Quilliam e-update: May-July 2009

Welcome to Quilliam’s first quarterly e-update, which reviews our work since the publication of our Progress Report in April 2009, one year on from our launch. Please find below an overview of our activities since April.

Research (Research and Policy Unit)

Immigrant, Muslim, Female: Triple Paralysis? by Anya Hart Dyke and Lucy James was published on 13th July. The report contains the largest poll to date of first generation (immigrant) South Asian Muslim women, who are one of the most economically disadvantaged groups in the UK. These women are much-needed counter voices in undermining extremists’ narratives and promoting national cohesion. The report contains recommendations for the central and local Government, as well as employers, the voluntary sector and local communities. It was distributed widely, and policy makers will meet in September to discuss implementation of measures, or otherwise.

Events

Quilliam held its fifth roundtable for policy-makers and specialists in June, hosting a discussion with Reza Aslan on his latest book How to Win a Cosmic War. A summary of Aslan’s take on how Muslims in Europe have become a vessel for anti-Euro sentiment and the need for a civic identity to sever the link between local and global grievances can be found here. The discussion led to a lively Q&A.

Training (Quilliam Outreach and Training – QOTU)

Between May and July 2009, Quilliam’s trainers delivered the Radicalization Awareness Programme (RAP) to a range of stakeholders including:

• Government Office East Midlands;

• Coventry City Council;

• Association of Chief Police Officers;

• the UK Border Agency; and

• Imams in the Midlands.

In June, RAP became an Edexcel-accredited course.

International (Global Affairs Unit)

Director Maajid Nawaz has been conducting tours of universities across Pakistan since April. A summary of the tours, including feedback from the students, is contained in the summary Reclaiming the Nation. In Discussion with Pakistani Youth, published in July.

The project focuses on combating the insidious rise of extremist ideology through encouraging discussion, debate and dialogue within educational establishments across the country. Given the enormity of the challenge and the uniqueness of the project, the debates have received extensive coverage by both local and international media. Watch Newsnight documentary here. A comprehensive report of the project will be out in the coming weeks.

Talks and Conferences

Quilliam continues to advise policy-makers and debate with civil society on the nature of Islamist extremism, both in the UK and abroad.

Director Maajid Nawaz spoke at the Program on Terrorism and Security Studies in Germany and at a seminar on integration during 'political week' in Sweden, both in July. Senior Research Fellow James Brandon took part in a counter-terrorism conference in the Netherlands in June and co-Director Ed Husain is hosted by the Hudson Institute, the Council on Foreign Relations and the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington DC in May.

Here in the UK, Head of QOTU Ghaffar Hussain gave a speech to sixth formers in Wiltshire on the role the Israel/ Palestine conflict plays in inflaming extremism, on the rise of Islamist ideology at the annual i2 usergroup conference in Windsor, and in the House of Commons on tackling extremism and terrorism in Britain and Pakistan, all in June. Quilliam Trainer Ishtiaq Hussain spoke at '10,000 Volts’ Preventing Violent Extremism Conference in Newmarket and then took part in an inter-faith roundtable discussion on ways to counter the BNP threat, both in June. Maajid Nawaz discussed 'thoughtcrime' at the Orwell Prize festival in June and Ed Husain debated Tariq Ramadan at Oxford University in the same month, as well as discussed the UK's counter-terrorism strategy with the Under 35s Forum at Chatham House in May.

In the media

Quilliam has continued to issue press releases, media briefings and alerts to inform, challenge and shape current thinking on extremism. Quilliam staff also contribute to a range of print and broadcast media both within the UK and globally, including The Guardian, Sky News, the British Forces Broadcasting Service, the Daily Express, the Asian News and the Associated Press. A complete list of all media activities and appearances can be found here.

For more information, please call us on 0207 182 7280 or e-mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it