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Quilliam Press Release from December, 2008 - Subject: Israeli Military Operations
Earlier today, Tommy Robinson and Kevin Carroll announced they are leaving the English Defense League. In an interview with the BBC, Tommy Robinson said "I want to combat extremism. I see Quilliam as the only voice in this country, really, that represents that."
But who is Quilliam?
According to Wikipedia:
Quilliam is a London-based think tank that focuses on "counter-extremism", specifically Islamism, which it argues is the cause of Muslim terrorism. Founded as The Quilliam Foundation, it lobbies government and public institutions for more nuanced policies regarding Islam and the need for greater democracy in the Muslim world. According to its founder Maajid Nawaz, "We wish to raise awareness around Islamism";[1] also "I want to demonstrate how the Islamist ideology is incompatible with Islam. Secondly...develop a Western Islam that is at home in Britain and in Europe... reverse radicalization by taking on their arguments and countering them."[2] The organization opposes any Islamist ideology, and champions freedom of expression. The critique of Islamist ideology by its founders Maajid Nawaz, Rashad Zaman Ali, and Ed Husain is based, in part, on their personal experiences.
Maajid Nawaz is the Director of Quilliam. So, who is he?
Maajid Nawaz is a British Pakistani and former member of the Islamic political group Hizb ut-Tahrir. He holds a B.A. (Hons) from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and a M.Sc. in Political Theory from the London School of Economics. He is the co-founder and Executive Director of Quilliam, the world's first counter-extremism think tank. He is also the co-founder of Khudi, a counter-extremism social movement working towards the promotion of social democratic change in Pakistan.
Nawaz cites racism whilst growing up and feeling divided between his Pakistani and British identities as important factors in his struggle to find his own identity. He cites seeing how "European Muslims were being massacred" in Bosnia as a turning point.[1] Maajid's experience of Islamism began at the age of 16 when he left home to pursue a design course in London - it was then that he was recruited to Hizb ut-Tahrir (The Liberation Party).[2] Maajid very quickly became a national speaker and international recruiter for the party, travelling first to Pakistan and then to Denmark to export the party's ideology and set up cells from London.
He was arrested in December of 2001 in Egypt and remained in prison there until 2006. He resigned from Hizb-ut-Tahrir in May 2007.
I'm posting all of this in the interest of familiarizing myself and our readers with the organization, Quilliam.
One question that comes to mind is, is Quiliam a British equivalent of CAIR? Are they simply a Taqiyya Organization focused on obfuscating extremism in Islam, or are they truly focused on eliminating extremism, and separating marginal Muslims from Extremist (real) Islam by emboldening them to make their voices heard?
It is interesting to note that Robert Spencer, in the comments section at Jihad Watch, has distanced himself from Quilliam, all the while expressing support for Tommy Robinson's decision:
Re Quilliam: I do not support it. This statement doesn't mention it. How Tommy Robinson's connection with them will play out remains to be seen. I expect that he is going to continue to fight against Islamic jihad, Islamic supremacism, Islamic Jew-hatred, etc. If by chance he doesn't, then I won't consider him an ally any longer.Robert Spencer
This is a vague statement by Spencer. When he says he does not support Quilliam, does he mean he doesn't have an opinion, or that he is simply not aligning himself with Quilliam as Tommy is, or that he doesn't agree with Quilliam?
Frankly, it is surprising to me that Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller would express seemingly unqualified support for Robinson and Carroll, only to then, later in the day, distance themselves from the organization which seems to have become their new allies.
But, of course, Allies don't have to agree on everything, do they?
In order to understand Quilliam, I believe we would need to take a look at the history of the stands they have taken on various issues. So, here is an example.
Here is a Press Release, from 2008. The subject is Israeli Military Operations in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas rocket attacks.
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On 28th December 2008, the Quilliam Foundation issued the following press release:
The six-month ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, brokered by Egypt, has expired. In response to a series of Hamas rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, Israel has launched its deadliest attack on Gaza in decades, killing over 200 people, including civilians, and injuring hundreds more. The hugely disproportionate killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces has not been seen on this scale since the Six-Day War in 1967.
Ed Husain, the Quilliam Foundation’s co-Director, said:
“The UK Government cannot seek to win hearts and minds across Muslim communities while failing to stop Israel from murdering Palestinians en masse. Gordon Brown and David Miliband have reached out to Damascus and Darfur in recent weeks in an attempt to bring peace and stand for fairness. That is commendable. And in that spirit, where is the outright condemnation of Israeli atrocities and pressure on Israel to stop its inhumane operations?
Perceived double standards from our Government and the current green light (from Washington and London) to Israel’s killing machine will strengthen Al Qaeda’s metanarrative and radicalize yet another generation of young Muslims.
Isolating and angering millions of Muslims by sitting on the fence will not aid the PREVENT agenda, or the moderate majority of Muslims. The FCO and Downing Street has a duty to stand, condemn, and call for immediate cessation of Israel’s military operations, and end the siege”.
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