Maajid Nawaz

{{short description|British activist and radio presenter (born 1977)}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Maajid Nawaz

| image = Maajid Nawaz speaking at Maastricht University (1).jpg

| caption = Nawaz in October 2018

| alt = Nawaz delivering the yearly Tans Lecture at Maastricht University in October 2018

| birth_name = Maajid Usman Nawaz

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|11|2|df=y}}

| birth_place = Southend-on-Sea, England

| education = SOAS, University of London (BA)
London School of Economics (MSc)

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Fellow activist|1999|2008|end=divorce}}
{{marriage|Rachel Maggart|2014}}

}}

| children = 2

| genre = Nonfiction

| notableworks = Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism
On Blasphemy
Islam and the Future of Tolerance

| occupation = Author{{·}}Founder of Quilliam

| subject = Islamism{{·}}Liberalism

| website = {{url|maajidnawaz.com|Official website}}

}}

Maajid Usman Nawaz ({{IPA|ur|ˈmaːdʒɪd̪ nəwaːz|lang}}; born 2 November 1977){{cite web|url=http://www.bizdb.co.uk/filings/07/cb/07cba62099296ee51f0718ab40ac49d5.pdf|title=The Quilliam Foundation Ltd. – Annual Return|website=BizDb|access-date=31 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101091557/http://www.bizdb.co.uk/filings/07/cb/07cba62099296ee51f0718ab40ac49d5.pdf|archive-date=1 January 2017|url-status=live}} is a British activist and former radio presenter. He was the founding chairman of the think tank Quilliam. Until January 2022, he was the host of an LBC radio show on Saturdays and Sundays. Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, to a British Pakistani family, Nawaz is a former member of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir. His membership led to his December 2001 arrest in Egypt, where he remained imprisoned until 2006. While there, he read books about human rights and made contact with Amnesty International who adopted him as a prisoner of conscience. He left Hizb-ut-Tahrir in 2007, renounced his Islamist past, and called for a secular Islam. Later, Nawaz co-founded Quilliam with former Islamists, including Ed Husain.{{cite news |last=Nawaz |first=Maajid |date=26 February 2015 |title=I was radicalised. So I understand how extremists exploit grievances |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/26/tackle-extremism-understand-racism-islamism |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214180121/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/26/tackle-extremism-understand-racism-islamism |archive-date=14 February 2017 |url-status=live}}

In 2012, Nawaz published an autobiography, Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism, and has since become a prominent critic of Islamism in the United Kingdom. His second book, Islam and the Future of Tolerance (2015), co-authored with atheist author Sam Harris, was published in October 2015. He was the Liberal Democrats parliamentary candidate for London's Hampstead and Kilburn constituency in the 2015 United Kingdom general election.{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/01/uk-vote-could-create-cross-border-dynasty-2014113112342206325.html|title=UK vote could create cross-border dynasty|newspaper=Al Jazeera|date=15 January 2014|access-date=16 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117190644/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/01/uk-vote-could-create-cross-border-dynasty-2014113112342206325.html|archive-date=17 January 2014|url-status=live}} Since 2020, Nawaz has been accused of promoting false claims and conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 and the 2020 United States presidential election.{{cite web |url=https://www.thejc.com/lets-talk/all/how-maajid-nawaz-went-from-hero-to-conspiracy-theorist-7uMoIzMTT32E9ozWyfox9b |title=How Maajid Nawaz went from hero to conspiracy theorist |author=Nick Cohen |date=2022-08-04 |publisher=The JC}}{{cite web |url=https://fullfact.org/health/maajid-nawaz-joe-rogan-covid/ |title=Maajid Nawaz got Covid-19 facts wrong on the Joe Rogan podcast |date=2022-02-25 |publisher=Full Fact}}

Early life and education

Nawaz was born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, to parents of Pakistani origin.{{cite news |last=Shariatmadari |first=David |title=Maajid Nawaz: how a former Islamist became David Cameron's anti-extremism adviser |url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/02/maajid-nawaz-how-a-former-islamist-became-david-camerons-anti-extremism-adviser |newspaper=The Guardian |location= London |access-date=21 October 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161022032948/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/02/maajid-nawaz-how-a-former-islamist-became-david-camerons-anti-extremism-adviser |archive-date=22 October 2016 |url-status=live}} His mother, Abi, moved to Southend with her family when she was nine. His father, Mo, is an electrical engineer who had worked for the Pakistan Navy but had to leave on medical grounds after he contracted tuberculosis.Nawaz (2012): pp. 20–30. After moving to the United Kingdom, Nawaz's father worked for an oil company in Libya, and moved between Libya and the United Kingdom until his retirement. Nawaz has an elder brother and a younger sister. In his memoir Radical, he uses the pseudonym Osman to refer to his brother.

Nawaz was educated at Westcliff High School for Boys, a grammar school in Westcliff-on-Sea, a suburb of Southend.{{cite news |url= http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/4457638.Ex_extremist__My_message_of_peace_to_the_Islamic_world/?ref=rss |title=Ex-extremist: My message of peace to the Islamic world |newspaper=Southend Standard |first=Christine |last=Sexton |date=25 June 2009 |access-date=14 November 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151117023600/http://www.southendstandard.co.uk/news/4457638.Ex_extremist__My_message_of_peace_to_the_Islamic_world/?ref=rss |archive-date=17 November 2015 |url-status=live}} Later, he studied law and Arabic at SOAS, University of London, and earned his master's degree in political theory from the London School of Economics.{{cite web|title=Lib Dem Profile of Maajid Nawaz|url=http://www.libdems.org.uk/maajid_nawaz|access-date=13 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140413140352/http://www.libdems.org.uk/maajid_nawaz|archive-date=13 April 2014|url-status=live}}{{subscription required|date=November 2016}}

