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 November 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.[1]
Contents
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 the Quilliam Foundation, 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."[2]
At the Foundation's launch, advisor Abdel-Aziz Al-Bukhari reportedly argued in his speech that Muslims should 'love, obey and respect' the government[3]. 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.'[4]
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".[5]
Funding
On the day of the launch in May 2008 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."[6]. However, according to Craig Murray the government has underwritten the Foundation's operations to the tune of £1 million in taxpayer money.[7] Co-director Ed Husain has stated that the Foundation is receiving private Kuwait funding.[8]
FCO Funding
The FCO has funded the Quilliam Foundation £138,890 from January 2009 till January 2010.[9]
Personnel
- Maajid Nawaz – Co-Director & Co-founder | *Ed Husain – Co-Director & Co-founder | *Ed Jagger - Head of Operations | *Anya Hart Dyke - Senior Research Fellow | *James Brandon - Senior Research Fellow | *Lucy James - Research Fellow | *Mohammad Ali Musawi - Research Fellow | *Sophie Thompson - Research Fellow | *Ghaffar Hussain - Head of Outreach & Training | *Talal Rajab - Trainer | *Cassandra Hamblett - PA to directors | *Fatima Mullick - Pakistan Project Manager | *George Readings - Communications Officers |
Advisors
The advisors to the Quilliam Foundation are not publicised on the Quilliam Foundation website. Quilliam Foundation have suggested that the board of advisors do not wish to have their names made public becuase of 'constant Islamist-Wahhabite harrassment'.[10]
- 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
- 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[11]
Contact Information
Registered office:
- 34-36 High Holborn
- London
- WC1V 6AE
- email: information@quilliamfoundation.org
- Tel: 020 7193 1204
references
- ↑ Vikram Dodd Spying Morally Right, says Think-Tank, Guardian.co.uk, 16 October 2009,
- ↑ Inayat Bunglawala, 'Abandoning banning', Guardian.co.uk, 17 April 2008
- ↑ Ziauddin Sardar, 'To lionise former extremists feeds anti-Muslim prejudice', The Guardian, 24 April 2008
- ↑ Craig Murray, New Labour Corruption and Quilliam, CraigMurray.org.uk, April 2009
- ↑ Susannah Tarbush, 'The Quilliam Foundation', Al-Hayat, 26 May 2008
- ↑ Susannah Tarbush, 'The Quilliam Foundation', Al-Hayat, 26 May 2008
- ↑ Craig Murray, New Labour Corruption and Quilliam, CraigMurray.org.uk, April 2009
- ↑ Susannah Tarbush, 'The Quilliam Foundation', Al-Hayat, 26 May 2008
- ↑ Freedom of Information Request No. 1121-09, 22 January 2010
- ↑ Screengrab of Quilliam Foundation Advisors Note. Captured on 21/02/10 using ‘Way back machine’ on www.archive.org. Archived date – 27 May 2008
- ↑ Advisors, accessed 21 February 2010.
