A moving and important story from yesterday’s Sunday Times by Shiraz Maher recounts ‘How I escaped Islamism’.
Most interesting of all is Maher’s account of a recent conversation with a current Hizb ut-Tahrir member. Talking of the message being conveyed by both Maher and the author of The Islamist, Ed Husain, Maher writes:
‘An influential figure still within the movement, but who is close to leaving, told me and Ed recently, “Don’t worry, your message is being heard.”’
Here, for once, is a glimmer of hope. A sign that change might be happening, from within, and that something, somewhere, might actually be going right.
This is indeed most encouraging. A small bubble of sanity struggles to the surface of the foetid Islamist marsh. I wonder if there is some way that we can actively encourage and support those with the courage to break away and think for themselves? Or would that be self-defeating - perhaps the point is that the moral evolution of these characters requires change to be generated from within regardless of external encouragement. Still, it seems a shame not to support them in some way.