Islamist activism

= Association with Hizb ut-Tahrir =

Nawaz says that racism from classmates, Combat 18 gangs, and police, and feeling divided between his Pakistani and British heritage, meant he struggled to find his own identity growing up.{{cite news|title=How Orwell's 'Animal Farm' Led A Radical Muslim To Moderation|newspaper=NPR.org|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/01/15/377442344/how-orwells-animal-farm-led-a-radical-muslim-to-moderation|publisher=NPR|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013124602/http://www.npr.org/2015/01/15/377442344/how-orwells-animal-farm-led-a-radical-muslim-to-moderation|archive-date=13 October 2017|url-status=live}} His elder brother, referred to pseudonymously as Osman, was recruited into Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) by Nasim Ghani, who would later become the British leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Osman subsequently persuaded Nawaz to attend HT meetings held in Southend homes.Nawaz (2012): pp. 80–91. At those meetings, recruits were shown videos of Bosnian Muslims being massacred.{{cite web|last1=Driscoll|first1=Margaret|title=Maajid Nawaz: And most other jihadists are just like me too|website=The Sunday Times|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/article1066645.ece|access-date=13 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714042835/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/article1066645.ece|archive-date=14 July 2015|url-status=dead}} Watching these videos eventually resulted in Nawaz's formal recruitment in the HT.{{cite web |url=http://www.women-without-borders.org/news/121/ |title=News |publisher=Women-Without-Borders |date=12 April 2008 |access-date=18 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090201091741/http://www.women-without-borders.org/news/121/ |archive-date=1 February 2009 |url-status=dead}}

While a student at Newham College and then at SOAS, Nawaz quickly rose through the ranks. By the age of 17, he was recruiting students from Cambridge University, and by 19 he was on the national leadership of HT in the United Kingdom.{{cite web|title=A Global Culture to Fight Radicalization|date=14 July 2011 |url=https://www.ted.com/talks/maajid_nawaz_a_global_culture_to_fight_extremism|publisher=TED.com|access-date=13 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714103119/https://www.ted.com/talks/maajid_nawaz_a_global_culture_to_fight_extremism|archive-date=14 July 2015|url-status=live}} He became a national speaker and an international recruiter for Hizb ut-Tahrir, travelling to Pakistan and Denmark to further the party's ideology and set up organisational clandestine cells.

== Imprisonment in Egypt ==

As part of his bachelor's degree in law and Arabic, Nawaz spent a compulsory year abroad in Egypt, arriving just one day before the 9/11 attacks took place.{{cite web|title=Talk: From Islamism to Secular Liberalism: Socrateslezing|website = YouTube| date=31 March 2015 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkTAFpQTcJ4|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306154421/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkTAFpQTcJ4|archive-date=6 March 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Casciani |first=Dominic |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4770042.stm |title=UK | Freed Britons attack government |publisher=BBC News |date=3 March 2006 |access-date=18 March 2012}} Since political Islamist organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir were banned in Egypt, Nawaz was arrested and interrogated in Alexandria by the Egyptian security agency Aman al-Dawlah. Like most foreign prisoners, he was not subjected to torture but faced the threat of torture during interrogation and witnessed other prisoners being tortured.Nawaz (2012): p. 241. He was then transferred to Tora Prison and put on trial. Represented by Sadiq Khan, he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.Nawaz (2012): p. 257.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2597335.stm|title= Egypt trial Britons' case resumes|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date= 21 December 2002|access-date=6 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923101310/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2597335.stm|archive-date=23 September 2017|url-status=live}} During the trial, he was adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience,Nawaz (2012): pp. 250–257.{{cite web |url=http://www.mafhoum.com/press4/116S60.htm |title=Amnesty International – Library – Egypt: Opening of trial of three Britons and 23 Egyptians raises unfair trial and torture concerns |publisher=Mafhoum.com |access-date=18 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609085800/http://www.mafhoum.com/press4/116S60.htm |archive-date=9 June 2011 |url-status=live}} and this helped him to secure his return to London.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/magazine/can-a-former-islamist-make-it-cool-to-be-moderate.html|title=Can a Former Islamist Make It Cool to Be Moderate?|author=Thomas Chatterton Williams|author-link=Thomas Chatterton Williams|date=28 March 2017|work=New York Times|access-date=29 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329224845/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/magazine/can-a-former-islamist-make-it-cool-to-be-moderate.html|archive-date=29 March 2017|url-status=live}}

= Disenchantment and exit from Hizb ut-Tahrir =

While imprisoned in Tora Prison, Nawaz came across a wide spectrum of Muslims with varying ideological leanings, including jihadists, Islamists, Islamic scholars, and liberal Muslims.Nawaz (2012): pp. 262–263. Among the jihadists were the members of the terrorist organisation al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, and the assassins of former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat. He met Islamist Essam el-Erian, the spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood,{{cite web|title=Democracy is our revenge|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/middle-east/2011/02/egypt-brotherhood-uprising|newspaper=New Statesman|access-date=13 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714064828/http://www.newstatesman.com/middle-east/2011/02/egypt-brotherhood-uprising|archive-date=14 July 2015|url-status=live}} and Mohammed Badie, who in his youth had smuggled the manuscripts of Syed Qutb's Islamist manual Milestones out of prison, and had it published.

Among the Islamic scholars, Nawaz continued his studies sitting with graduates of Cairo's Al-Azhar University and Dar al-'Ulum.Nawaz (2012): pp. 285–286. He specialised in the Arabic language whilst studying historical Muslim scholastics, sources of Islamic jurisprudence, Hadith historiography, and the art of Qur'anic recitation. He also committed half of the Qur'an to memory.Nawaz (2012): p. 287. On the liberal end of the spectrum, he befriended author and sociologist Saad Eddin Ibrahim. He also benefited from the company of imprisoned Egyptian politician Ayman Nour, who was the head of the centrist and liberal Tomorrow Party and a runner-up to the 2005 Egyptian presidential election.{{cite news|title=Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=28 October 2013|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2013/1028/Radical-My-Journey-out-of-Islamist-Extremism|access-date=13 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714070206/http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/Book-Reviews/2013/1028/Radical-My-Journey-out-of-Islamist-Extremism|archive-date=14 July 2015|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Maajid Nawaz: The Repentant Radical|url=http://www.newsweek.com/maajid-nawaz-repentant-radical-65445|newspaper=Newsweek|date=15 October 2012|access-date=13 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714030102/http://www.newsweek.com/maajid-nawaz-repentant-radical-65445|archive-date=14 July 2015|url-status=live}} By 2007, Nawaz had renounced his Islamist past and called for a secular Islam.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/former-islamist-maajid-nawaz-to-fight-marginal-parliamentary-seat-for-lib-dems-in-2015-election-8721243.html|title=Former Islamist Maajid Nawaz to fight marginal parliamentary seat for Lib Dems in 2015 election|last=Morris|first=Nigel|date=19 July 2013|work=The Independent|access-date=19 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909233416/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/former-islamist-maajid-nawaz-to-fight-marginal-parliamentary-seat-for-lib-dems-in-2015-election-8721243.html|archive-date=9 September 2017|url-status=live}} In an interview with American broadcaster National Public Radio, Nawaz explained how, other than the interactions in prison, George Orwell's novel Animal Farm played a major role in his turnaround.

