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
consistent enforcing ignorant realised totally
I realised that the idea of enforcing sharia is not consistent with Islam as it's been practised from the beginning. In other words, Islam has always been secular, and I had been totally ignorant of the fact.
born raised
I was, by the way - I'm an Essex lad, born and raised in Essex in the U.K.
designed language
Language that is designed to dehumanize has consequences.
lost religion
I say I haven't lost my religion. I've lost my ideology.
encourage order
I think I would encourage leaders to start working with communities in order to inoculate angry, young teenagers.
began cradle scene time
I was in prison with pretty much the who's who of the jihadist and Islamist scene of Egypt at the time, and Egypt was the cradle of Islamism for the world - it's where it began and where jihadism began as well.
damaging joined left people society
Wherever I've been, I've left people who joined Hizb ut-Tahrir. I have to make amends. What I did was damaging to British society and the world at large.
liberal upbringing
My upbringing was completely liberal from the start. In fact, I didn't even have a Muslim identity.
adopt public wearing
Let me make this clear: it is our duty to adopt a policy barring the wearing of niqabs in these public buildings.
held
I was held in the Mazra Tora Prison for my role as leader of the pan-Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in Alexandria.
aftermath imprisoned people september state
I was imprisoned in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 attacks, when Egypt's state security was rounding people up in unprecedented numbers.
anymore close dear family fell immediate marriage members simply talking
There are members - very, very close and dear members - of my family - I'm talking immediate family - who simply don't speak to me anymore and haven't done so for years. My marriage fell apart.
arrive bloody committed descend enforce invariably organize power seek worldly
The only certainty we have is that those who are certain of a way to arrive at worldly salvation, are committed enough to organize around this, and seek power to enforce it, will invariably descend into a bloody totalitarian fascism.
case
Traditionally, open-minded secular liberal rationalists have not made a case for tolerance.