All my friends were non-Muslims. I actually knew very little about Islam – like, very little. – Maajid Nawaz
I was born and raised in Essex, just outside London, to a financially comfortable, well-educated Pakistani family. – Maajid Nawaz
What’s my audience? British society. Am I received relatively well? Yes. Is there within that… if you break it down, challenges with Muslim communities? Of course there are. – Maajid Nawaz
Hizb ut-Tahrir spearheaded the radicalization of the 1990s and cultivated an atmosphere of anger. – Maajid Nawaz
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. – Maajid Nawaz
I think I would encourage leaders to start working with communities in order to inoculate angry, young teenagers. – Maajid Nawaz
I was in prison with the assassins of the former president of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, who was killed in 1981. Those who weren’t executed in that case were given life sentences, and two of those were with me in prison. – Maajid Nawaz
I was filled with hate and anger. But during my trial, something decisive happened: Amnesty International adopted me as a prisoner of conscience, and it was an unbelievable feeling to know that there is someone fighting for you on the outside. Amnesty’s ‘soft’ approach made me seriously consider alternatives to revenge. – Maajid Nawaz
The British and French governments have taken a strong stance against ‘extremist content’ online when addressing their approach to tackling extremism. – Maajid Nawaz
We cannot hope to effectively counter extremism if we just focus on schools, universities and prisons: we need to take this online as well. – Maajid Nawaz
I can say with a level of confidence that Islam is not a religion of war, only because the majority of Muslims don’t subscribe to that perspective, not because there’s something inherent in the text that tells me it’s a religion of peace. – Maajid Nawaz
I was held in the Mazra Tora Prison for my role as leader of the pan-Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir in Alexandria. – Maajid Nawaz
Non-violent extremism is essentially the increase of intolerant and bigoted demands made by groups seeking to dominate society. – Maajid Nawaz
Let me make this clear: it is our duty to adopt a policy barring the wearing of niqabs in these public buildings. – Maajid Nawaz
The cheeky ideal I am calling for is that Muslims should be viewed as equal citizens, nothing more and nothing less. – Maajid Nawaz
In Bosnia, the case was there were white, blond-haired, blue-eyed Muslims who were being slaughtered and identified as Muslims. That really touched me. – Maajid Nawaz
My arrest in Egypt happened in 2002, and I was convicted to five years as a political prisoner. – Maajid Nawaz
Quilliam will remain a priority for me because its values shape my beliefs and outlook. – Maajid Nawaz
The niqab, for some, has become an antiestablishment symbol around which one can rally and relish in the opportunities for confrontation that it provides. – Maajid Nawaz
I am a Muslim. I am born to Muslim parents. I have a Muslim son. I have been imprisoned and witnessed torture for my previous understanding of my religion. – Maajid Nawaz
Hip-hop in the ’90s began moving towards the Nation of Islam and the 5 Percenters, black nationalist movements; very much so, these movements embraced a form of Islam: Malcom X’s form of Islam prior to his change. – Maajid Nawaz
Islam will be what Muslims make of it. And it is the sum total of the interpretation that Muslims give to it. – Maajid Nawaz
