This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7598

Pimps For The Profit: Quilliam Foundation Launches In NYC - MC'ed By Gay Bashing Muslim Convert 'Preacher Moss'

September 25, 2017

2004 review: "But headliner Preacher Moss ended his set with several unfunny anti-gay comments – you couldn't call them jokes – that wrecked the night and made everyone's pleas for acceptance and seeing beyond stereotypes seem hypocritical. Moss claimed homosexuals are "like Visa, everywhere I want to be," dismissed gay rights with an impression of a man cooing, "I have a dream, too!" in reaction to Martin Luther King's civil rights speech, and implied that gay men like the prostrate Muslim praying stance and wear the hijab."http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2004-06-03/stage_scenes.php

WATCH: Quilliam International's North America launch in New York City hosted by MC Preacher Moss. Quilliam founder Maajid Nawaz's opening remarks; Quilliam's CEO Haras Rafiq explaining the work Quilliam been doing for the last decade in the UK; and Quilliam's Executive Director (North America) introducing himself and outlining his vision for the Quilliam U.S. https://www.quilliaminternational.com/quilliam-bulletin-21-09-2017/

MIM: Quilliam Foundation/International pretentiously touts themselves as "the world's first counter-extremism organization and their lame About Us statement is rife with empty platitudes and cliches about "promoting pluralism and inspiring change."

"Quilliam is the world's first counter-extremism organisation. We have a full spectrum and values-based approach to counter-extremism which means promoting pluralism and inspiring change."https://www.quilliaminternational.com/about/

MIM: The 'Allah made me funny' crew (which includes Moss) is also a hit with militant Islamist groups in the US and Canada 'Preacher Moss' a convert to Islam, is scheduled to speak at this event in Toronto whose speakers list reads like a who's who of Islamists.Yusuf Islam, and Tariq Ramadan, who were barred from entering the US as threats to national security were also on the list of featured speakers.http://www.studyislam.com/isp/jsp/IIUEvents/MSG2Event3.jsp

"...This will be an epoch-making event. Promoting Islamic education and building Muslim unity. Other than brief speeches, there will be Halaal entertainment and stand-up comedy. Famous Islamic singer Abu Ratib, Al-Anwar Group and comedian Preacher Moss will perform live" http://www.torontomuslims.com/events_display.asp?ID=1643

(For more see:'Allah Made Me Funny' - Muslim Students bring suicide bombing and 9/11 'humor' to U of Miami campus ' 2/4/05)

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/415

2005	Muslim Public Affairs Council	Media Award[2]	Won

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MIM:Putting the "Fun" into fundamentalism.

Quilliam's 'Spoken Word' comedy night was advertised on Facebook using a poster of what appears to be an ISIS terrorist.

MAY4

Spoken Word/ Comedy Night

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2/18 update

MIM: Terror recruiter, jihadi and Islamo Supremacist Maajid Nawaz blamed the United Kingdom and its "culture", not Islam and the Muslim Ummah, for breeding sadistic Islamic State killers like "Jihadi John".

"Britain Must Take Responsibility For The Jihadi Beatles, Insists Maajid Nawaz," LBC, February 13, 2018:

Maajid Nawaz insisted the so-called "Jihadi Beatles" should be tried in Britain rather than Syria… because they are British….

Speaking on LBC as he stood in for James O'Brien, he said: "We, the United Kingdom, produced Jihadi John. We, the United Kingdom, produced his other acolytes around him in the so-called Jihadi Beatles.

"Something in our cities and towns, something in the atmosphere within our communities in this country have produced the most infamous terrorists, at least in my lifetime.

"We need to start asking that question: what is it in our culture, in our cities, in our towns that is producing these sort of monsters."

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/02/uk-moderate-muslim-maajid-nawaz-we-the-united-kingdom-produced-jihadi-john

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MIM: The "pimps for the profit" at Quilliam make it up as they go along and have no consistent policy for dealing with nor defining the causes of radicalisation. Quilliam's Head of Islamic Studies "Imam Dr. Sheik" Usama Hasan contradicted Nawaz's contention that it is the West which is producing sadistic Islamists and stated that the issues had to be "confronted by Muslims" and in typical Islamo Supremacist fashion claims that it is "strange" if infidels comment on Islamic philosphy thus paving the way for any non Muslim criticism of Islam to be labelled "Islamophobic".

"...An audience member then questioned whether solving problems of extremism, therefore, have to come from within the Islamic community. Usama suggested that, of course, everyone in society has a role to play. However, the theological and ideological issues have to be confronted by Muslims – it seems strange for outsiders to comment on Islamic philosophy, and it was, for him, the seeds of doubt sowed by his own community that helped him come out.https://www.quilliaminternational.com/dr-usama-hasan-a-journey-in-and-out-of-extremism/

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Press Release: Quilliam Launches In North America

On Quilliam's 10th anniversary, and after ten years of combating extremism, Quilliam International will launch in North America to spread its global counter-extremism work of promoting religious freedom, equality, human rights, and democratic principles.

