Quilliam Foundation

This article is part of the Counter-Terrorism Portal project of Spinwatch.

The Quilliam Foundation‏ is a London based think-tank purporting to challenge Islamic extremism in the UK. Incorporated as a limited company on 20 Nomember 2007, the Foundation was launched on 22 April 2008 recieving significant financial assisstance and media attention. Even though the exact figure is unknown, it has been reported that the Quilliam Foundation "received £700,000 as part of the government's Preventing Violent Extremism Programme, £400,000 of which was given by the Office for Security and Counter-terrorism.

Low key government support

Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Great Britain wrote in Guardian Online's Comment is Free, that the Department of Communities and Local Government had hinted to UK Islamic groups that if they were prepared to work with they could obtain financial support from the government:

"Some representatives of various UK Islamic groups were invited to see senior officials at the Department of Communities and Local Government recently to discuss the work they were doing with young people. Strong hints were dropped that they could obtain financial support from the government, but only if they were prepared to work with - and thereby help lend credibility to - Ed Husain's soon to be launched Quilliam Foundation."

At the Foundation's launch advisor Abdel-Aziz Al-Bukhari reportedly argued in his speech that Muslims should 'love, obey and respect' the government.. Former ambassador Craig Murray sees a party-political reason behind the New Labour government's support of the Foundation. He has described it as 'the branch of New Labour tasked with securing the Muslim vote and reducing British Muslim dissatisfaction with New Labour over the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.'

Activities

The Foundation's first publication, "Pulling Together to Defeat Terror: Recommendations for Uprooting Islamic Extremism", says that if Muslim leaders "must realise that the foreign policy of the British government will not be held hostage by any one community," and argued that the editors of "liberal newspapers" should "think twice before allowing column space to Hamas and its supporters while they remain committed to the destruction of Israel".

Funding

On the day of the launch the director Maajid Nawaz told Newsnight: "We have absolutely not received government money ,despite being offered it by the Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund, and we have said that it is not appropriate for us at the moment - although I would emphasise that I don't have a problem in principle in receiving taxpayers' money for a good cause, as long as it comes with no strings attached.". However, according to Craig Murray the government has underwritten the Foundation's operations to the tune of £1 million in taxpayer money. Co-director Ed Husain has stated that the Foundation is receiving private Kuwait funding.

Personnel

• Maajid Nawaz – Director
• Ed Husain – Co-Director
• Rashad Ali – Head of Research and Policy
• Ashraf al-Hoque – Research Fellow

Advisors

• Paddy Ashdown - Politicians
• Sheikh BaBikr Ahmed BaBikr
• Giles Fraser - Church of England Vicar
• Catherine Fieschi
• Timothy Garton Ash
• David Goodhart
• Dr David Green
• Shaikh Dr Usama Hassan
• Dr. Ghayasuddin Siddiqui is a leading British Muslim spokesperson.
• Michael Gove MP
• Imam Dr Musharraf Hussain al-Azhari
• Reza Aslan
• Parvin Ali, OBE
• Sherin Khankan
• Shaikh Abdel-Aziz Al-Bukhari
• Shaikh Dr Abdul Hameed al-Ansari
• Shaikh Ali al-Saleh al-Najafi

Contact Information

Registered office:

34-36 High Holborn

London

WC1V 6AE

email: information@quilliamfoundation.org

Tel: 020 7193 1204