Counter-extremism group’s financial woes show flaws of ‘big society’
Quilliam’s case shows the shortfalls of private funding, and the danger of the pace of the Tory-led government’s programme of swingeing cuts, writes George Readings.
Fort Hood report can teach us about home-grown radicalisation
David Cameron today signalled a tougher stance on groups promoting Islamist extremism in a keynote speech at the Munich Security Conference; we look at the lessons to learn from the States.
We shouldn’t abandon the label “extremist” for extremists
To mount an effective challenge to the casual bigotry of the dinner-table as well as the EDL and al-Muhajiroun, Baroness Warsi needs to explain who an extremist is.
Risk of extremism in schools must be taken seriously
After extensive trailing yesterday across the BBC and other media, Panorama’s investigation of Islamic schools in the UK, ‘British schools, Islamic rules’, was broadcast last night, writes the Quilliam Foundation’s George Readings.
Police terror boss only half right in remarks about EDL
Islamist terrorism predates the EDL by many years. Osama bin Laden published his justification for the indiscriminate killing of Americans and Jews everywhere in February 1998 and the ‘secret apparatus’ of the Muslim Brotherhood is believed to have assassinated Mahmoud an-Nukrashi Pasha, then prime minister of Egypt, as long ago as 1948.
Cultural change is best way to make parliament more representative
In the general election of 1964, Peter Griffiths, a “Tory nonentity”, shot to victory with a racist slogan; ‘Skin-Deep Democracy: How race, religion and ethnicity continue to affect Westminster politics’ (pdf), a new report published today by Quilliam, shows that a lot has changed since then – but also warns that the parties could do more to promote integration through equal involvement in Westminster politics.
George W Bush is wrong – waterboarding only helps our enemies
Of course, Islamists would take any event and try to twist it to fit their narratives, but Bush’s comments hand them a propaganda coup of vast dimensions. Not only did America go against ‘western values’ by torturing prisoners, but now its former President is crowing about it in the media. Islamist recruiters must be rubbing their hands with glee.
Unilateral action and attack drones will undermine moderates in Yemen
Unilateral action, for instance drone strikes, whether indiscriminate or not, may undermine moderate forces in the Yemeni government and make key local Yemenis less willing to tackle al-Qaeda themselves, writes George Readings.
Lifting the lid on Islamist radicalisation at British universities
When former UCL student Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate a bomb on Christmas Day 2009, the spotlight was on radicalisation of university students.
Livingstone: Al-Qaradawi is a “leading progressive voice” in Muslim world
Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone has described Islamist extremist Yusuf al-Qaradawi as “one of the leading progressive voices in the Muslim world”.