The establishment of Quilliam North America is a timely one, with the current U.S. political climate being one of division and polarisation. A recipe for extremism, which has seen political discourse turn violent in recent months with the rise of Islamist terrorism, far-right violence, as well as violence from far-left groups such as Antifa. This reactionary climate is one that feeds extremism, reinforcing the opposing side's beliefs and narratives. The triple threat of Islamism, the far-right, and the far-left (or Regressive Left) are not mutually exclusive and share a toxic relationship which we must divorce.

Quilliam North America vision:

Under Quilliam International HQ in the UK, we aim to serve as the premier counter-extremism organisation in the U.S. leading and collaborating with others to produce timely, precise, and evidence-based analysis that is indispensable to policymakers, practitioners, and community partners to combat violent extremism.

We are committed to accomplishing our mission through iterative learning, constant evaluation, and open and honest dialogue across various elements of society.

Quilliam North America will have a three-pronged approach and strategy in our work in this region: Policy & Research; Training; and Programs.

At the launch, Quilliam will also be showcasing a shortened 20-minute version of its 5-star rated play "Deadly Dialogues", which is longlisted for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. The event will also host artists, celebrities, policymakers, activists, and representatives of religious institutions (including those of over 350 mosques).

Haras Rafiq, Chief Executive of Quilliam International:

"The threat that our civil societies face does not recognise international borders and therefore our response has to be global. The global jihadist insurgency, the regressive-left, and the far-right have to be challenged from an intellectual, ideological, social, emotional, and spiritual perspective. I look forward to working with Muhammad and his team in North America to do so."

Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, Executive Director North America:

"The decision to join Quilliam and my interest to expand our offices in North America is part of an effort to expand Quilliam's decade-long experience working on extremist issues and to uniquely tailor it into the American context. With my experience in government, academia, and with the Muslim community, Quilliam North America will present a balanced and nuanced perspective to address the wide spectrum of violent extremism and its issues, which is more important than ever. I look forward to being part of this institution that we are building in America and to building coalitions across various communities."

The launch event will take place in New York on the 18th of September and will begin with a press conference at 16:00 EST, followed by the main event which will begin at 17:00 EST. Please emailevents@quilliaminternational.com if you wish to attend.

During this important time, we will be making ourselves as accessible as possible and are therefore open to requests for media appearances, including TV appearances, sit down interviews, Skype interviews, etc.

Quilliam's Founder Maajid Nawaz is going to be in New York from the 14th to the 23rd of September. CEO Haras Rafiq will be in New York from the 17th to the 21st of September, and Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, the Executive Director for North America will be there from the 17th to the 20th of September.

https://www.quilliaminternational.com/press-release-quilliam-launches-in-north-america/

MIM: Excerpt from: "Islamists at UK's Quilliam Foundation Receive Major Funding From UK Government"

"...The organization [Quilliam] has established a cordial relationship with the stealth jihadists at the Council on American Islamic Relations [CAIR, named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the United States' largest and ongoing, Hamas terror funding prosecution, U.S. vs. Holy Land Foundation] having invited Arsalan Iftikhar, CAIR's National Legal Director, as a guest speaker at the organizations' coming-out party held at the British Museum.

The baseline questions regarding these modern day terrorism "relapsis" are complex, touching on sincerity, motivation and above all propriety. There is an old saying in legal circles, "a witness once impeached is forever suspect.

At their worst, people of this ilk are members of the stealth jihad, further insinuating themselves into the governance of societies they seek to destroy; at best they are parasites, living off a curriculum vitae consisting of a murderous or hate-filled past, committed in service to Muslim fundamentalism.

These folks criss-cross the Western world proclaiming loudly - and for a price - that Islamic terrorism is not a desirable commodity. Why such a message is considered especially revelatory and hence worthy of compensation or reward, remains a mystery to many. Regardless, this occupation's bottom line is starkly evident; what these people do is preach - to the converted - certainly a less perilous way of earning a living than engaging in acts of religious warfare." http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/3827

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MIM: Nawaz recently denounced people who objected to Muslims being featured in a Tesco supermarket Christmas advertisement as "racists". Apparently he never got the memo that Muslims are not a race.

UK: LBC, Muslim "reformer" Maajid Nawaz denounce opposition to hijabbed Muslims in Christmas ad as "racist".

Says LBC: "The supermarket has responded to an outpouring of racist abuse after featuring a Muslim family in a Christmas advert."

And Muslim "reformer" Maajid Nawaz: "Your real agenda here is you just want a white, nativist, non-Muslim Britain."

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2017/11/uk-lbc-muslim-reformer-maajid-nawaz-denounce-opposition-to-hijabbed-muslims-in-christmas-ad-as-racist

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MIM: Nawaz's megalomania knows no bounds. He even fancies himself as a 'superhero'!

https://www.quilliaminternational.com/maajid-defenders-27102017/

Why Is Anyone Still Listening To Maajid Nawaz?

