The British Museum is more than just a grand relic-house. It is a repository of much of Britain’s national heritage, from the Anglo-Saxon treasures of the Sutton Hoo ship burial to the spoils evoking the length and breadth of the British empire. Strolling through the galleries, one reflects on how many once-disparate elements today combine to make up the face of modern Britain.
Among more recent additions, Islam. On Tuesday, the museum hosted the launch of the Quilliam Foundation, a new British Muslim think-tank dedicated to combating Islamic extremism and promoting a genuinely Western Islam.
Founded by former members of the radical Islamist movement Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Quilliam Foundation has already come under fire, apparently from Muslims opposed to its message.
The Quilliam Foundation’s members have set themselves a stiff challenge. We wish them the best of luck.