June 2007
40 posts
ED HUSAIN’S RESPONSE TO MUSLIM CONCERNS
The Islamist was an attempt to explain complex issues of immigration, multiculturalism, belonging, identity, spirituality, religion, radicalism, politics, and extremism-inspired terrorism to the wider British public, including the vast majority of Muslims who simply do not engage with Islamism or Wahhabism. As a writer for a mass audience, there is only so much I can elucidate in the way of...
You have worked for the British Council in Syria...
No. I was an ordinary English teacher with the British Council, a means of supporting my study of Arabic and getting to know young, educated Arabs. Working for the British Council does not render me a government agent. As a teacher in Jeddah, I learnt that members of Hizb ut-Tahrir were employed by the British Council in Pakistan and Bangladesh, not least Nasim Ghani to whom I wrote e-mails. Does...
Why do Melanie Philips, David Aaronovitch, and...
I recall the words of one of the world’s leading Muslim scholars, Shaikh Abdallah bin Bayyah, who taught us that when there is a wild fire and people bring water to put it out, you don’t ask who is helping. All efforts must concentrate on extinguishing the fire of extremism that spreads in our midst. That said, if only right-wing intellectuals and politicians supported The Islamist then I would...
If you’re not a government agent, do you work for...
No, I do not work for the secret services. It is regrettable that this is the level of discussion within many sections of Islamist activism. After my return home from living in the Middle East, I commenced post-graduate studies at the University of London. There, I noticed the activism of the shabab of Hizb ut-Tahrir. As I discuss in the last chapter of The Islamist, my dear friend Maajid Nawaz...
Why did you inform the kufr authorities about the...
I disagree with the premise of the question. I follow the opinion of the vast majority of the ‘ulama who do not regard the governments in Muslim lands to be kufr. Syria is a land filled with Muslim scholars, many of whom are closely aligned with the government. I love the people of Syria and consider the country to be my second home — if I see trouble and dissension being sown, it is my religious...
Why do you pit ‘moderate’ against ‘extremist’?
I wish I didn’t have to, but religious extremism is a reality. Those divisions are palpable and reflected in the actions of believers. However, the psychology of extremism is that the extremist rarely ever confesses, or comprehends, his/her mental state. Our beloved Prophet in a mutawatir hadith warned against extremism, ‘wa iyyakum bi alghuluww fi al-deen’. Ghuluww, tatarruf and other Arabic...
Don’t you realise that the British are using you?
I am British. I was born and raised in these isles; this is my country. I don’t believe in some sinister conspiracy concocted in Whitehall to subvert Muslim communities. Frankly, this mode of thought gives Whitehall too much credit.
Why do you name and shame prominent Muslims and...
My basic principle from the moment I started to write the book: I would only name active Islamists and Islamist organisations. To that end, I changed names of many individuals in the book to conceal the identity of those who are no longer Islamist or, in several cases, those who had shed the ideological influences of Islamism and now worked in powerful positions. I do not name Muslim...
You refer to the murder of an African student in...
I was rather hoping that Hizb ut-Tahrir would confess to their arrogance of the Nineties and apologise to Muslims for dragging the good name of Islam and Muslims through the gutter. Sadly, that apology and confession does not seem to be forthcoming. They continue to be in denial of the role they played in bringing about terrorism on Britain’s streets. Worse, Hizb ut-Tahrir still insist on...
Did you leave Hizb ut-Tahrir because Omar Bakri...
Another fabrication doctored by Hizb ut-Tahrir. I left the Hizb several months before Omar Bakri. Long-standing members/leaders of the Hizb, such as Nasim Ghani, can verify this fact. When will the Hizb learn to accept that it is legitimate to leave Hizb ut-Tahrir and then criticise it? I am not the only one to be character assassinated by the Hizb. In 2005, Shiraz Maher, a member and leader of...
Do you believe that Islam has a role in politics?
Yes, but based on the maslaha or interest of the people and this varies from time and place. I believe in Muslim politics, i.e. the civic engagement of Western Muslims in the political structures that we find around us. This is not about converting or Islamising, but advancing social justice, security and serving God’s creation. My problem is with Islamist politics that seeks to overthrow the...
Invitation:
Finally, the fullest smiles and the most content hearts that I have encountered in recent weeks are of those brave men who have abandoned extremism and embraced the merciful ways of al-Habib al-Mustafa, the Prophet. Let us join hands, and reclaim our faith from political ideologues and religious zealots. As the great Mevlana Rumi calls: ‘Come, come, and come again. Even if you have broken your...
East End Life, June, 2007 →
Harry Miskin, CDLA →
The Australian, June, 2007 →
Chief Rabbi Dr Jonathan Sacks, Jewish Chronicle,... →
John Gray reviews The Islamist, Literary Review,... →
Article in the New Statesman, June, 2007 →
Article in The Observer, June, 2007 →
Article in The Guardian, June, 2007 →
Jane Perlez, New York Times, June, 2007 →
Interview with AltMuslim, June, 2007 →
BBC, May 24, 2007 →
Yahya Birt, New Statesman, 14 May 2007 →
Dr Tahir Abbas, Birmingham University →
David Aaronovitch, The Times, May 8, 2007 →
Catherine Bennett, The Guardian, May 3, 2007 →
Sky News, Adam Boulton, 13 May, 2007 →
Ed Husain Interview with Newsweek, May, 2007 →
Ed Husain in the Daily Telegraph, May 2, 2007 →
Melanie Phillips, May 13, 2007 →
Martin Amis reviews The Islamist, May 5, 2007 →
Madeline Bunting, The Guardian, May 12, 2007 →
Anushka Asthana, The Observer, May 6, 2007 →
CNN, Christianne Amanpour, May 3, 2007 →
Caroline Davidson Literary Agency →
Interview with Sunday Times, April 21, 2007 →
The Sunday Times, April 21, 2007 →
Ed Husain Profile →
