Raheem Kassam

Raheem Kassam is the National Director of Student Rights - Tackling Extremism on Campus. He is also Campaigns Director at the Henry Jackson Societyand Research Fellow - Homeland Security and Transatlantic Affairs at the Bow Group think tank.

Activities

Conservative Party

Kassam was the vice chairman of the Hillingdon branch of Conservative Future in 2008-2009. He served on the Conservative Future national executive in 2009.

From February to June 2010, Kassam was Campaign Director of "Elect Michelle for Wentworth and Dearne."

Governetz Limited

From August 2008 to November 2009, Kassam worked as a researcher for Governetz Limited.

KeepRightOnline

From May 2009 to June 2010, Kassam was Chief Executive of the political campaigning and PR organisation KeepRightOnline.

TaxPayers' Alliance

From June to October 2010, Kassam was Manager of the Coalition Against Hate Education. Kassam's Linkedin profile describes this role as follows:

Managing the Coalition Against Hate Education, my role entails forging international alliances with think-tanks in an effort to affect public policy globally with the hope of ending 'hate education' which is often taxpayer funded. I am responsible for the development of the campaign as well as seeking international partners and managing our combined efforts.

Students Rights

Accrding to his Linkedin profile, Kassam became manager of Student Rights in October 2009:

In this role I oversee the entire operation of the Student Rights organisation, across the Events, New Media, Research and Campaign workflows.

From inception to construction and delivery, I am tasked with liaising with the Universities across the UK to deliver the manifesto pledge of Student Rights, to ensure freedom of speech and freedom from political oppression for students on campuses.

Conservative Political Action Conference

Kassam describes the following incident in a post at Standpoint:

I am reminded specifically of an occasion — ironically at a pub in Washington D.C. during the Conservative Political Action Conference in February 2010 — when I had to distinguish in child-like terms the difference between Islam and Islamism. After a good half an hour, many of the 10-strong audience still hadn't grasped that there was a difference, let alone acknowledged any of the subtleties I was trying to explicate.

Henry Jackson Society

According to his Linkedin profile, Kassam has been Campaigns Director at the Henry Jackson Society since September 2010.

The Commentator

On his Twitter feed Kassam describes himself as an 'executive editor' of the neoconservative website The Commentator.

Criticism

In November 2012 Kassam tweeted a link to an article by Nick Gray of Christian Middle East Watch published by The Commentator called 'Why There Are No Bomb Shelters in Israel'.

It received a negative response even from figures who might be considered neoconservative political allies of Kassam's. Shiraz Maher of the International Center for the Study of Radicalisation said the article was 'essentialising Muslims' and called it 'ridiculous'. Aymenn J Al-Tamimi of the Middle East Forum tweeted at Kassam: 'the fact that you put this piece up illustrates how you flirt with anti-Muslim bigotry'. Kassam responded: 'I'm a flirtatious kind of guy'.

Publications

• So we gave £19m to the Palestinian Territories - but where does it go?, The TaxPayers' Alliance, 7 June 2010.
• An Important Distinction, Standpoint (Online Only), September 2010.

External Resources

• BBC misrepresents BRICUP's SOAS meeting, British Committee for the Universities of Palestine, 26 January 2010.
• Charlie Pottins, BBC twice bitten, but still not shy, RandomPottins, 9 October 2010.
• Sunny Hundal, Who is Raheem Kassam? A Wikipedia mystery, Liberal Conspiracy, 1 June 2012.

Contact

• Twitter RaheemJKassam
• Linkedin Raheem Kassam