A biography for Maajid Nawazhasn’t been written yet.
“Liberalism will beat totalitarianism by killing it softly, not by mimicking it.”
“Let me make this clear: it is our duty to adopt a policy barring the wearing of niqabs in these public buildings.”
“The first point of contact for radicalisation is almost always a personal one. Prisons and universities, for example, tend to be easily and regularly infiltrated by radical groups, who use them as forums to propagate their ideas.”
“What's my audience? British society. Am I received relatively well? Yes. Is there within that... if you break it down, challenges with Muslim communities? Of course there are.”
“There are members - very, very close and dear members - of my family - I'm talking immediate family - who simply don't speak to me anymore and haven't done so for years. My marriage fell apart.”
“Being veterans of the struggle to push back against fundamentalist Christians, American liberals are well acquainted with the pitfalls of the neoconservative flirtation with the religious-right.”
“Neoconservatism had the philosophy that you go in with a supply-led approach to impose democratic values from the top down. Whereas Islamists and far-right organizations, for decades, have been building demand for their ideology on the grassroots.”
“I have founded Khudi, in Pakistan, a youth movement which tries to counter extremist ideology through healthy discussion and debate.”
“I care not to debate which came first, Islamism or anti-Muslim bigotry; suffice to say that both feed into each other symbiotically.”
“Broader social concerns within Muslim communities, such as discrimination, integration or socio-economic disadvantages, should be treated distinctively and not as part of counterterrorism agenda, which has been counter-productive.”
“The cheeky ideal I am calling for is that Muslims should be viewed as equal citizens, nothing more and nothing less.”
“The best revolutions are unplanned, and the most democratic are leaderless.”
“Satire has been a sanctuary historically monopolized by progressives, originally used as a discreet tool against Western religious fundamentalism.”
“Satire is, by definition, offensive. It is meant to make us feel uncomfortable. It is meant to make us scratch our heads, think, do a double-take, and then think again.”
“I think I would encourage leaders to start working with communities in order to inoculate angry, young teenagers.”
“In an open society, no idea can be above scrutiny, just as no people should be beneath dignity.”
“Societies should be judged by how they treat the weakest among them.”
“My upbringing was completely liberal from the start. In fact, I didn't even have a Muslim identity.”
“Unity in faith is theocracy; unity in politics is fascism.”
“Ironically, xenophobic nationalists are utilizing the benefits of globalization.”