Counter-extremist activism

After completing his prison term in Egypt, Nawaz returned to the United Kingdom in 2006. In 2007, he resigned from Hizb-ut-Tahrir and resumed his bachelor's degree at SOAS.Nawaz (2012): pp. 323–325.Nawaz (2012): p. 331. He then founded the Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think tank. He addressed the United States Committee on Homeland Security on the subject of Islamist extremism.{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC07.php?CID=409 |title=Events |publisher=Washingtoninstitute.org |access-date=18 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223180244/http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC07.php?CID=409 |archive-date=23 February 2009 |url-status=dead}} He also spoke at the Sovereign Challenge conference organised by United States Special Operations Command where he advocated the need to move beyond hard power, and look at new counter-radicalisation strategies.{{cite web|title=[PDF]: US Special Operations command Conference|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2009/09_sc-conf-report.pdf|access-date=9 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924124637/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2009/09_sc-conf-report.pdf|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=live}}

Nawaz played a major role in Tommy Robinson's exit from the far-right English Defence League (EDL), of which Robinson was the founder. He met Robinson in 2013 during the filming of a BBC documentary When Tommy met Mo, and subsequently met the EDL's co-leader, Kevin Carroll. Nawaz's personal story of turning back from Islamist extremism, and his counter-extremism work at Quilliam Foundation, encouraged Robinson and Carroll to quit the EDL.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/11/edl-tommy-robinson-sorry-fear-muslims|title=Ex-EDL leader Tommy Robinson says sorry for causing fear to Muslims|newspaper=The Guardian|date=11 October 2013|access-date=29 October 2013|last=Malik|first=Shiv|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020180624/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/11/edl-tommy-robinson-sorry-fear-muslims|archive-date=20 October 2013|url-status=live}} Later, Robinson also apologised to Muslims for the fear caused by his EDL activism.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/08/tommy-robinson-english-defence-league|title=Tommy Robinson quits EDL saying it has become 'too extreme'|newspaper=The Guardian|date=8 October 2013|access-date=8 October 2013|last=Siddique|first=Haroon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008100824/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/08/tommy-robinson-english-defence-league|archive-date=8 October 2013|url-status=live}} The move was hailed by Quilliam as "a huge success in community relations in the United Kingdom", and a continuation of combating all kinds of extremism, including Islamism and neo-Nazism.{{cite web|title=EDL: Tommy Robinson and deputy Kevin Carroll quit far right group|website=TheGuardian.com|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/08/tommy-robinson-english-defence-league|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008100824/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/oct/08/tommy-robinson-english-defence-league|archive-date=8 October 2013|url-status=live}}

In July 2012, Nawaz published his autobiography, Radical. The Quilliam Foundation Ltd was put into liquidation on 9 April 2021.{{cite web |title=The Quilliam Foundation Ltd |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06432342/insolvency |website=Companies House |access-date=2 May 2021}}

= Activities in Pakistan =

Nawaz has co-founded an activist group in Pakistan, named Khudi, which aims to combat extremism.{{cite news|author=Charlotte Higgins|title=Reformed Islamist extremist spreads virtues of democracy through Pakistan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/12/reformed-extremist-pakistan-maajid-nawaz|newspaper=The Guardian|date=12 August 2012|access-date=3 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106013820/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/aug/12/reformed-extremist-pakistan-maajid-nawaz|archive-date=6 November 2013|url-status=live}} In 2009, with a BBC Newsnight crew and security team, Nawaz embarked on a counter-extremism tour, speaking at over 22 universities, and recruiting students all over Pakistan.{{cite news|title=Former Islamist takes on Pakistan extremism|date=23 June 2009|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8115206.stm|access-date=3 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150704175220/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8115206.stm|archive-date=4 July 2015|url-status=live}}

Liberal Democrats

File:Maajid Nawaz and other Hampstead and Kilburn candidates.jpg constituency]]

Nawaz was selected in July 2013 to stand as the Liberal Democrats candidate for the marginal north London constituency of Hampstead and Kilburn, in which he came third.{{cite news|last=Osley|first=Richard|title=Lib Dems hope Maajid Nawaz can boost their election hopes in Hampstead and Kilburn|url=http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2013/jul/lib-dems-hope-maajid-nawaz-can-boost-their-election-hopes-hampstead-and-kilburn|newspaper=Camden New Journal|date=25 July 2013|access-date=22 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201223727/http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2013/jul/lib-dems-hope-maajid-nawaz-can-boost-their-election-hopes-hampstead-and-kilburn|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=dead}} With the delegation of Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel he visited both sides of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.{{cite news|last=Lipman|first=Jennifer|date=28 June 2012|url=http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/69364/ex-radical-speaks-suicide-bomb-victims-father|title=Ex-radical speaks with suicide bomb victim's father|work=The Jewish Chronicle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210040453/http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/69364/ex-radical-speaks-suicide-bomb-victims-father|archive-date=10 February 2015|access-date=15 July 2023}}

In September 2013, Nawaz and his Camden District team was given the Dadabhai Naoroji Award for support and promotion of BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups) party members.{{cite web|title=LibDem Party Awards 2013: The Winners|url=http://www.libdemvoice.org/party-awards-2013-the-winners-36306.html|access-date=2 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703045054/http://www.libdemvoice.org/party-awards-2013-the-winners-36306.html|archive-date=3 July 2015|url-status=dead}} The award was presented by then-party president Tim Farron. In the same year, he was included in The Daily Telegraph{{'}}s list of 50 most influential Liberal Democrats.{{cite web|title=Top 50 most influential Liberal Democrats: 26–50|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/10312680/Top-50-most-influential-Liberal-Democrats-26-50.html|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=16 September 2013 |access-date=3 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925025448/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/10312680/Top-50-most-influential-Liberal-Democrats-26-50.html|archive-date=25 September 2018|url-status=live}}

