Policy & Research Forum
July 11, 2008
Moderated by:
Frank Cilluffo
Director, HSPI
Featuring:
Maajid Nawaz
Director
The Quilliam Foundation
Countering the effects of extremist propaganda – including radicalization and recruitment to terrorist groups – requires a compelling and effective counter-narrative that forcefully refutes and responds to the extremists’ own. While governments have a role to play, in order to be effective such a counter-narrative must come from trusted and credible voices within vulnerable communities themselves. This discussion examined efforts to promote, cultivate and amplify these voices.
The Quilliam Foundation, a “counter-extremism think tank” founded in April 2008 and based in the United Kingdom, rejects extremist and violent interpretations of Islam and “believes that Western Muslims should revive Western Islam, our Andalusian heritage of pluralism and respect, and thereby find harmony in West-Islam relations.” The Foundation seeks to expose and challenge the weaknesses and failings of extremism, provide a scripturally rooted theological and ideological alternative to extremism, encourage extremists to sever ties with their movements and enter the mainstream, and advocate the full integration of Muslims into Western society.
Maajid Nawaz is Director of the Quilliam Foundation and one of its founders. Mr. Nawaz was formerly a member of the group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which advocates the formation of an Islamic state in the UK, and served on its leadership committee. Imprisoned in Egypt in 2002 for his membership, Mr. Nawaz “spent [years] debating the intricacies of Islamist ideology with fellow prisoners.” After his release, Mr. Nawaz publicly rejected Hizb ut-Tahrir and recanted extremism. His former experiences have given him unique insights into extremist thought.
Mr. Nawaz explained that the foundation’s goal in the short term would be for the complete rejection and abandonment of Islamist ideology. Long-term, the goal is to have indigenous Western Islam developed by Western Muslims within society—not foreign teachers from other cultures. On a separate political level, Muslims in the UK must engage in politics not as Muslims, but as citizens within civil society. “The solutions lie in civil society—the unorganized majority taking on the organized minority [Islamists].” He added that it will be almost impossible to have this type of success without similar success in Muslim-majority countries. In other words, we must make serious efforts to encourage liberal democracy through civil society in these countries.
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The HSPI Policy & Research Forum series is designed to spotlight cutting-edge policy solutions and innovative strategies to some of the most pressing national and international concerns. The Forum features leading officials, practitioners and thinkers in a systematic way designed to better highlight their work and promote a dialogue on effective solutions to current issues.
