Maajid Nawaz

Maajid Nawaz is co-founder and chairman of Quilliam, a globally active think tank focusing on matters of integration, citizenship and identity, religious freedom, extremism, and immigration. He is also the founder of Khudi, a Pakistan-based social movement campaigning to entrench democratic culture among the nation's youth.

Human rights and a respect for individual liberty are matters close to Nawaz's heart. His work is informed by years spent as a leadership member of a global Islamist group and his gradual transformation towards liberal democratic values. Having served four years as an Amnesty International adopted "prisoner of conscience" in Egypt, Nawaz is now a leading critic of his former Islamist ideological dogma, while remaining a Muslim. He encourages inclusive citizenship-based participation of Muslims in the West, while seeking to synergize a respect for human rights with the civic liberal imperative to defend those in danger of being stigmatized by extremists due to their personal choices.

Nawaz has become a prominent counter-extremism consultant and a regular writer, debater, and public commentator. He has been called upon by heads of state, statesmen, and international bodies for his professional opinion. Nawaz has spoken at platforms internationally ranging from universities across Pakistan to the US Senate in Washington, DC. He has been profiled on 60 Minutes, Larry King Live, and BBC Newsnight; has spoken at a TED conference; and is regularly interviewed by prominent journalists across the world. His work has been published by The London Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, India Times, Dawn Pakistan, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Guardian, and The New Statesman among many others.

As a British-Pakistani born in Essex, Maajid Nawaz speaks English, Arabic, and Urdu, and holds a BA (Hons) from SOAS in Arabic and law, and an MSc in political theory from the London School of Economics (LSE). He is personally interested in Arabic grammar and morphology; Muslim medieval jurisprudence, scholastics, and poetry; and emerging modern political trends.