The Quilliam Foundation is a counter extremism think tank. Created by former activists of radical Islamist organisations, our founders are familiar with the mindset and methods of extremist groups. Now under the guidance of mainstream Muslim scholars, we believe that Western Muslims should revive Western Islam, our Andalusian heritage of pluralism and respect, and thereby find harmony in West-Islam relations.
Western Muslims should be free from the cultural baggage of the Indian subcontinent, or the political burdens of the Arab world. We were born and raised in a milieu that is different from the Muslim East. As such, our future and progeny belong here. Just as Muslims across the globe have adopted from and adapted to local cultures and traditions, while remaining true to the essence of their faith, Western Muslims should pioneer new thinking for our new times. Here, Muslim scholastic giants, such as the noble Abdullah bin Bayyah and Sheikh Ali Goma (Mufti of Egypt), have provided ample guidance.
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3 comments:
Ali Goma does not allow Muslims to leave Islam, I believe. Hardly seems modern and enlightened...
Habibi,
I expected you might be the first to raise your nose above the parapet.
I know of nothing Islamic that I would call modern and enlightened, but it is a matter of relativity, and I am not sure I am all that modern and enlightened.
If I recall correctly, the Koran does not allow Muslims to leave Islam, but does Sheikh Ali recommend their killing?
Remember the title of this post.
This from today's Daily Telegraph:
Jemima Khan has received death threats from Islamic extremists for supporting a Muslim group which preaches tolerance of other religions.
Jemima Khan and her former husband, Imran, left, protested against the Pakistani president's London visit in January
Mrs Khan, 34, is a patron of the Quilliam Foundation, a think tank that was recently set up by two reformed members of the extremist organisation Hizb ut Tahrir.
The group has received death threats by phone and email that are intended for all members involved in the organisation and it has been reported that one even referred to Mrs Khan by name.
During the launch of the think tank yesterday, Mrs Khan, the former wife of Imran Khan, who previously captained Pakistan’s cricket team, admitted she had been nervous about voicing her support for the group.
She said she had been “a little wobbly”, adding, “if there was no response from the dark side, then we would be failing.”
The organisation is named after William Quilliam, a 19th century convert to Islam who founded England’s first mosque and Islamic centre.
It was set up by Maajid Nawaz, 30, a former extremist who spent four years as a political prisoner in Egypt.
Both Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, and Tory MP Michael Gove are supporters of the organisation which says it aims to reflect mainstream, moderate and British Muslim opinion.
It has received criticism on Muslim websites however and one site even labels Mrs Khan as a “fujiar”, an Arabic word describing someone who unashamedly and publicly commits sin.
The website has posted pictures of Mrs Khan wearing a bikini and says “This is the same 'socialite’ Jemima who is regularly pictured in chick mags in mini skirts and low-cut dresses hopping in and out of nightclubs - and she is going to be lecturing us on true Islam?!”.
It adds: “Getting unmarried, public fujiar, clad in miniskirts and bikinis, to lecture us on true Islamic values, man what has the world come to?”
The site also criticises Mr Nawaz for engaging in what it terms “un-Islamic” behaviour, such as visiting nightclubs and socialising with a former girlfriend.
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