June 14, 2015

By Beila Rabinowitz

In our 2008 article "Why Is Anyone Listening To Maajid Nawaz?" we wrote that:" Maajid Nawaz has recently been making the rounds on Capitol Hill, testifying before the Senate on matters concerning terrorism. He has been feted, in some circles; an iconic poster boy, this week's iteration of the "moderate" Muslim." http://www.pipelinenews.org/2015/jun/15/why-is-anyone-listening-to-maajid-nawaz.html

Nawaz, a self proclaimed ex extremist who used to recruit for the terrorist group Hizb Ut Tahrir, found it more lucrative and practical to wage stealth jihad and started a think tank called The Quilliam Foundation, is partially funded by the UK government "and a shadowy group of Kuwaiti businessmen." The organisation says its aim is to "prevent radicalisation" a goal fraught with irony given the radical nature of people who are associated with it.

In 2008 one of the speakers at the QF launch was Arsalan Ifthikhar, the former CAIR legal director.

QF called Sheik Ali Gomaa the Grand Mufti of Egypt "a scholastic giant". In a 2003 interview Gomaa defended the use of terrorism on religious grounds. The "noble Abdullah Bin Bayyah" was also named a "scholastic giant" on the QF website. Bin Bayyah is a close confidante of Sheik Yusuf Qaradawi who is banned from entering the U.S. and is vice president of the IUMS The International Union of Muslim Scholars which was founded by Qaradawi and includes a Hamas member.

Among the publications offered by the Quilliam Foundation are texts by radical Imam Zaid Shakir who is referred to as a "Muslim scholar". Shakir produced a CD titled "Jihad or Terrorism?" in which he justifies violent jihad blaming "the enemies of Islam" for equating the two. http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/3825

The very choice of the name Quilliam Foundation should give its supporters pause for thought since a simple Google search reveals that: "William Henry Quilliam was the first British convert to Islam, took on the name Abdullah and waged a very sucessful ‘jihad through da'wa' campaign and opened the UK's first mosque. "After embracing Islam, Quilliam began a campaign of Dawah, which in the circumstances of Victorian England, has to be described as the most effective in the UK to date. He became an Alim, an Imam and the most passionate advocate of Islam in the Western world. In 1894 Sultan Abdul Hamid ll (shown on the left), the last Ottoman Caliph, appointed him Sheikh-ul-Islam of the British Isles . The Emir of Afghanistan recognised him as the Sheikh of Muslims in Britain . He was also appointed as the Persian Vice Counsel to Liverpool by the Shah. He became a prominent spokesman for Islam in the media and was recognised by Muslims around the world. He is the only Muslim in Britain to have officially held the position of Sheikh Ul Islam of Britain . He issued many Fatwas in his capacity as appointed Leader of Muslims in Britain . These fatwas are relevant even today. http://abdullahquilliam.com/wp/about-abdullah-quilliam

The QF has proven to be a vehicle for Nawaz to accomplish the civilization jihad which he could only have dreamed about as a member of HuT. And he is now a member of the Liberal Democratic Party in the UK running for political office. http://www.hampsteadandkilburnlibdems.org.uk/

In April of 2015 Nawaz's ambitions ran into a bit of a snag when he was exposed in an article with photographs in The UK Daily Mail groping a stripper and getting a lap dance in a seedy London club.

"…A regular guest on BBC News programmes, he declared on Newsnight in 2013: ‘I consider myself a feminist.' He once wrote on Twitter: ‘You don't need to be a woman to stand for women's rights.' He often throws his weight behind gender issues such as the campaign against female genital mutilation and paints himself as a role model for young Muslim men at risk of radicalisation. But Abdul Malik, the club's owner, said he wanted the video to be seen by the public because of the way Nawaz portrays himself as a feminist and a family man. ‘He's always talking about religion on TV and I thought, what a hypocrite,' he said. He claimed ‘arrogant' Nawaz acts like a ‘spokesman for Islam' – but visited the club during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan..". http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3034312/The-married-Lib-Dem-feminist-drunken-strip-club-night-temptation-caught-camera.html#ixzz3cQUG4128

Nawaz has tried to utilize ‘damage control' by publishing a statement on Facebook which only serves to show how disingenuous he really is. In the FB statement edited on April 14th he claims that he was ‘not married at the time' and that he was "a non devout Muslim". "…I have already mentioned that this was a stag night before my marriage. However, even if it were after my marriage, Rachel had already known about it…" https://www.facebook.com/MaajidNawazFanPage/posts/845956352138298 Near the end of the piece he complains that the "sting was planned after his wedding" so he appears to contradict himself. In addition a bio page about him states his marriage was in 2014. The Daily Mail expose appeared on April 10^th 2015.

On April 12^th he tweeted a picture of his wife Rachel with the following text: "Don't ya wish your wifey. was. hot. like. mine? .... Don't ya? ... Don't ya?"@RachelMaggart x pic.twitter.com/u6DVGDVxkh 822pm 12 April https://mobile.twitter.com/MaajidNawaz/status/587425654272090112 "

On being a Muslim, I have lost count of the number of times I have stated that I am a "non-devout" Muslim, including in the Mail newspaper itself." https://www.facebook.com/MaajidNawazFanPage/posts/845956352138298

In a 2012 Newsweek article Nawaz had to catch himself and proclaimed the following: "I am no longer—I never was—-devout," says Nawaz. http://www.newsweek.com/maajid-nawaz-repentant-radical-65445

Nawaz may not be a "devout Muslim" now but he must have been during his tenure with Hizb Ut Tahrir and his four year stint in an Egyptian jail with luminaries of the Muslim Brotherhood. At the time, Amnesty International took up his case. He would have had plenty of time to practice taqiyah (lying to infidels to further the cause of Islam).