In 2014, Nawaz received death threats after tweeting a Jesus and Mo cartoon alluding to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.Keith Perry [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/10588267/Lib-Dem-candidate-receives-death-threats-for-tweeting-Prophet-Mohammed-cartoon.html "Lib Dem candidate receives death threats for tweeting Prophet Mohammed cartoon"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225035941/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/10588267/Lib-Dem-candidate-receives-death-threats-for-tweeting-Prophet-Mohammed-cartoon.html |date=25 February 2018 }} The Daily Telegraph 21 January 2014 Nawaz decided to tweet the cartoon after a BBC programme censored two audience members' shirts displaying cartoons of Muhammad.Nick Cohen [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/25/liberal-democrats-t-shirt-jesus-muhammad-religion "The Liberal Democrats face a true test of liberty"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161123193818/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/25/liberal-democrats-t-shirt-jesus-muhammad-religion |date=23 November 2016 }}, The Observer, 25 January 2014 Respect Party politician George Galloway called on Muslims, via a tweet, not to vote for the Liberal Democrats while Nawaz is one of their candidates.Jessica Elgot [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/01/20/maajid-nawaz-cartoon_n_4631609.html "George Galloway And Muslim Activists Round On Lib Dem Candidate Maajid Nawaz"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140123080043/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/01/20/maajid-nawaz-cartoon_n_4631609.html |date=23 January 2014 }}, The Huffington Post, 21 January 2014 By 24 January, a petition to the Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg demanding that Nawaz should be removed as a parliamentary candidate for the party had received 20,000 signatures. Petition organisers denied a connection to its alleged originator, the Liberal Democrats member Mohammed Shafiq, and condemned the incitement to murder.Jonathan Brown and Ian Johnston [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nick-clegg-attacks-death-threats-against-maajid-nawaz--lib-dem-candidate-who-tweeted-a-cartoon-of-the-prophet-mohammed-and-jesus-greeting-each-other-9086469.html "Nick Clegg attacks death threats against Maajid Nawaz – Lib Dem candidate who tweeted a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed and Jesus greeting each other"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925171548/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nick-clegg-attacks-death-threats-against-maajid-nawaz--lib-dem-candidate-who-tweeted-a-cartoon-of-the-prophet-mohammed-and-jesus-greeting-each-other-9086469.html |date=25 September 2015 }}, The Independent, 26 January 2014 On 26 January, Clegg defended Nawaz's right to free expression and said that the death threats were not acceptable.

On 2 July 2020, Nawaz announced his resignation from the Liberal Democrats.{{cite tweet|user=MaajidNawaz|author=Majiid Nawaz|number=1278684696151498752| title=I hereby announce my resignation from @LibDems. I'm gearing up for a battle bigger than politics. From now on I endorse all parties, not one. I personally endorse @sajidjavid as Tory leader. @Keir_Starmer as Labour leader & @LaylaMoran as new leader for @LibDems #Solidarity| date=3 July 2020|access-date=15 July 2023}}

Radio show on LBC

From September 2016 to January 2022, Nawaz hosted an LBC radio show on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.{{cite web |title=Maajid Nawaz joins LBC for weekend shows |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2016/09/maajid-nawaz-joins-lbc-for-weekend-shows/ |website=RadioToday |access-date=7 January 2022 |date=13 September 2016}}{{cite web |title=Presenter Maajid Nawaz has left LBC with immediate effect |url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2022/01/presenter-maajid-nawaz-has-left-lbc-with-immediate-effect/ |last=Martin |first=Roy |website=RadioToday |access-date=7 January 2022 |date=7 January 2022}} On 7 January 2022, LBC announced on Twitter that Nawaz would no longer present at LBC, effective immediately. His firing came weeks after fellow host Iain Dale accused him of spreading ‘deranged rubbish’ concerning coronavirus vaccines. Nawaz wrote that mass vaccination during a pandemic with a jab not tested for long-term side-effects "could be doing more harm than good",{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/maajid-nawaz-leaves-lbc-vaccines-b1988809.html | title=LBC presenter Maajid Nawaz says 'I refuse to go quietly' as show to end | last=Gregory | first=Andy | website=Independent.co.uk | date=7 January 2022 }} In response, he told his Twitter followers to subscribe to his newsletter, telling them the show was his family's "only source of income".{{cite news|url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/presenter-maajid-nawaz-leaves-lbc-after-backlash-to-controversial-tweets/|title=Presenter Maajid Nawaz leaves LBC after backlash to controversial tweets|first=Bron|last=Maher|date=7 January 2022|access-date = 19 July 2022|work=Press Gazette}}

