Neither Pet nor Threat: The State of American Muslims

The American political environment is now more in flux than ever. The recent midterm election this past week was not only characterized by the candidature of an unprecedented number of women, of whom a number came from minority backgrounds, but also resulted in the election of two Muslim women to Congress. Moreover, the vocal and
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The Quilliam Winter Gala: In Review

In a whirl of glitz and glamour, Quilliam International’s Winter Gala brought together hundreds of people with the same interest at heart: promoting solidarity between communities. The guests were greeted in the Ladies’ Smoking Room in the Renaissance Hotel, where they were able to see a number of items for sale at auction, and to
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Taking Grooming Gangs Seriously

In December 2017, we at Quilliam put out a report entitled Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation: Dissecting “Grooming Gangs” We decided to produce this report because we were concerned that the debate around this issue had been skewed by anti-Muslim populists. Those populists had used the high number of convictions to peddle anti-Muslim hatred. We wanted
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Don Lemon’s comments on American extremist violence: accurate but divisive

Over the course of the past two weeks, a slew of terrorist attacks has shaken the country to its core. There was the Trump-obsessed stripper DJ Cesar Sayoc who sent a dozen pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and left-wing celebrities. There was the shooting of two black customers at a Kentucky Kroger by Gregory Bush.
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Al Qaeda’s Resurgence Is a Symptom of our Failure to Understand Islamist Terrorism

Since 2014 the Islamic State (or ‘IS’) has placed their bid as the global sponsor for jihad. The group has achieved a historic success during its time, namely, becoming the first terrorist organisation to hold vast territory. Most of the world’s attention has focused on how the group has since lost the vast majority of
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Iain Duncan Smith speaks out against MEND

Yesterday, we discussed the decision of two Lewisham MPs –  Janet Daby (who withdrew at the last minute) and Vicky Foxcroft – to share a platform with the notorious extremist preacher, Shakeel Begg. I noted that it would be possible for the MPs to withdraw from the event, but observed that it is rare that
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Reciprocal Radicalisation: Shakeel Begg, Labour, and the Democratic Football Lads Alliance

UPDATE: 7 November 2018: Janet Daby MP pulled out of the event This is not an article about Imam Shakeel Begg. Everything that there is to know about Begg is now a matter of public record. Rather, its purpose is to discuss the process by which extremism enters the political mainstream, and the consequences of
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The Takfiri position on Weapons of Mass Destruction (part 2)

Part one of this piece noted that the Takfiri jihadists have already produced a theological, jurisprudential justification for the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (“WMDs”). This article explains why their reasoning is wrong. It also illustrates the fundamental compatibility between the modern principles of international humanitarian law with Islamic ethical principles espoused by Muslim
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The Takfiri position on Weapons of Mass Destruction (part 1)

Ben Wallace, the Home Office minister, recently delivered a chilling warning to the country. Speaking, at last month’s National Security Summit, he advised that the threat of chemical weapon attacks on Britain’s streets is getting closer and “is real”. Wallace set out the position, starkly, and in one eloquent statement: “The only limits to the
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Aimen Dean: A British Spy Out of Al-Qaeda

Last week, former Al Qaeda jihadi-turned-MI6 spy Aimen Dean spoke to David Toube about his book 9 Lives, exploring his formative experiences as a fighter in the Bosnian civil war. He discussed the process which resulted in him swearing allegiance to Al Qaeda. This week, the conversation explored his journey out of terrorism and how
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