The 2008 Quilliam Foundation "About Us" page is fraught with religious references and calls upon Muslims to" revive Western Islam",states that they and their "progeny" belong in the UK and lauds two radical clerics. It also says that Quilliam leaders remain "committed Muslims".

"… The founders of the Quilliam Foundation have all travelled the path of extremism and, in recent years, after witnessing the logical conclusion of unfettered ideology and its impact on adherents, have resoundingly rejected Islamism while remaining committed Muslims…"

"Now under the guidance of mainstream Muslim scholars, we believe that Western Muslims should revive Western Islam, our Andalusian heritage of pluralism and respect, and thereby find harmony in West-Islam relations. Western Muslims should be free from the cultural baggage of the Indian subcontinent, or the political burdens of the Arab world. We were born and raised in a milieu that is different from the Muslim East. As such, our future and progeny belong here. Just as Muslims across the globe have adopted from and adapted to local cultures and traditions, while remaining true to the essence of their faith, Western Muslims should pioneer new thinking for our new times. Here, Muslim scholastic giants, such as the noble Abdullah bin Bayyah and Shaikh Ali Goma (Mufti of Egypt), have provided ample guidance."

Reza Aslan, a notorious stealth Islamist is among the advisors to the Quilliam Foundation. Aslan has praised the terror group Hezbollah and stated that "The Muslim Brotherhood will have a significant role to play in post –Mubarak Egypt and that is a good thing." http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/13336

In 2014 the Quilliam Foundation held an event which featured Fiyaz Mughal the head of the ‘Tell Mama" organisation which claimed to monitor "Islamophobia". http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/events/quilliam-event-09-07-2014-anti-muslim-hate-crime-in-the-uk/

Tell Mama had its government funding withdrawn after it was discovered that they had consistently lied about anti Muslim incidents and threatened their critics with libel action. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/andrew-gilligan/10108098/Muslim-hate-monitor-to-lose-backing.html

At a Quilliam Foundation "outreach" event in 2013 entitled "Do We Need An Islamic State?" (Sheik) Usama Hasan their "senior researcher of Islamic studies" who is involved with "developing the Sharia in keeping with the original Prophetic spirit of mercy, and away from rigid ritualism" stated the following: Dr. Hasan argued, based on Islamic scripture and its mainstream, normative interpretation, that an ‘Islamic state', if such a thing existed, would be a just state, respecting basic human rights, freedoms and democracy. Furthermore, it would be obliged to help provide for people's basic necessities such as food and drink, housing, education, jobs and healthcare. Dr. Hasan stated that in this sense, " Britain is far more ‘Islamic' than many so-called ‘Islamic states'. http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/events/do-we-need-an-islamic-state-dr-usama-hasan-addresses-bristol-university-multi-faith-chaplaincy/

An article in the New Statesman entitled "Nice Try, Maajid Nawaz but you didn't go to a lapdancing club because you're a feminist" sums up the absurdity of his protestations that he is indeed a liberal democrat who fights for women's rights.

"..Nawaz's "feminism" is a hollow parody of the women's movement. He proudly proclaims his support for all the choices a woman can make, especially the choices that might give him an erection, but never asks why it should be women who have this "choice" to gyrate unclothed for men they wouldn't let within sniffing distance unpaid… …Because Nawaz, of course, is not a feminist. He's just one more man pinning the label on himself like a set of nipple tassels and twirling them to distract the audience from the fact that he's got a giant hard-on for his own power. " http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2015/04/nice-try-maajid-nawaz-you-didn-t-go-lapdancing-club

Nawaz is indeed obsessed with his own power. His latest Facebook page entry reads : " ATTEND - I'm chairing the Lib Dem Leadership Debate at the National Liberal Club between leadership candidates Tim Farron MP and Norman Lamb MP on "Liberalism, Free Speech & Extremism." The event will take place on June15th https://www.facebook.com/MaajidNawazFanPage/photos/a.551104524956817.1073741829.135775283156412/872322886168311/?type=1&theater

An article about himself in The Times of London revealed the following. "Maajid Nawaz can understand why two aspirational Muslim brothers from Cardiff have ended up going on jihad in Syria . Born in Southend to a middle-class Anglophile household of Pakistani origin, he and his brother also turned from being A-grade students into Islamist extremists…

…"That's why I want to go into British politics. I want to prove that the best way to change the world is through democratic engagement — and get that boy from Cardiff back here becoming an MP." http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/press/the-times-an-interview-with-maajid-nawaz/

Stealth jihadist Nawaz recently spoke at the American Jewish Committee's Global Forum which highlights the gullibility and stupidity of those who are so desperate to find the non existent Muslim "moderates" that any ex terrorist who claims to be a reformer is embraced without question or serious vetting playing perfectly into their Islamist agenda. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UGY4Qweim0

Which once again begs the question: Why is anyone still listening to Maajid Nawaz?