Claim by Southern Poverty Law Center

In October 2016, the Southern Poverty Law Center in the United States accused Nawaz of being an "anti-Muslim extremist",{{cite web|title=Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists|url=https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/splc_field_guide_to_antimuslim_extremists_0.pdf|website=Splcenter|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|access-date=3 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029045815/https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/splc_field_guide_to_antimuslim_extremists_0.pdf|archive-date=29 October 2016|url-status=live}} for which it was subsequently criticised by various media outlets,{{cite news|last=Walsh|first=Michael|title=SPLC receives backlash after placing activist Maajid Nawaz on 'anti-Muslim extremist' list|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/splc-receives-backlash-after-placing-activist-maajid-nawaz-on-anti-muslim-extremist-list-201918193.html|access-date=1 November 2016|work=Yahoo! News|date=31 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161101120517/https://www.yahoo.com/news/splc-receives-backlash-after-placing-activist-maajid-nawaz-on-anti-muslim-extremist-list-201918193.html|archive-date=1 November 2016|url-status=live}} including The Atlantic,{{cite news|last=Graham|first=David A.|title=How Did Maajid Nawaz End Up on a List of 'Anti-Muslim Extremists'?|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/10/maajid-nawaz-splc-anti-muslim-extremist/505685/|access-date=29 October 2016|work=The Atlantic|date=29 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814130904/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/10/maajid-nawaz-splc-anti-muslim-extremist/505685/|archive-date=14 August 2017|url-status=live}} The Spectator,{{cite news|last1=Cohen|first1=Nick|title=The white left has issued its first fatwa|url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/10/white-left-issued-first-fatwa/|access-date=31 October 2016|work=The Spectator|date=31 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031231723/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/10/white-left-issued-first-fatwa/|archive-date=31 October 2016|url-status=live}} and The Wall Street Journal,{{cite news|title=Branding Moderates as 'Anti-Muslim'|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/branding-moderates-as-anti-muslim-1477866475|access-date=31 October 2016|work=Wall Street Journal|date=30 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031161342/http://www.wsj.com/articles/branding-moderates-as-anti-muslim-1477866475|archive-date=31 October 2016|url-status=live}} and Nawaz himself.{{cite news|last1=Nawaz|first1=Maajid|title=I'm A Muslim Reformer. Why Am I Being Smeared as an 'Anti-Muslim Extremist'?|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/29/i-m-a-muslim-reformer-why-am-i-being-smeared-as-an-anti-muslim-extremist.html|access-date=29 October 2016|work=The Daily Beast|date=29 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030080334/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/29/i-m-a-muslim-reformer-why-am-i-being-smeared-as-an-anti-muslim-extremist.html|archive-date=30 October 2016|url-status=live}} The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice wrote a public letter to the SPLC urging it to retract the listing.{{cite news|title=Lantos Foundation Calls Out Southern Poverty Law Center|url=http://www.lantosfoundation.org/news/2016/11/8/lantos-foundation-calls-out-southern-poverty-law-center|access-date=10 November 2016|work=Lantos Foundation|date=8 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110173220/http://www.lantosfoundation.org/news/2016/11/8/lantos-foundation-calls-out-southern-poverty-law-center|archive-date=10 November 2016|url-status=live}} Nawaz announced his intention to file a defamation lawsuit against the SPLC on the 23 June 2017 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher.{{cite web|url=https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/06/24/muslim_anti-extremist_maajid_nawaz_on_maher_talks_lawsuit_against_southern_poverty_law_center.html|title=Muslim Anti-Extremist Maajid Nawaz on Maher; Talks Lawsuit Against Southern Poverty Law Center|website=RealClearPolitics.com|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930035840/https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/06/24/muslim_anti-extremist_maajid_nawaz_on_maher_talks_lawsuit_against_southern_poverty_law_center.html|archive-date=30 September 2017|url-status=live}} The SPLC deleted the HTML version of its list in April 2018.{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/news/southern-poverty-law-center-removes-extremist-list-after-legal-threat/|title=Southern Poverty Law Center Quietly Deleted List of 'Anti-Muslim' Extremists After Legal Threat|first=Jack|last=Crowe|publisher=National Review|date=19 April 2018|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528223442/https://www.nationalreview.com/news/southern-poverty-law-center-removes-extremist-list-after-legal-threat/|archive-date=28 May 2018|url-status=live}}

In June 2018, the SPLC apologised and paid $3.375 million to Nawaz and Quilliam "to fund their work to fight anti-Muslim bigotry and extremism".{{cite web |title=Statement regarding Maajid Nawaz and Quilliam Foundation |url=https://www.splcenter.org/news/2018/06/18/splc-statement-regarding-maajid-nawaz-and-quilliam-foundation |website=SPLCenter.org |publisher=SPLC |access-date=18 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618150811/https://www.splcenter.org/news/2018/06/18/splc-statement-regarding-maajid-nawaz-and-quilliam-foundation |archive-date=18 June 2018 |url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/southern-poverty-law-center-must-3-3-million-payout-after-falsely-naming-anti-muslim-extremists/|title=Southern Poverty Law Center Must Pay $3.3 Million After Falsely Naming Anti-Muslim Extremists|work=Law & Crime|author=Matt Naham|date=18 June 2018|access-date=19 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619163901/https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/southern-poverty-law-center-must-3-3-million-payout-after-falsely-naming-anti-muslim-extremists/|archive-date=19 June 2018|url-status=live}} As part of the settlement, the then SPLC president J. Richard Cohen made a video apology,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMAStj8Jtks|title=Richard Cohen SPLC President Apologising to Maajid Nawaz and Quilliam|last=Quilliam International|date=18 June 2018|via=YouTube|access-date=29 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180731205638/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMAStj8Jtks|archive-date=31 July 2018|url-status=live}} and released a statement of apology to Nawaz and the Quilliam Foundation.{{cite news|last=Richardson|first=Valerie|date=18 June 2018|url=https://apnews.com/3538ca6340275a7d5c5dd66d7b0f91b3|title=Southern Poverty pays $3.3M to Quilliam, Nawaz for labeling them 'anti-Muslim extremists'|website=AP News|access-date=14 June 2023|quote=The apology reads as follows: 'The Southern Poverty Law Center was wrong to include Maajid Nawaz and the Quilliam Foundation in our Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists. Since we published the Field Guide, we have taken the time to do more research and have consulted with human rights advocates we respect. We've found that Mr. Nawaz and Quilliam have made valuable and important contributions to public discourse, including by promoting pluralism and condemning both anti-Muslim bigotry and Islamist extremism. Although we may have our differences with some of the positions that Mr. Nawaz and Quilliam have taken, they are most certainly not anti-Muslim extremists. We would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Mr. Nawaz, Quilliam, and our readers for the error, and we wish Mr. Nawaz and Quilliam all the best.'}} The agreement stipulated that the SPLC's apology was to be prominently displayed on various pages on their website, as well as distributed to every email address and mailing address on the SPLC mailing list.{{cite web |date=18 June 2018|url=https://www.quilliaminternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/20180617-splc-final-executed-settlement-agreement.pdf |title=SPLC Final Executed Settlement Agreement |access-date=29 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629074301/https://www.quilliaminternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/20180617-splc-final-executed-settlement-agreement.pdf |archive-date=29 June 2018 |url-status=live}}

Views

= Political commentary =

Nawaz has criticised what he terms as the regressive left, which he described in 2012 as left-leaning people who—in his opinion—pander to Islamism, which he defines as a "global totalitarian theo-political project" with a "desire to impose any given interpretation of Islam over society as law".{{cite book|last=Nawaz|first=Maajid|date=2012|title=Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FIjms8hwoW8C|publisher=WH Allen|isbn=9781448131617}} in 2016 he used the term control left, which he has described as the left-wing equivalent to the alt-right, to refer groups or individuals who he says support "post factual behaviour, violence being seen as an option and prioritising group identity over individual rights" and "they want to control our lives, control what we think, control how we even feel."{{Cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/maajid-the-left-is-no-longer-liberal/|title = Maajid: The Left is No Longer Liberal}}

Nawaz has been critical of multiculturalism, and he criticises what he describes as the failed 1990s policies on multiculturalism in Britain and Europe. He has argued that multiculturalism has failed ethnic minorities by not promoting integration, inhibiting social mobility in employment and gender inequality in Muslim communities, and has encouraged bigotry of low expectations. Nawaz has instead argued in favour of what he terms omniculturalism and integration, stating that both are more culturally and economically beneficial to minority communities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/maajid-says-multiculturalism-is-dead/|title = Maajid Says Multiculturalism is Dead}}{{dead link|date=May 2025}}

