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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PRESS RELEASE: QUILLIAM FOUNDATION CALLS FOR UK GOVERNMENT TO PRESSURE ISRAEL TO STOP MILITARY OPERATIONS
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”.
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”.
10 comments:
Thanks for posting the information Pasto.
Like I said before I hadn't heard of these people before. But from what you put up, I think its safe to say that, IMO, Robinson made the worst decision yet.
UNLESS...
He's knowingly playing them and wants them to be in his favor.
Judging from the info, Quilliam seems to be one of those countless Muslim organizations who are designed to sing this lie to the West: "Islam is a peaceful religion and terrorists hijacked Islam..." which in turn makes Islam and Muslims into victims even though they are the ones carrying out the killings. This then gives birth to accusations of "Islamophobia" against anyone who stands up to the horrors and evil of Islam.
So unless I see anything concrete in the coming months, I am leaning toward an Anon comment that said that Robinson had been turned because of all the threats. So as of now, I'm considering Robinson as no different than someone who converts to Islam, hence a traitor. Whether this comparison is correct or not will become clear in the coming weeks and months.
Nicoenarg
I'm considering Robinson as no different than someone who converts to Islam, hence a traitor.
Should make it clear that I meant "someone from the counter jihad movement who converts to Islam...whom I would then consider a traitor to the movement...and should not be trusted."
Nicoenarg
Yep.
We've actually had two writers like that in the counter-Jihad movement in the past.
One I got taken in by. Her name was "Pim's Ghost".
I don't know that she converted to Islam. Probably not. But she did leave IBA and write for a blog called Loon Watch which was run by several Muslim cocksuckers.
Also, Pamela Geller got taken in by this guy Jeremayakovka. He used to write for a blog Pamela and I started called Maverick News Network.
That guy actually married a Muslim woman in Algiers, as I recall.
Anyway, these things happen. People who do what we do are, sometimes, prone to a kind of extremism themselves.
For instance, me personally; I basically CONVERTED to what I am now. Before April 2002, I was a Chomsky-reading Liberal. I got pissed when my father started bad-mouthing Israel, claiming Israel was murdering Palestinians by the thousands and burying them in mass graves.
Those comments sent me on an odyssey to prove him wrong. And what I found was that anti-Semitism was dominant in the Islamic world. That the media does not inform people of this FACT made the bottom fall out for my trust in the media, AND THE LEFT.
Hence, I CONVERTED at the age of 40.
That's a pretty extreme decision to make at such an age.
But yeah, I did it.
I'm glad you went the right way instead of the wrong one.
I am curious though, as a liberal, how was it that you didn't hold the anti-israeli position that most liberals today hold?
Nicoenarg
FWIW: William Henry Quilliam (10 April 1856[1][2][3] Liverpool – 23 April 1932 London), 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.
continued: "Western Muslims, particularly converts to Islam, see Quilliam as a pioneer of the path they have taken. His legacy is maintained by the Abdullah Quilliam Society which was formed in 1996. The Society is raising funds to restore 8-10 Brougham Terrace to re-open the historic mosque and establish an educational centre.[11]
The Quilliam Foundation, a thinktank aimed at challenging extremist Islamist ideologies, was launched in 2008.[12][13]"
via Wiki search for Quilliam
To answer your question, Nico, I have always felt more like a Jew than a Christian.
There are reasons for that which I'd prefer not to go into at this time. However, being that I was not raised Jewish, but still had something like a Jewish conscious, I was not raised to understand or expect anti-Semitism.
When I saw it manifested as it is in the European press, and when I saw the effects of the European media on my father's previously pro-Jewish views, it made me burn with an anger deep down.
And, I have been on this road ever since.
I basically feel like most of the political and moral world is a scam to hide people's hatred for Jews, and what they represent on this Earth.
I went to Europe in 2002, and I fucking hate it. I feel like walking on European land, as it has been degraded by the presence of the anti-Semitic Muslims who are everywhere is like walking on the graveyard of God and His People. I know there are good people in Europe, but I don't trust Europe in general.
I believe Europe is using the Muslims to do their dirty work. They still want to kill Jews, but they don't want the blood on their hands.
Once a person has started to think like this, they really find they have no home in the world any longer.
That's pretty much the way I feel. That's probably why I spend all my time making money, working out and writing on these subjects.
Why would I want to go out and be with people in general, when I believe the whole world is a scam?
Anonymous, thanks for the information on the history of the Quilliam Foundation. I appreciate it.
Calling on your state to stop a state which had been receiving 5-8000 rockets over several years to stop the action they undertook to halt that fire because it will piss off other like those, or of the same religion as those who were firing the rockets is a pretty miserable way to be anti extremist.
That argues that firing the rockets is an action stoppable by other means (short of giving up your existence), which if true would have occurred.
This smells as bad as J-Street claiming to be Pro Israel and then accepting the idea of right of return.
All muslims should be regarded as the enemy and treated as such! Nothing but child raping, bomb happy terrorsits! Nuke Mecca!
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