Member-only story

Radical: My Journey Out of Islamist Extremism

Victor Turner

·6.2k Followers· Follow

Published in Maajid Nawaz

4 min read

808 View Claps

58 Respond

Save

Listen

By Maajid Nawaz

Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism

by Maajid Nawaz

4.5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	930 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	301 pages

I was born in the UK in 1978 to Pakistani Muslim parents. I was raised in a loving and supportive home, but I was also exposed to the teachings of radical Islam from a young age. My father was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group that seeks to establish a global Islamic caliphate. I was taught that the West was evil and that Muslims had a duty to fight against it. I believed that the only way to achieve true justice was through violence.

After 9/11, I began to question my beliefs. I saw that the violence perpetrated by Islamist groups was not only wrong, but also counterproductive. It was alienating Muslims from the West and making it more difficult to achieve the goals that I had been fighting for. I decided to leave Hizb ut-Tahrir and to renounce my extremist views.

It was not an easy decision to make. I had spent years of my life dedicated to the cause of Islamist extremism. I had made many friends and allies within the movement. But I knew that I could no longer justify the violence that was being committed in the name of Islam. I wanted to find a new way to achieve my goals, a way that was based on peace and compassion.

I started to study other religions and philosophies. I read the works of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Nelson Mandela. I was inspired by their nonviolent approach to social change. I began to realize that there was another way to fight for justice, a way that did not involve violence.

In 2008, I co-founded the Quilliam Foundation, a think tank that works to counter extremism and promote tolerance. I have also written two books, Radical: My Journey Out of Islamist Extremism and Islam and the Future of Tolerance. I am now a vocal critic of Islamist extremism. I believe that it is a dangerous and destructive ideology that has no place in the modern world.

My journey out of extremism was a difficult one, but it was also a journey of hope. It showed me that it is possible to change one's mind, even after holding extreme views. It also showed me that there is another way to fight for justice, a way that is based on peace and compassion.

Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism

by Maajid Nawaz

4.5 out of 5