For more see:

http://www.pipelinenews.org/2015/jun/15/part-ii-why-is-anyone-still-listening-to-maajid-nawaz.html

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For more on the 'deradicalization farce' see:

Multimillion$ deradicalization helpline gets 5 calls in 2 months

'It cost millions, but few people have called it. One call was a wrong number, other was a parent worried their kid was dating a Muslim.' http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/236250

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The West is delusional about de-radicalising jihadists

"...The PM, like the German Chancellor, seems to believe that in the end the Islamists will come round to our way of thinking and embrace our set of values...

They (Teresa May and Angela Merkel:ed) should read a book by a French reporter called David Thomson to better understand why their hope may be dangerously misplaced. Called Les Revenants [The Undead], the title is a nod to the French jihadists who fought for the Islamic State before returning home...

But of the numerous returnees Thomson interviewed, the majority were unrepentant and only one, Zoubeir, has co-operated with the authorities to promote an anti-Islamist message within his local community. ‘They're still jihadists,' Zoubeir said of his former comrades. ‘That's the reason why most aren't prepared to give evidence against others…because they consider France impious, an enemy of Islam, which fights their brothers'.

Thomson's book also reveals the contempt with which the Islamists regard the West's attempts to deradicalise them. ‘I don't see how you can de-radicalise these people because they don't see themselves as radicals, but as Muslims conforming to what they follow, which is the Koran', said Zoubeir.

https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/09/the-west-is-delusional-about-de-radicalising-jihadists/

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MIM: The Quilliam Foundation's 2008 website's About Us page states that they are campaigning to "foster a genuine British Islam".

The Quilliam Foundation is a counter extremism think tank. Created by former activists of radical Islamist organisations, our founders are familiar with the mindset and methods of extremist groups. Now under the guidance of mainstream Muslim scholars, we believe that Western Muslims should revive Western Islam, our Andalusian heritage of pluralism and respect, and thereby find harmony in West-Islam relations.

Western Muslims should be free from the cultural baggage of the Indian subcontinent, or the political burdens of the Arab world. We were born and raised in a milieu that is different from the Muslim East. As such, our future and progeny belong here. Just as Muslims across the globe have adopted from and adapted to local cultures and traditions, while remaining true to the essence of their faith, Western Muslims should pioneer new thinking for our new times. Here, Muslim scholastic giants, such as the noble Abdullah bin Bayyah and Shaikh Ali Goma (Mufti of Egypt), have provided ample guidance.

Public launch with prominent Muslim scholars, Jemima Khan,

Lord Paddy Ashdown, Timothy Garton Ash, Maajid Nawaz,

Ed Husain and others.

Tuesday, 22nd April 2008 at 1:00pm
Venue: BP Lecture Theatre, British Museum.
Please email to book a seat.

About Us

The Quilliam Foundation, under the guidance of mainstream Muslim scholars, is a specialist think tank and campaign group that believes that Western Muslims should revive Western Islam, our Andalusian heritage of pluralism and respect, and thereby find harmony in West-Islam relations.

Western Muslims should be free from the cultural baggage of the Indian subcontinent, or the political burdens of the Arab world. We were born and raised in a milieu that is different from the Muslim East. As such, our future and progeny belong here. Just as Muslims across the globe have adopted from and adapted to local cultures and traditions, while remaining true to the essence of their faith, Western Muslims should pioneer new thinking for our new times. Here, Muslim scholastic giants, such as the noble Abdullah bin Bayyah and Shaikh Ali Goma (Mufti of Egypt), have provided ample guidance.

The founders of the Quilliam Foundation have all travelled the path of extremism and, in recent years, after witnessing the logical conclusion of unfettered ideology and its impact on adherents, have resoundingly rejected Islamism while remaining committed Muslims.

Accordingly, the Quilliam Foundation rejects foreign ideologies of Islamism and Jihadism as aberrant readings of the Islamic tradition and are thus irrelevant and defunct. We uphold Islam as a pluralistic, diverse tradition that can heal the pathology of Islamist extremism.

Abdullah William Quilliam (1856-1932) was an English convert to Islam who founded Britain's first mosque and started educational and charitable institutions.

The Quilliam Foundation is in his memory a think-tank and campaign group to help foster a genuine British Islam, native to these islands, free from the bitter politics of the Arab and Muslim world.

The Quilliam Foundation will be spearheaded by high-profile, former Islamists to:

•

Expose and challenge the weaknesses, inconsistencies, and failings of Islamist thought and actions;

•

Provide a scripturally rooted theological and ideological alternative to the rigidity of Islamism and extreme Wahhabism;

•

Narrate public testimonies as to why Islamists and extreme Wahhabites (of various persuasions) abandoned these movements;

•

Encourage current Islamists and extreme Wahhabites to sever ties with their movements and enter the fold of mainstream Islam;

•

Advocate full integration of Muslims into Western society as citizens, not as a faith community, and counter the separatism of Islamists.

