This is Maajid Nawaz, former Islamist Prisoner of Conscience held in Egypt, now a liberal counter-extremism activist, author of my autobiographical book 'Radical' and a Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Hampstead & Kilburn in London. I am delighted to take your questions.Lots a good stuff in there.
On MuslimsWhy do you think there aren't more genuinely moderate, liberal Muslims speaking up in the media? It seems like you're the go-to guy these days for a voice of reason with a Muslim face (in the UK at least)?
What can be done to empower more to speak up?
1) Many 'self-identifying' Muslims - even if they are not religious - are struggling with the principle of Islam and reform still themselves. The problem is quite deeply ingrained. 2) Many are they're scared, petrified. But this is not good enough. Shattering taboos, as I try to do, is one way to encourage others to break through this fear. 3) Islamist groups have come to monopolise community institutions and leadership bodies (like the MCB in the UK) 4) Europe's Left-wing intelligentsia, historically and in some cases still, encouraged Islamism as a form of resistance to colonialism. 5) Europe's Muslims (unlike in the US) immigrated from countries with a colonised history, hence they brought baggage against to their new "host" country with them. ... lots of reasons, a perfect storm.
Does moderate Islam actually exist?
Those 'moderate' Muslims I have met hold a cultural attachment to Islam but hold no real belief in god or the tenets of the quran.
What are your beliefs? What kind of Muslim are you?
There is no real Islam. Everyone has their own interpretation of every religion. This is the golden nugget against extremism, because if extremists realise that theirs is merely one interpretation among many, they must come to accept that they have no moral or political right to impose their view on anyone else. This is why I resist requests to define "moderate Islam". Insisting that I have the "real" Islam - extremist or moderate - is what got us into this mess in the first place.
Salaam Maajid, I'm speaking as a liberal Muslim living in Pakistan, and I have a few questions. first of all I would like to thank you for all of the work you are doing, Islam is in dire need of people with more of an open mind, who aren't afraid to think outside of what they have been told. 1. What do you think is the best way to combat Islamist extremism in Muslim countries like Pakistan? 2. How can we shift the view of our society from the narrow minded one we have right now? Like how people will refuse to listen to anything if it hasn't been said or cannot be connected to the prophet or Quran. For example I can't quote the Buddha without raising suspicion, I can't speak out against an illogical practice if it's in a haddis. every time I try to promote secularism I get called down as an infidel. People here still believe that Sharia should be the law and if you don't think so then you aren't a Muslim, while the short comings of Sharia areally painfully obvious. I'm not saying Islam is bad or anything, but that we should be allowed to think for ourselves... What do you think is the best hope for secularism in Pakistan and the middle east at large? Sorry for long post, I don't post often so I'm not familiar with the etiquette, and thanks and keep up the good work!
Thank you and salam!
See the work of
www.KhudiPakistan.com we try to address all that you raised. Please volunteer and get involved!
What do you think should be the government's policy towards returning fighters from Iraq and Syria?
Alongside the necessary military action against ISIL targets, returning fighters should be prosecuted on evidence. Passports can be denied to those inside the UK, not stripped from those who are yet abroad. We cannot dump our toxic-waste on the world and think it will not come back to haunt us. They will get fake passports and plan attacks on our interests anyway.
The prison system must develop a de-radicalisation strategy for inside prisons. Currently, there is little evidence of one.
Communities, including Muslims, must start to uproot the Islamist ideology that forms the foundation of jihadist terrorism from within our communities. This is long term work and government can only aid here, but still they have done little.
Hey Maajid, big fan and thanks for doing this AMA. Has Mehdi Hasan formerly apologised to you after he went on newsnight not to talk about the cartoon you tweeted but to argue about the fact Quilliam called the Muslim Council of Britain an extremist organisation? After all you were right as the MCB think muslim schools teaching their pupils not to integrate with society are just teaching "conservative Islamic principles". Also what are your views on the Eric Pickles letter? Have you spoken to any offended Bradford imams about it yet?
No he has not. My door is always open, and I've reached out to him on twitter and text a few times to try and request that we move forward together. He could be an important voice for change if he had the courage to move beyond some of his firmly held dogma. Alas, it is not yet to be.
My view on Eric Pickles' letter is articulated here in 2 mins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTWYuET8TIYWhat is it that fundamentally attracts these extremists to radical Islam? My best friend through college is a Muslim and we've had this conversation many times with never a clear answer. He could never fathom participating in any of these atrocious attacks, and as a self identifying Christian I could never think to use my religious beliefs to hurt anyone.
Do you believe that Islam is still in a young phase of the religion much like Christianity during the Crusades? Will there be a renaissance? An enlightening? Will the middle east ever be a beacon of science and mathematics again as it was centuries ago? What is it that turns these extremists to Islam? Sure Christianity and other religions have had members that had commited atrocious acts in the past, but in the last 100 years think of all of the attacks against the west and middle east due to Islamic extremism. What do you believe is the solution?
Four factors contribute to the rise of Islamist extremism: 1) Perceived grievances 2) An identity crisis 3) Charismatic recruiters 4) Islamist ideology. The ill-fated wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (in particular Iraq - which I opposed from my jail cell in Egypt) have contributed in that they contributed to factor number 1. However, I am cautious of those who say it is only about grievances. If that were so, why did Gandhi (who had many grievances against British colonialism, not resort to violence?) It is clear that ideology and other factors also play a role. To tackle extremism, we must tackle all four factors. The one that is most neglected at the moment is an understanding, and a challenge of, the Islamist ideology. I elaborate all this in this Q&A here:
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics/2012/07/age-extremes-muslim-mehdi-hasan-maajid-mawazIn answer to your second question: yes, spot on. One reason is because Islam is 600 years younger than Christianity. We are living the Reformation (imperfect analogy though it is) as we speak, we are in the thick of it.
I saw your debate with Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Douglas Murray on IQ2. It was really interesting to watch you guys debate.
You said you started turning away from radical Islamism when you were in prison and you talked with prisoners who had been there for many years. What did they say to convince you?
Also, are you happy with the way the debate turned out? Anything you'd want to change about your argument?
What happened to turn me away from Islamism is the subject of an entire book, read it : ) In short, what I would say is that Amnesty adopted me as a Prisoner of Conscience, and that softened my heart. It was the first time 'my enemy' had stuck their necks out to defend me on principle. I often say that "where the heart leads the mind can follow".
On your second question, no, I was not happy to be constrained by a debate motion that artificially restricted the parameters of what I could say by forcing me to choose a side due to its adversarial nature. This discussion at the Richmond Forum with Ayaan, a year later, was not a debate and therefore explains my view much better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2prB3weT4cFirst off, let me say that I admire your courage and think that what you are doing is really important. Thank you for that!
Although you have left Islamism, you still identify yourself as a Muslim. Which Islamic principles do you still adhere to? In all of the interviews I have seen with you, I get the vibe that you might as well be an ex-Muslim (like Ayaan Hirsi Ali). I am curious as to why that isn't the case (other than for safety reasons).
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Read Khayyam's Rubaa'yaat : )
Topic: Maajid Nawaz - Reddit conversation about his work and his book