The Quilliam Foundation is the world’s first counter-extremism think tank. It is based in London and was set up by former Islamist activists (Maajid Nawaz, Ed Husain and Rashad Ali) who were all previously connected to the UK branch of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

The foundation takes its name from the Islamic activist William Abdullah Quilliam, an English convert to Islam during the 1880s.

Objectives

The Quilliam Foundation is a counter-extremism think tank and campaign group. It supports that the revival of an Islam of Andalusian heritage. Maajid Nawaz, one of its founders states,

The first (objective) is I want to demonstrate how the Islamist ideology is incompatible with Islam. Secondly, I want to develop a Western Islam that is at home in Britain and in Europe. We want to reverse radicalization by taking on their arguments and countering them.^[1]

The Quilliam Foundation believes that Islam is not an ideology but a religion,^[2] namely “Islam is not Islamism.”^[3]

The Foundation opposes Islamists, in particular the group Hizb ut-Tahrir.^[4]

The Foundation argues that Islam has no specific prescriptions for modes of governance, as Muslim history has illustrated a plethora of approaches to government. Unlike Christianity, it argues, Islam has not battled for the separation of church and state, clerics were almost always an entity separate from government. The Foundation argues Muslim scholars such as Ibn al-Qayyim (d 1350) condemned those who claimed to rule in God's name - ^[5]

Proposals

The primary recommendation is the establishment of rehabilitation centres^[6] in which to “detox” extremists, based on the success of Egyptian and Saudi programmes of this kind. These centres would expose extremists and terrorists who wish to leave their organisations to the work of Islamic scholars whose work has been recognized as sound and legitimate.^[7]

Other goals include instructing and urging communities, groups, scholars and leaders to identify and eject Islamists/extremists from their midst.^{[citation needed]}

The organization's ultimate audience is British Muslims, with a particular focus on extremists and radicals. To date the organization has engaged with audiences through presentations, interviews and discussions across Europe and the Middle East.^{[citation needed]}

The Hijab

Regarding the French ban on hijab, Maajid Nawaz said Muslims can only oppose it based on his condition; "If Muslims object to the French ban on the hijab, we must also object to the "Islamist" plan to impose the hijab and ban women uncovering their hair".^[8]

Typology

The Quilliam Foundation believes Islam to be a faith like other religions, a personal and private religion as opposed to an ideology.^[9]

Terminology

The Quilliam Foundation argues that “[Islamists] are extreme because of their rigidity in understanding politics”^[10].

“The modernist attempt to claim that political sovereignty belongs to God, that the Shari'ah equates to state law, and it is a religious duty on all Muslims to create a political entity that reflects the above… Islamism is the belief that Islam is a political ideology”^[11]

Jurisprudential revisionism

The Quilliam Foundation is undertaking theological revisionism in line with its views on modernity^[12] to support its objective of creating a Western Islam.^[13]

Eastern Islam or Western Islam

The Quilliam Foundation argues for the creation of a new “Western Islam”,^[14] modelled on the culture of Andalusian Spain between 711 and 1492 AD.

Terrorism

The Quilliam Foundation partly condemns Muslims for not doing enough to combat the development of political extremism within their community.^{[citation needed]}

Founders

The three public founders are Maajid Nawaz, Rashad Zamaan Ali, and Mohammed Mahboob “Ed” Husain, who were previously activists of the UK branch of the Islamic political party Hizb ut-Tahrir. Throughout Hizb ut-Tahrir’s history, no members had previously undertaken such a high profile 180-degree reversal of position^[4][15].

Mohammed “Ed” Mahboob Husain

Husain was born and brought up in the East End of London in a Bangladeshi family.^[16] Husain chronicled his experience with Hizb ut-Tahrir chronicled in his book “The Islamist”. Nick Cohen, Melanie Phillips, Michael Gove and David Aaronovitch provided rave reviews whilst Taji Mustafa, Andrew Booso, Azam Tamimi and Yahya Birt were more critical with Ziauddin Sardar questioning whether the book was penned by someone in the Government of the United Kingdom.^[17]:

The fixation with HT is somewhat understandable considering the history of Husein. However, the obsession to blame it for the environment of terrorism is taking reductionism to its extreme. (Ziauddin Sardar)^[18]

Husain argued that he was an activist of Hizb ut-Tahrir and left due to his contribution to the atmosphere surrounding the murder of a student at Newham College.^{[19] [20][21]}

Regarding extremist Muslims he says,

Call them jihadists, Islamists, but I wouldn't call them Muslim. Being Muslim is not enough for them. They make politics seem religious….^[22]

He informed the university authorities of the presence of members of the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir in Damascus and has called for them to be banned in the UK.^[23]

Maajid Nawaz

Maajid Nawaz was a high ranking member of Hizb ut Tahrir for 14 years. He was a national speaker for the party and was on their leadership committee. In 2002 he was jailed in Egypt with two others for belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Whilst in prison, he began to review and reconsider some of his Islamist ideas^[24] and developing his understanding of traditional Islam. After being released from prison Nawaz continued his activities with Hizb ut Tahrir for about a year before resigning.

Nawaz attributes his departure from Hizb ut-Tahrir to his profound doubts about what the group represents.

Rashad Ali

Rashad was with Hizb ut Tahrir for 12 years before he left. He was formerly known as the Hizb party "Mujtahid" and was on their Wilayah committee.

The Quilliam name

Abdullah Quilliam, a 19th century British convert to Islam, was influential in advancing knowledge of Islam within the British Isles, and gained converts through literary works and charitable institutions he founded.

Advisors, associates and affilliates

The Quilliam Foundation site formerly listed a number of scholars as supporters and advisors. All their names were removed, however, after some of them reported that they had been threatened and harassed by Islamists:

“In the meantime, we have decided to respect our advisors' wishes that they continue to advise us in private so as to save them the indignity of constant Islamist-Wahhabite harassment [sic]. We have therefore decided to no longer publicise their names," Hussain said.^[25]

He cited a number of scholars whom he approved of in his book, including Hamza Yusuf Hanson, Nuh Keller and T.J. Winter;^[26]

Criticism

The foundation has aroused considerable hostilty amongst extremist Muslim organisations: 'All of this is designed to discredit us in the eyes of members of the Muslim community,' Husain said. 'The leaders of these movements are fearful of us because they know that members have been in touch with us and they want help in order to leave.'^[27]

The Quilliam Foundation's critics have included Islamists such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, Azam Tamimi (Muslim Brotherhood), Inayat Bunglawala ((MCB), Yvonne Ridley, Ihtisham Hibatullah amongst others. ^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• The Quilliam Foundation's official website
• Ex-extremists call for 'Western Islam' - The Launch of the Quilliam Foundation
• Transcript: Any Questions? 29 February 2008. Stephen Timms, Justine Greening, Lembit Opik, Ed Husain
• New Muslim organisations exonerate government of its responsibilities and sideline credible voices
• Quilliam Foundation's Fear-Mongering

See also