناصر»-السعوديون/950816|title=وثائق تاريخية بريطانية: إنجلترا وجهت الإخوان والسعودية لاغتيال "عبدالناصر".. السعوديون رشوا ضباطاً سوريين بمليونى جنيه إسترلينى لإسقاط طائرة "الزعيم الراحل" وهو فى طريقه لدمشق|publisher=[[Youm7]]|website=youm7.com|language=ar|archive-url=https://archive.today/Qk4bP|archive-date=18 Sep 2021}}</ref> ''Secret Affairs'' has remained on the bestseller list since it was published.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.albawabhnews.com/129751|title=المركز القومي للترجمة يصدر "التاريخ السري لتآمر بريطانيا مع الأصوليين"|publisher=Albawabhnews|website=albawabhnews.com|language=ar|archive-url=https://archive.today/Lryz6|archive-date=18 Sep 2021}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Books|Politics}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Unholy Wars]]
* [[The Grand Chessboard]]
* [[Memoirs of Mr. Hempher, The British Spy to the Middle East]]
* [[Devil's Game (book)|Devil's Game]]
* [[The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy]]
* [[Confessions of an Economic Hit Man]]
* [[The Shock Doctrine]]
* [[Fitnat al-Wahhabiyya]]
* [[List of books about al-Qaeda]]
* ''[[Declassified UK]]''
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://markcurtis.info/2010/07/20/secret-affairs-britains-collusion-with-radical-islam/ Official website]
* [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8688354-secret-affairs ''Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam''] on [[Goodreads]]
* [https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Secret-Affairs%3A-Britain's-Collusion-with-Radical-Stott/e2731e722adca83a8461f817c313fd207fe37a4d ''Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam''] on [[Semantic Scholar]]

{{Islamism}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Books about politics of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Books about terrorism]]
[[Category:Books about the Muslim Brotherhood]]
[[Category:Islam and politics]]
[[Category:Islam-related controversies]]
[[Category:Islamism]]
[[Category:Serpent's Tail books]]

Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam - Revision history

Birjesh Kumar: fixed issues

CleanupBot II: Removed empty portal template using script

->Ser Amantio di Nicolao: now in infobox template, removed stub tag