Maajid Nawaz

Maajid Usman Nawaz is a British activist, former radio presenter, and founding chairman of the think tank Quilliam. Born on November 2, 1977, in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Nawaz comes from a British Pakistani family. He was a former member of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which led to his arrest in Egypt in December 2001. After being imprisoned until 2006, Nawaz renounced his Islamist past and called for a secular Islam. He co-founded Quilliam with other former Islamists, including Ed Husain. Nawaz has since published an autobiography titled Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism (2012) and has become a prominent critic of Islamism in the United Kingdom. He is also known for his radio show on LBC, which he hosted until January 2022.