= British and European politics =

Nawaz voted Remain and was opposed to Brexit during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum. Following the referendum, he argued that other Remain supporters needed to accept the result and that the outcome was "not all good news, but it's also not all bad news." Nawaz opined in 2020 that Brexit could enable the country to participate in a CANZUK agreement and forge an era of new alliances to counter the influence of China on the West.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/no-deal-brexit-advantages-opportunities-canzuk/|title=Maajid Nawaz explains how UK can prosper post-Brexit: 'It's not all bad news'|date=13 December 2020|website=LBC}}

Nawaz maintained in 2017 that while he is pro-immigration and supports accepting refugees, he also opined that the open border policy pursued by German chancellor Angela Merkel was a mistake in terms of national security, social integration, and fueling support for the far-right in Europe, and it had contributed to the Brexit result.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/merkels-open-door-policy-helped-lead-to-brexit/|title=Merkel's 'Open Door' Policy Helped Lead To Brexit, Says Maajid Nawaz|date=16 July 2017|website=LBC}}

Nawaz opposes Scottish independence. In a 2020 article for UnHerd, he described the Scottish National Party as presenting a progressive image but using xenophobic sentiments. He also accused the party of "whitewashing" history over British colonialism to make Scotland appear as if it was colonised by England and played no role in the building of the British Empire.{{cite web|url=https://unherd.com/2020/05/the-racism-lurking-behind-scottish-nationalism/|title=The racism lurking behind Scottish nationalism|last=Nawaz|first=Maajid|date=24 May 2020|work=UnHerd}}

Nawaz has expressed opposition to demolishing statues and references to British historical figures in public spaces over past historical comments. In 2018, he criticised students from his alma-mater, SOAS University of London, who protested against a Winston Churchill themed café in London. He argued that while Churchill may have expressed controversial opinions, they should not be judged by modern standards, and said that "if we can't celebrate him, who can we celebrate?"{{cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/churchill-was-flawed-like-all-the-greats-but-his-achievements-outshine-his-shortcomings-11230689|title='Churchill was flawed like all the greats but his achievements outshine his shortcomings'|last=Nawaz|first=Maajid|date=1 February 2018|website=Sky News}} In 2021, in response to the Black Lives Matter protests in the United Kingdom in which statues of historical figures were pulled over, Nawaz expressed agreement with the communities secretary Robert Jenrick that "community consultation" should be adopted as to whether the statues remain. He argued that the removal of statues "shouldn't be done unilaterally and it certainly shouldn't be done by the mob."{{cite news|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/robert-jenrick-statues-debate-black-lives-matter/|title='All stakeholders in society' should be involved in statues debate, Maajid Nawaz insists|date=17 January 2021|publisher=LBC}}

= American politics =

Nawaz criticised Donald Trump over his proposal for a temporary ban on entry of Muslims into the United States during his 2016 presidential campaign. Following Trump's victory in the 2016 United States presidential election, Nawaz argued that the result came in part because of the left's failure to acknowledge white working-class voters who are statistically underrepresented in universities or employment. He stated that "Trump won because the hard left has abandoned the facts almost as quickly as the hard right."{{cite web|url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-fear-that-propelled-trump-requires-no-logic/|title=The fear that propelled Donald Trump requires no logic|last=Nawaz|first=Maajid|date=9 November 2016|work=The Times of Israel}} After Trump assumed the presidency, Nawaz praised elements of the administration's policies, including attempts to negotiate peace talks with Kim Jong Un and attempts to sort out financial issues in NATO. He said that American liberals had been hypocritical in their criticisms of Trump compared to previous presidents.{{YouTube|id=v=4k9WcdtNvzw|title=Maajid Nawaz: Give Trump some credit}} After the 2020 United States presidential election, Nawaz argued that the public should "evaluate the policies and not the personality" when discussing Trump's legacy.{{cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/rise-in-support-for-trump-black-and-latino/|title=Massive rise in support for Trump cannot be ignored, Maajid Nawaz says|date=8 November 2020|publisher=LBC}} Nawaz views the 2020 election result as rigged, and has said that the January 6 United States Capitol attack was organised by anti-fascist organisations rather than supporters of Trump.{{Cite web |last=Pellegrino |first=Silvia |date=13 July 2022 |title=What happened to Maajid Nawaz? Where the ex-LBC host went next |url=https://pressgazette.co.uk/maajid-nawaz-what-happened/ |access-date=9 October 2022 |website=Press Gazette |language=en-US}}

Following the murder of George Floyd, Nawaz expressed support for peaceful demonstrations against racism, drawing upon his own experiences of racial prejudice growing up. He argued against using violent tactics.{{cite web|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/black-lives-matter-protests-london-stay-peaceful/|title=Maajid Nawaz's moving plea to demonstrators to remain peaceful|date=31 May 2020|publisher=LBC}} He blamed rioting and damage to businesses on the "uniformed, masked, majority-white, far-left", and "spoiled-brat, privileged, gentrifying, Antifa-clad, anarchist rioters." He argued that violence and damage caused by white rioters would lead to over-policing of black neighborhoods.{{cite news|url=https://www.theunionjournal.com/white-bourgeois-antifa-rioters-are-burning-black-minority-neighborhoods-maajid-rages/ |first=Eman |last=Salim |date=31 May 2020 |title=White-bourgeois Antifa rioters are burning black minority neighborhoods – Maajid rages |work=The Union Journal}}