Maajid Nawaz – Director

Maajid's experience in the field of Islamism stretches back to being 16-years-old, when he was recruited to Hizb ut-Tahrir (The Liberation Party). Maajid very quickly became a national speaker and an international recruiter for the Party, traveling first to Pakistan and then to Denmark to export the Party's ideology and set up cells from London. He was also in Egypt, where in 2002 he was detained, subjected to witnessing of torture, and then convicted to five years imprisonment for belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir. After Amnesty International's adoption as a prisoner of conscience and a global campaign for his release, Maajid returned to the UK in March 2006 to join Hizb ut-Tahrir's national leadership committee. Maajid became one of only two members who joined Hizb ut-Tahrir's external Executive Committee and its then secret internal leadership, known as the Wilayah committee. In May 2007 Maajid unilaterally resigned his membership from the Party and in September 2007 he recanted Islamism on BBC's flagship current affairs programme, Newsnight.

Maajid's grasp and insight into Islamist thought is unique, due to years spent debating the intricacies of Islamist ideology with fellow prisoners at Mazra Tora, Cairo — the same prison complex as Sayyid Qutb. It was there that he met with leading and founding members of Egypt's most violent groups, including the surviving assassins of the late Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadaat. During his time in the same prison he spoke at length with the Muslim Brotherhood leadership such as Mohammed al-Badee' - who in his youth personally smuggled Qutb's Milestones out from prison - and their spokesman Dr Essam el-Erian. Maajid also befriended Dr Sa'ad al-Din Ibrahim and the imprisoned runner-up to Egypt's 2006 presidential elections, the liberal head of the Tomorrow Party, Ayman Nur. Throughout this time, Maajid continued his studies, sitting with graduates of Cairo's al-Azhar University and Dar al-'Ulum. He specialised in the Arabic language whilst studying historical Muslim scholastics, sources of Islamic jurisprudence, Hadith historiography, the art of Qur'an recitation and committing half of the Qur'an to memory.

As a result of time spent in the Middle East, and sustained discussions with a wide range of personalities, Maajid has gained rare political insight into the complexities of Middle-East politics, religion, and the contemporary Muslim political mindset..."

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/6998

MIM: Muhammad Fraser-Rahim the QF "North American Director" also spoke at the Quilliam launch event in New York.

"Muhammad Fraser- Rahim: Stealth Jihad Quilliam Foundation Hires New North American Director - Tied To NOI And Islamists"

Studied Under NOI Leader W.Deen Muhammed And Islamist Sulayman Nyang - Attended Clara Muhammed School

May 14, 2017

For more on the QF see:

"Ex" Terrorists Running Quilliam Foundation 'Pimping For The Profit'- Charging For Membership In Stealth Jihad Scam

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7519

PRESS RELEASE

In an exciting move for Quilliam International's expansion, Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, has been appointed as Executive Director, North America, where he will be responsible for leading on Quilliam's new strategic direction in the USA and Canada. Muhammad is a recognised expert on countering violent extremism and has worked in a wide variety of postings within the US Government having served as a frontline civilian for a decade working for the Department of Homeland Security, Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center.

Muhammad has worked and studied throughout the Middle East and Africa with real world experiences at the strategic and local level, he has wrote or co-wrote numerous Presidential Daily Briefs and advised senior USG policymakers at the White House and National Security Council. Muhammad joins Quilliam from a unique perspective and vantage point.

Muhammad's firm background within the national security arena, is complimented too, by a world class academic pedigree, currently finalising his PhD and scholarly works on Islamic intellectual history, Islam in America and contemporary theology in the Muslim world at Howard University. His last posting came as a Senior Program Officer for the U.S. Institute of Peace, leading on their work in the Horn of Africa and serving as an expert on CVE issues.

Quilliam International Chief Executive, Haras Rafiq, has this to say on Muhammad's appointment:

"Myself and the Board of Quilliam International, could not be more pleased that Muhammad is joining us. His experience in Government, academia and with Muslim communities in the USA and around the world, gives him the perfect background for a leadership role within Quilliam. As we continue to expand and continue to deliver in an increasingly fractured, political and societal landscape, having people like Muhammad, leading the way, is invaluable."

The newly appointed Executive Director, North America Muhammad Fraser-Rahim, says:

"I am delighted to be appointed as the new Executive Director, North America. I feel my professional, academic and personal story, truly demonstrates my approach and how I have dedicated my life to the service of my country, my local community and my academic integrity.

As a descendant of the indigenous African American Muslim community, whose families made great sacrifices in America, our story is one built on resilience, the fostering of trust and of dialogue across multiple viewpoints. I look forward to furthering this time honored tradition, rooted in my historical past and envisioning it further in the future with Quilliam."

To see Muhammad's full Bio please click here.

https://www.quilliaminternational.com/quilliam-international-announces-its-new-executive-director-for-north-america/

For media inquiries please email media@quilliaminternational.com

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Bio

Muhammad Fraser-Rahim is the Executive Director, North America for Quilliam International, a counter-extremist organization with HQ's in the United Kingdom.

