Quilliam (think Tank) - Objectives

Objectives

A policy proposal published for the British government and journalists at the time of Quilliam's launch suggested establishing rehabilitation centres in which extremists could be deradicalised, based on the success of Egyptian and Saudi programmes of this kind. These centres would expose extremists and terrorists who wish to leave their organisations to the work of scholars whose work has been recognized as sound and legitimate.

More recent information about Quilliam's goals, available on its website, states:

Extremism, a prelude to terrorism, cannot be contained by Muslims alone. Not least because religious rigidity and extremism are products of the failures of wider society to foster a shared sense of belonging and to advance liberal democratic values among all sections of society. That said, we believe a more self-critical approach must be adopted by Muslim leaders to free communities from Westophobic ideological influences, escape social insularity and facilitate the organic growth of Western Islam. Quilliam seeks to challenge what we think, and the way we think. It aims to generate creative thought paradigms through informed and inclusive discussion to counter the Islamist ideology behind terrorism, whilst simultaneously providing evidence-based recommendations to governments for related policy measures.

To date the organization's goals have been mainly communicated through publishing reports, involvement in the media through taking part in interviews and discussions across Europe and the Middle East and through its 'Outreach and Training' unit which delivers a 'radicalisation awareness programme', a training course intended to develop students' understanding of:

* The difference between Islam as a faith and Islamism as a radicalizing political ideology which justifies violence
* The different pathways into radicalization
* A detailed explanation of the process of radicalization - the key causes of it and how it manifests itself
* A thorough understanding of Islamist paradigms and extremists' propaganda
* An exposition of the political narrative and manipulation of grievances which are exploited and used to groom vulnerable individuals
* The cultivation of a climate which provides support for political violence
* Explanation of the contextual nature of Islamist political ideas – as a modern and totalitarian manipulation of traditional religious ideas
* A comprehensive ideological and theological refutation of Islamist thought providing a counter-narrative – for those who need to engage directly