= Security and human rights =

In the 2010s, Nawaz opposed racial profiling of Muslims, extrajudicial detention of terror suspects, torture, targeted killings, and drone strikes.{{cite web|title=US drone killing of Anwar al-Awlaki reinforces terrorists|website=TheGuardian.com|date=October 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/01/drone-killing-anwar-al-awlaki|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503224753/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/01/drone-killing-anwar-al-awlaki|archive-date=3 May 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Racial Profiling: Maajid Nawaz debates MP Khalid Mehmood|website = YouTube| date=19 January 2010 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-wgBFoS-Gs|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202020823/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-wgBFoS-Gs|archive-date=2 December 2016|url-status=live}} In the aftermath of the 2015 San Bernardino attack, during which a debate about profiling occurred, Nawaz said that racial or religious profiling was a "terrible measure" that "does not prevent terrorism".{{cite news|title=Why ISIS Just Loves Profiling|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/why-isis-just-loves-profiling|newspaper=The Daily Beast|access-date=4 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108190924/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/07/why-isis-just-loves-profiling.html|last=Nawaz|first=Maajid|date=7 December 2015|archive-date=8 January 2016|url-status=live}} He also opposed the Terrorism Act 2000, under which he was himself once detained, and called for the universal right to legal representation and right to silence in all cases and for all suspects.{{cite web|title=Maajid Nawaz speaks out against Schedule 7 terror laws at Liberal Democrats Conference|url=http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/press/maajid-nawaz-speaks-out-against-schedule-7-terror-laws-at-liberal-democrats-conference/|access-date=1 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713201243/http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/press/maajid-nawaz-speaks-out-against-schedule-7-terror-laws-at-liberal-democrats-conference/|archive-date=13 July 2015|url-status=live}} In a 2008 talk at George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, he suggested a revisit of the British government's historical approach to dealing with terrorism, and called for a more nuanced response to tackling the ideology of Islamism without breaching fundamental liberties of citizens.{{cite web|title=Maajid Nawaz moderates discussion on Violent Extremism in Europe|url=http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/events/2009/maajid-nawaz-moderates-discussion-on-violent-extremism-in-europe/|access-date=4 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714200750/http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/events/2009/maajid-nawaz-moderates-discussion-on-violent-extremism-in-europe/|archive-date=14 July 2015|url-status=dead}} According to him, security should never debase citizens of their civil liberties.

=Israel=

In 2009, Nawaz was among the twelve advisers to British government who wrote an open letter to the then prime minister Gordon Brown asking him to hold Israel accountable for its attacks on the Gaza Strip.{{cite web|title=Guardia Letter: Advisor to Gordon Brown|website=TheGuardian.com|date=8 January 2009|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jan/08/open-letter-gaza-gordon-brown-israel/print|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709175742/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/jan/08/open-letter-gaza-gordon-brown-israel/print|archive-date=9 July 2015|url-status=live}} He opposes Hamas, which he considers a terrorist organisation.{{cite news|url=http://www.jewishnews.co.uk/opinion-palestine-must-free-hamas/|title=OPINION: Palestine must be free ... from Hamas|last=Nawaz|first=Maajid|date=24 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210043105/http://www.jewishnews.co.uk/opinion-palestine-must-free-hamas/|archive-date=10 February 2015|work=Jewish News}} Nawaz has expressed support for Israel in his commentary, and criticised those who he says use anti-Zionism to promote antisemitic beliefs. He has also opined that opposition to Israel is "the mother of all virtue-signals". In 2018, he was shortlisted as a contender for the Times of Israel "communal ally of the year" of non-Jews "who has used their voice to fight anti-Semitism or delegitimization of Israel or has simply supported the community in the media, in politics or elsewhere over the last two years."{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-british-activist-who-went-from-radical-islam-to-staunch-israel-ally/|title=The British activist who went from radical Islam to staunch Israel ally|first=Robert|last=Philpot|date=19 February 2018|work=The Times of Israel}}

= Jihadism and the Islamic State =

{{Quote box |quote= "It's not Islamophobic to scrutinise Islam just as it's not Christianophobic to scrutinise Christianity."

|source=Maajid Nawaz, The Big Questions (BBC show){{cite web|title=Being offended by cartoons discussed on #BBCTBQ|date=11 January 2015|url=http://www.skeptical-science.com/religion/offended-cartoons-discussed-bbctbq/|publisher=Skeptical-science.com|access-date=19 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725144849/http://www.skeptical-science.com/religion/offended-cartoons-discussed-bbctbq/|archive-date=25 July 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} |width = 36% |align = right|quoted = 1|salign = right}}

In 2015, Nawaz used the term Voldemort effect which pertained to analysts being fearful to call out the ideology of Islamism as the underlying cause of Jihadist terrorism.{{cite web |url=https://bigthink.com/videos/maajid-nawaz-on-the-voldemort-effect/ |title=We Treat Radical Islam Like Voldemort — That's Bad for a Very Counterintuitive Reason|author = Maajid Nawaz|access-date=30 January 2024}}

In a 2017 essay for The Wall Street Journal, Nawaz stated that jihadists of all types seek to create discord by "pitting Muslims against non-Muslims in the West and Sunni Muslims against Shiite Muslims in the East". He argued that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is out to provoke a Clash of Civilisations, which can be avoided by calling out the underlying Islamist ideology and isolating jihadists from ordinary Muslims. He also took exception to Pope Francis's characterisation of the November 2015 Paris attacks as the start of a World War 3; he said that it is not another world war but a global jihadist insurgency. {{cite news|title=How to beat Islamic State|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-beat-islamic-state-1449850833|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=11 December 2015|access-date=8 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627004013/https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-beat-islamic-state-1449850833|archive-date=27 June 2017|url-status=live|last1=Nawaz|first1=Maajid}} in the same piece, he said an insurgency is different from a conventional war in that insurgents rely on some level of support from the communities they recruit from. Since it is an insurgency, the counter-insurgency strategy should have messaging and psychological warfare as its critical parts, with the aim of isolating insurgents from their target host communities. On a physical level, he supported the idea of an international coalition against ISIL, fronted by Sunni Arab forces and backed by international special forces.

= Nationalism and far-right movements =

In a 2015 CNN interview, Nawaz condemned Donald Trump's remarks about his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States.{{cite web|title=Donald Trump is radicalizing his followers: Terrorism expert explains how Trump is marching Americans towards extremism|url=http://www.salon.com/2015/12/08/donald_trump_is_radicalizing_his_followers_terrorism_expert_explains_how_trump_is_marching_americans_towards_extremism/|work=Salon|date=8 December 2015|access-date=4 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160111085151/http://www.salon.com/2015/12/08/donald_trump_is_radicalizing_his_followers_terrorism_expert_explains_how_trump_is_marching_americans_towards_extremism/|archive-date=11 January 2016|url-status=live}} He said that when leaders pump up their followers by promising them utopian visions, and then fail to deliver on those promises, followers take matters into their own hands. He expressed his concern that disappointed followers of Trump would "end up joining fascist or far-right groups" and take matters into their own hands against the eight million Muslims in the United States".{{cite web|title=Video: Terrorists don't have a profile|date=8 December 2015 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/12/08/maajid-nawaz-interview-newday.cnn|publisher=CNN|access-date=4 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151212234324/http://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/12/08/maajid-nawaz-interview-newday.cnn|archive-date=12 December 2015|url-status=live}}