He is an expert on violent extremism issues both domestically and overseas. Prior to his current role, he served as a Senior Program Officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace where he lead their Horn of Africa Programs and served as an expert on CVE issues at the institute. Mr. Fraser-Rahim's areas of specialty are on transnational terrorist movements,Islamic intellectual history, Islam in America and contemporary theology in the Muslim world. In addition, Mr. Fraser-Rahim worked for the United States Government for more than a decade for the Department of Homeland Security, Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center providing strategic advice and executive branch analytical support on countering violent extremism issues to the White House and the National Security Council where he was the author or co-author of Presidential Daily Briefs and strategic assessments on extremist ideology and counter-radicalizaiton.

Mr. Fraser-Rahim has conducted research in more than 40 countries on the African continent, and has worked and studied throughout the Middle East. He completed advanced level Arabic language certificates at various higher education institutions in the US, West Africa and the Middle East and studied Quranic exegesis under the late Imam W.D. Mohammed. He is also a Security Fellow at the Truman National Security Project. He is a Ph.D. candidate at Howard University in African Studies studying under Professor Emeritus, Dr. Sulayman Nyang with a focus on Islamic Thought, Spirituality and Modernity and holds a master's degree from Howard University in History, and a bachelor's degree in History from the College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.

https://www.quilliaminternational.com/about/staff/muhammad-fraser-rahim/

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Why I Joined Quilliam

I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, a coastal town on the East Coast of the United States, consistently ranked as one of the world's best tourist destinations with picturesque beaches and old colonial style homes which give memory to America's complicated past; a city affectionately called the "holy city" for its diverse religious communities. As a third-generation African American Muslim, I learned this from a young age as I balanced between attending secular public schools and private Islamic education as part of the oldest Islamic school network in the U.S., Clara Mohammed Schools, in which my teachers were a true representation of the diversity of the American experience.

I first learned and memorized the Qur'an as a young child, not from teachers from the rich Islamic centers of learning throughout the Middle East and Africa, but initially through teachers who were indigenous Americans who dedicated their life and time to mastery of the Arabic language and the Qur'an and who were hardworking ordinary Americans who were engineers, taxi drivers, and small business owners to name a few. Though biryani, baklava, and shawarma have a deep resonance within many Arab and Muslim communities throughout the world, it was red rice, vegetarian collard greens, baked fish, bean soup, and bean pie that were part of my early upbringing. Being a descendant of enslaved Africans, I was fully immersed in the rich cultural and linguistic tradition of the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia known as Gullah/Geechee. My experience was authentically Southern and American.

As a college student, I decided early on that studying abroad, first in France and then throughout West Africa in Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and the Gambia where I studied Islamic and West African history, gave me the foundational start for my interest in geo-political global matters. In combination with various intensive immersions throughout the Islamic world in the Arabic language, including in Egypt and Morocco, I developed a passion to further my career in foreign policy and national security issues at-large.

It was during this study abroad experience that I began to understand the nuances of local populations and how communities are confronted and challenged by criminal and transnational networks. As a young student, I saw the effects of stringent conservatism permeating communities, whether they be Christian or Muslim, and how their adherents struggled to abide by and implement these values on a day-to-day basis. Furthermore, I've also seen the first-hand effects of the 10-year civil war in the West African countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia as I arrived in Sierra Leone in the direct aftermath of this brutal war that left men, women, and children victims of brutal devastation.

My professional career working in the national security and intelligence apparatus lasted for 12 years. During this time, I worked for the Department of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, and at the National Counterterrorism Center. During this tenure, I travelled throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe providing expertise on violent extremism. For the vast majority of my career, I worked on some of the most sensitive issues related to counterterrorism, both domestically and overseas, analyzing and deciphering messages and providing high level, concise strategic assessments on counterterrorism issues and ways to combat extremist rhetoric.

During this time, I worked side by side with a diverse crowd: white, black, Asian, Muslim, non-Muslim, atheist, Jewish, liberal, democrat, and conservative types to name a few. While on the surface, it might seem that we were all different, upon peeling back that first layer of assumed identity, we were, and are, all the same. Our mantra at the time was that we were driven by our mission. As the world continued to evolve, and as the various potential threats evolved too, my career in the counterterrorism space gave me a deep understanding of how to analyze problems and provide accurate information with nuance and a holistic context.

As a historian by academic training, it was my expertise that was called upon when preparing senior U.S Government officials on how to engage appropriately with cultural and diverse communities. And when there was a call for more public outreach engagement, it was my personal upbringing and experience that allowed me to make sure law enforcement, intelligence, and government colleagues alike were being sensitive and aware of the multiplicity of views and perspectives within the communities we were seeking to protect.

