Andrew Tate and the incel-Islamist nexus
Andrew Tate, the Anglo-American influencer, kickboxer and online sex business owner, has been released from custody into house arrest in Romania. Reputed to be the most googled man of 2022, Tate’s first communications show a rhetorical shift as he now signals to two distinct pools of fans.
His rise to notoriety last year was sparked by a TikTok video that promoted male dominance, female submission and wealth. It garnered up to 11.6 billion views and his arrest last December on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group only acted to further his notoriety. Holding on to his red pill, blue pill incels (involuntary celibates), he tells them they are not free and “living in the matrix”. But he also signals to another fan base with the proclamation: “We must defeat Shaytan [the Islamic version of Satan].”
The positive uptake of his views raised questions as to what may be rendering young men susceptible. Civil society scrambled for answers and ways in which they could challenge his support. As researchers turned to the challenge of incel and its potential for violence, Tate moved into a new scene, the toxic masculine Islamist scene, creating the potential for an incel-Islamist radical cross over, opposition to which becomes even more challenging and complex.
Tate’s announcement of conversion to Islam at first raised hopes that it may lead him to critically reflect on his views towards women and society. However, his journey to faith has been peppered with a toxic masculine Islamism, characterized by an obsession with the male physique, a desire to rule over women and undermine values of tolerance and equality. His choice of Islamic mentors highlights the extreme path he is on. He can be seen learning from none other than Mohammed Hijab[1], known for his controversial remarks, including declaring “We love death” at a pro-Palestine rally and making threats against Hindus in Leicester.[2]
The online Islamist right is united by a shared conviction that a natural order of society, one in which authority is derived from patriarchal force, has been disrupted and replaced in the west by the political and economic autonomy of women, feminism, and the LGBT movement. Maria Akbar writes for the controversial news platform 5 Pillars on how Andrew Tate’s views chime with her take on Islam. She feels that “there has been an emasculation of men with the advent of feminism…I view a feminist as a woman who is bold and angry, demanding her rights be given to her. Almost like a baby whose toys have been thrown out of its pram. But far less cute.”[3]
Tate had been enthusiastically received by like-minded misogynists, such as Dilly Hussain, co-founder of 5 Pillars, due to their shared anti-Western stance, approach to women and disdain for LGBT rights.[4] Hussain regularly praises Tate’s work and recently lamented that he could not host him on his podcast, due to Tate’s detention.[5] The opinions around his arrest seemingly center around forgiveness, some even denial.[6]
Of considerable concern is the way in which Tate can be used by Islamists to increase their reach. During a podcast appearance with Mohammed Hijab, Tate made several worrying statements regarding the role of women in society, including suggesting that a husband is responsible for protecting and providing for his wife during marriage, and that a woman should bear “personal responsibility” in cases of sexual assault.[7] The episode has gained 2.3 million views since it was uploaded to Hijab’s YouTube channel in October. The greater access this gives Islamists to young men, men who are seeking Tate because they are aggrieved and searching for meaning and value, provides new challenges to counter-extremism practitioners tasked with tackling avenues of radicalisation.
A variety of reasons have been posited for Tate’s decision to identify as Muslim: extending his fan base, a genuine search for God, or yet another anti-establishment publicity stunt. Whatever the purpose, his adherence to the ideology of figures like Hijab and Hussain paints a negative image of Islam. It has the potential to fuel anti-Muslim sentiment among those who oppose Tate, whilst also the potential to draw Tate’s followers from the extreme incel ideology to an Islamist ideology that extends hate beyond women and LGBTQ+ and aims to impose that thinking on others.
The overlap between Islamist and incel ideologies presents both challenge and opportunity for counter-extremism practitioners. Islamists often grab media attention whilst demanding that they be understood as the “true believers”. This leaves politicians in a fix, reluctant to challenge them lest they be seen as challenging Islam as a whole. Tate’s uptake of Islamist extremism may well offer Tate a layer of protection: people may fear being branded Islamophobic if they now challenge his views. Yet in the same breath there is also a very significant opportunity. Those on the political Left who have been intent on challenging Tate may come to realise that Islamism must be challenged too. In that case Islamism may well begin to be seen for what it is: a religious Right-wing supremacist movement.
Whilst there is confidence in challenging Andrew Tate as a classic Right-wing target, more confidence is needed in tackling Islamist extremism. This may be a moment of clarity for those on the Left who struggle to stand for individual rights in the face of religio-community challenge. As ever, work is needed to provide an alternative sense of identity and belonging, centred on values of equality and tolerance. While British society fails to create such a space and politicians flounder in robust challenge to some forms of extremism, the Tate-fronted intel-Islamist nexus will speak to the frustrated and lonely. It offers the myth that men are owed a certain type of life that Western liberal society bars them from. And it tells these young men that they should embrace aggressive masculinity and if they do so, they deserve an obedient wife.
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[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEXqHXgSmoY
[2] https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/globalised-islamic-brotherhood-3-0-leicester-is-ground-zero/; https://henryjacksonsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/CRTLeicesterFinalReport-FINAL-VERSION.pdf
[3] https://5pillarsuk.com/2022/11/11/andrew-tate-may-trigger-muslim-feminists-but-what-he-says-chimes-with-islam/
[4] See Blood borthers podcast content and 5 Pillars news articles.
[5] https://5pillarsuk.com/2023/01/11/blood-brothers-91-should-muslims-support-andrew-tate/
[6] https://5pillarsuk.com/2023/01/17/no-you-cant-compare-andrew-tate-to-maajid-nawaz/
