Maajid Nawaz
Maajid Nawaz
Maajid Usman Nawazis a British activist, author, columnist and politician. He was the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for London's Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in the 2015 general election. He is also the founding chairman of Quilliam, a counter-extremism think tank that seeks to challenge the narratives of Islamist extremists...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionActivist
christian challenges violent
No form of theocracy, whether it's manifested in a violent or non-violent form, is ever good for civilisation, and we have to challenge it in civil society as well as we would challenge Christian-based theocracy, or any other form of bigotry.
dogma mindset certain
Once you subscribe to an ideological dogma as a solution to certain grievances, it then frames your mindset.
awakening consciousness genocide
The Bosnian Genocide was something that triggered my consciousness and led to an awakening politically for me.
past today my-past
I am everything I am today, because of my past.
past challenges soul
After much soul searching I was able to renounce my past Islamist ideology, challenging everything I was once prepared to die for.
culture movement als
There are no globalized, youth-led, grassroots social movements advocating for democratic culture across Muslim-majority societies. There is no equivalent of Al-Qaeda without the terrorism.
ideas islam scrutinize
No idea is above scrutiny. No idea whatsoever. To criticize, to scrutinize and to satirize my own religion [Islam] is not Islamophobia.
age free good group joined news passionate quite radical since turned
I joined a radical group at the age of 16 because I'm a passionate man; the good news is that I turned myself around since then. But my character is still quite free and passionate.
muslim
I really didn't grow up religious, and I didn't grow up acknowledging my Muslim identity. For me, I was a British Pakistani.
almost contact easily personal point prisons radical regularly tend
The first point of contact for radicalisation is almost always a personal one. Prisons and universities, for example, tend to be easily and regularly infiltrated by radical groups, who use them as forums to propagate their ideas.
based religion scripture whether
The conclusion that I have come to is that actually, no religion, whether it's Islam, Christianity or any idea based on scripture or texts, is a religion of 'anything,' really.
calling cheeky ideal viewed
The cheeky ideal I am calling for is that Muslims should be viewed as equal citizens, nothing more and nothing less.
became faith muslim politics somebody whose
I became, suddenly, not just a Muslim in faith. I became a Muslim in politics. Somebody whose politics were pre-defined by one interpretation of Islam.
absence acceptance british harder increased lack muslims society sympathy tough understand
Increased sympathy for an Islamist cause, lack of integration, and the absence of acceptance of Muslims into British society makes it harder for Muslims to challenge Islamism and tough for non-Muslims to understand it.