All these examples in my upbringing and professional career gave me the passion and motivation to join Quilliam. As an American Muslim, my perspective in government allowed me to understand the bureaucratic limitations of government when it came to preventing extremism. As an academic, soon to be publishing a doctoral dissertation on the issue of how communities can remain resilient against extremism, I too see how a deeper and contextual understanding of past and future theories on these topics is increasingly vital as well. My decision to join Quilliam was based on seeking to holistically address what is perhaps the most pertinent issue of our time. The notion of working towards practical solutions to this hazard, beyond religious persuasions or ideological perspectives, was at the core of why I jumped at the opportunity to be part of an organization that sought to be part of that change in this field.

As we embark on the journey of establishing Quilliam in North America, we have an opportunity to serve as coalition builders and work with various segments of society within our pluralistic communities. I see this as an opportunity to use the power of dialogue, reason, respect, and tolerance to engage in a fruitful debate to challenge the extremist narrative and find tangible ways in which we can eradicate violent extremism and find practical solutions to strengthen and empower individuals and communities against this threat.

https://www.quilliaminternational.com/why-i-joined-quilliam-by-muhammad-fraser-rahim-executive-director-north-america-quilliam-international/

MIM: Rahim was a panelist on the recent Washington Institute For Near East Policy conference "Islamist Terrorism In The West". He is also on their board of experts. http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/view/muhammad-fraser-rahim

He spoke of "violent extremism" and misleadingly claimed that Islamist violence had nothing to do with Islam!

MIM: Conference participants.

Islamist Terrorism in the West
Washington – Muhammad Fraser-Rahim spoke on a panel at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on Islamist Extremism in the West. The panel included Dick Schoof, Farah Pandith and Matt Levitt. The panel was recorded live by C-Span.

Remarks:

MUHAMMAD FRASER-RAHIM

"Extremists are adapting and learning more effectively than ever before. Indeed, counterterrorism analysts have noted the evolution from large-scale spectacular attacks to low-tech, high-impact strikes. Yet while countering violent extremism is a mighty challenge, officials and analysts must be very careful not to confuse such extremism with Muslim beliefs.

For definitional purposes, Islam is a worldview, a value system, and a belief system practiced by some 1.5 billion Muslims across the globe. Islamism, by comparison, is a political ideology that supports a draconian interpretation of Islam that is narrow, rigid, strict, and mostly legalistic. Islamism has modern manifestations throughout the world. Some Islamist groups serve as gateways to more violent organizations, including terrorist organizations. Such groups can -- if left unchecked -- lead people down the path to extremism to groups like al-Qaeda, al-Shabab, Boko Haram, and the Islamic State. Islamists envision a mythical, theocratic pan-Islamic state that, frankly, never existed and exploit that idea to mobilize people to violence. Islamist ideology, combined with Salafi theology, effectively creates the modern manifestation of Salafi-jihadism.

So what needs to be done? Violent extremist ideology must be isolated from mainstream Islam. Who can do that? In the view of many, challenging and changing the radical narrative cannot be accomplished by secular individuals alone. The most effective voices to counter Salafi extremism are those of devout, practicing Muslims who see this issue as a cancer within their faith. Here in the West, individuals and institutions must challenge those texts and ideas that foster repugnant, misogynistic, or violent ideas. These may be legally protected ideas within Western democracies, but people must nevertheless fight the ideology and taboos just as they would fight homophobia, racism, and other destructive "isms."

http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/islamist-terrorism-in-the-west

MIM: Muhammad Rahim is also a fellow at the Truman Security Project. In a recent article about the terrorist attacks in London he disingenuously claims that Muslim converts have a wrong view of Islam. This mendacious claim is supremely ironic in light of the fact that Rahim is the North American director of The Quilliam Foundation named after a British convert to Islam!

William Henry Quilliam (10 April 1856^[1][2][3] – 23 April 1932), who changed his name to Abdullah Quilliam and later Henri Marcel Leon or Haroun Mustapha Leon, was a 19th-century convert from Christianity to Islam, noted for founding England's first mosque and Islamic centre... Quilliam argued that Muslims should not fight Muslims on behalf of European powers.^[13] He denounced British foreign policy in Sudan^[14] and called for a worldwide Caliphate.^[15 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdullah_Quilliam

Excerpt from "London Attack And Black Western Converts"

"...What also makes many of these Black Western recruits unique is that they are outliers to both the Muslim community and their own respective demographic group. The profiles of Black Western recruits to Islam show a milieu of experiences and exposures to Islam largely through interaction from conservative style Muslim clerics. In the case of the U.K. and U.S. examples, these clerics offer a perspective into Islam that is narrow, closed-off, and prey onto already real or perceived racial, ethnic, or economic marginalizations, as well as subject to conflicting political and religious worldviews. When Black Muslim converts pick up these uncommon viewpoints, they become victims of a foreign brand of Islam that rejects the religious pluralism and diversity of Western Islam and are under the guise of conservative Muslim clerics influences.

https://medium.com/truman-doctrine-blog/london-attack-and-black-western-converts-2361211595ee

2016-12-15 Truman National Security Project Muhammad Fraser Rahim, a graduate student in the African Studies Department at Howard University, has been accepted into the Truman National Security Project's membership program. https://cfas.howard.edu/news-announcement/congratulations-muhammad-fraser-rahim/3681

http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7528

This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7598