= China's treatment of Uighurs =

In July 2020, Nawaz began a hunger strike to protest against China's imprisonment and persecution of the Uyghurs in the country, and to urge the government, through the UK Parliament petitions website, to impose sanctions on China over its treatment of Uyghur Muslims.{{cite web|date=18 July 2020|title=Maajid Nawaz goes on hunger strike to support Uyghurs|url=https://5pillarsuk.com/2020/07/18/maajid-nawaz-goes-on-hunger-strike-to-support-uyghurs/|access-date=19 July 2020|publisher=5 Pillars}}{{cite press release|title=Maajid Nawaz is on hunger strike to stop Uighur Muslim genocide|url=https://www.quilliaminternational.com/press-release-maajid-nawaz-is-on-hunger-strike-to-stop-uighur-muslim-genocide/|date=17 July 2020|publisher=Quilliam International|location=London|access-date=24 July 2020|archive-date=24 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200724103154/https://www.quilliaminternational.com/press-release-maajid-nawaz-is-on-hunger-strike-to-stop-uighur-muslim-genocide/|url-status=dead}} Nawaz said the abuses amounted to genocide and that it "leaves no room for neutrality".{{Cite web|title="Genocide leaves no room for neutrality": Public must be vocal against Uighur atrocities|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/uighur-muslim-genocide-hunger-strike-silence-is-complicit/|website=LBC}} Within a week, the petition passed the 100,000 signature threshold, thereby ensuring that a debate on the issue would take place in Parliament.{{cite web|date=22 July 2020|title=Parliament set to debate China's persecution of Uighur Muslims|url=https://www.secularism.org.uk/news/2020/07/parliament-set-to-debate-chinas-persecution-of-uighur-muslims|access-date=24 July 2020|publisher=National Secular Society}}

= COVID-19 =

In January 2021, Nawaz signed an open letter to the FBI and other Western intelligence agencies asking them to investigate the possibility that COVID-19 lockdowns were a "global fraud" promulgated by the Chinese Communist Party and intended to "impoverish the nations" that implemented them.{{Cite web |date=31 January 2021 |title=LBC's Maajid Nawaz's fascination with conspiracies raises alarm |last=Thorpe |first=Vanessa |url=http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jan/31/lbcs-maajid-nawazs-fascination-with-conspiracies-raises-alarm |access-date=11 October 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Senger & others |title=The Chinese Communist Party's Global Lockdown Fraud |url=https://ccpgloballockdownfraud.medium.com/the-chinese-communist-partys-global-lockdown-fraud-88e1a7286c2b |website=medium.com |date=10 January 2021 |access-date=13 January 2021}} He has shared his mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines.{{cite news |last1=Dale |first1=Daniel |title=Fact-checking the false but viral story about F-22 pilots resigning after a vaccination text from the secretary of defense {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/10/politics/fact-check-f-22-pilots-quit-vaccine-secretary-of-defense/index.html |access-date=10 October 2022 |work=CNN |date=11 September 2021 |language=en}} Nawaz said that he believed "natural immunity" was safer, and in a deleted tweet from January 2022 linking to a news story about mandatory vaccinations for COVID-19 in Italy, Nawaz captioned the story as "a global palace coup that suspends our rights ... by a network of fascists who seek a New World Order".{{cite news |last1=Gregory |first1=Andy |title=LBC presenter Maajid Nawaz says 'I refuse to go quietly' after station announces his departure|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/maajid-nawaz-leaves-lbc-vaccines-b1988809.html |access-date=10 October 2022 |work=The Independent |date=7 January 2022 |language=en}}

Personal life

At the age of 21, Nawaz married a then fellow Hizb ut-Tahrir activist who was a biology student; they have a son.{{cite news|last=Moore|first=Charles|author-link=Charles Moore (journalist)|date=30 July 2012|title=An insider's exposé of Islamist extremism|work=The Telegraph|location=London|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/9437550/An-insiders-expose-of-Islamist-extremism.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331234554/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/9437550/An-insiders-expose-of-Islamist-extremism.html|archive-date=31 March 2014}} On Nawaz's decision to leave Hizb ut-Tahrir, they separated and later divorced.{{cite news|last=Landesman|first=Cosmo|date=1 September 2013|title=Maajid Nawaz: a tortured jihadist blossoms into Clegg's darling|newspaper=The Sunday Times|location=London|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/features/article1307323.ece|url-status=dead|access-date=24 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194100/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/newsreview/features/article1307323.ece|archive-date=29 October 2013}}

In 2014, Nawaz married Rachel Maggart, an artist and writer from the United States who works for an art gallery in London.{{cite web|title=Rachel Maggart Info|url=http://www.rachelmaggart.com/info|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709083838/http://www.rachelmaggart.com/info|archive-date=9 July 2015|access-date=7 July 2015}}For the date, see {{cite web|date=19 October 2014|title=1:40 PM|url=https://twitter.com/maajidnawaz/status/523936686070583296|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308185114/https://twitter.com/maajidnawaz/status/523936686070583296|archive-date=8 March 2016|access-date=14 April 2015|work=Twitter}} For the name, see {{cite web|date=12 April 2015|title=6:26 PM|url=https://twitter.com/MaajidNawaz/status/587426724926910464|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305105924/https://twitter.com/MaajidNawaz/status/587426724926910464|archive-date=5 March 2016|access-date=13 April 2015|work=Twitter}} In 2017, Nawaz and Maggart had their first child.{{cite web|title=Maajid Nawaz|url=https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1287199674680628&id=135775283156412|website=www.facebook.com}}

In February 2019, Nawaz said that he was assaulted in a racially-motivated attack by a white man.{{cite web|date=19 February 2019|title=Radio host hit in face in 'racist attack'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-47287308|access-date=19 February 2019|publisher=BBC News}}

Books

{{cite book|last=Nawaz|first=Maajid|title=Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism|year=2012|publisher=WH Allen|isbn=978-0-7535-4077-0}}
{{cite book|last1=Nawaz|first1=Maajid|last2=Harris|first2=Sam|title=Islam and the Future of Tolerance|year=2015|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-08870-2}}