BBC 5 Live: Women and radicalisation
3 February 2010
CSC researcher Houriya Ahmed is interviewed for the 5 live breakfast show about Hizb ut Tahrir and its role in the radicalisation of women in this country. She is joined by Hadiya Masieh, a former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, now a member of the Muslim Women’s Advisory Board.
UCL Debate - 'This house believes that UCL is NOT complicit in acts of terror'
18 January 2010
Speaking for the motion were Philip Sands QC and Wes Streeting, President of the National Union of Students. Speaking against were CSC Director Douglas Murray and Rashad Ali, of Centri. This topical debate was organised by the UCL debating society following revelations that the only suspect in the failed Detroit airline bombing was a former president of UCL Islamic Society and accusations that UCL had failed in its duty of care towards students. (Videos of the other speakers can be found on the CSC’s YouTube page)
CSC Director on BBC Question Time
27 January 2010
CSC Director Douglas Murray appeared on the BBC’s Question Time alongside the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Ben Bradshaw MP, the Conservative peer Lord Lawson, the Liberal Democrat Baroness Tonge of Kew and the columnist Jane Moore.
BBC Radio Oxford: Increased Terror Threat
27 January 2010
CSC Researcher Robin Simcox discusses the recent government decision to raised the terror threat from 'substantial' to 'severe'.
‘Hamas supporter teaching at London university’, Daily Telegraph
21 January 2010
CSC researcher Houriya Ahmed criticized London University’s decision to appoint Daud Abdullah, deputy Director-General of the Muslim Council of Britain and signatory to the Hamas supporting Istanbul statement, to teach a 22-week course entitled “Introduction to Islam”.
‘Hate cleric’s buggy cheek’, The Sun
21 January 2010
Douglas Murray’s research for the 2009 Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust Award essay discussing the extent of Sharia in Britain is mentioned in an article on al-Muhajiroun leader Anjem Choudary.
‘Smart Bombers: Do Universities Breed Terrorists?’, Politics Daily
19 January 2010
Research from the CSC’s forthcoming report on Islamist terrorism demonstrates that over one quarter of people involved in Islamist related terrorism convictions and attacks between 1999 and 2009 in the U.K. were educated at or above university-degree level.
‘Hamas supporter who condones suicide bombing to speak at Birmingham University’, Daily Telegraph
19 January 2010
Douglas Murray was quoted criticizing Birmingham University for letting the Islamic Society host Hamas supporter Azzam Tamimi.
‘UK Government backs Islamists in battle to remove their names from terror list’, Daily Telegraph
17 January 2010
CSC researcher Robin Simcox is quoted revealing the current lack of cooperation between the UK and the US concerning national security.
‘Hate cleric’s web of terror’, The Sun
15 January 2010
Research from the CSC’s forthcoming report on Islamist terrorism demonstrates the number of Islamist-inspired terrorism convictions that are linked to al-Muhajiroun.
‘Media-savvy designer Islamists must not distract us from the real danger’, The Guardian
13 January 2010
Recommendations from the CSC’s report ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir: Ideology and Strategy’ are referred to in an article discussing the proscription of al-Muhajiroun and freedom of speech.
‘Sharia a threat to Britain's future as 'tolerant' society’’, Times Online
11 January 2010
CSC Director Douglas Murray discusses the extent to which Sharia Law is operating in the UK.
‘Stephen Glover: Why Cameron will enjoy a world where the sun always shines’, The Independent
11 January 2010
The CSC’s ‘Islam on Campus’ is cited demonstrating the growth of Islamist extremism at some British universities
‘We must target radicals – before they target us’, Times Online
10 January 2010
The CSC’s ‘Islam on Campus’ is cited demonstrating the worrying level of extremism among a minority of Muslim students on UK campuses.
‘British Radicalization Studies’, The Wall Street Journal
8 January 2008
Douglas Murray accuses British universities and government authorities of ignoring the problem of radicalisation on campus.
‘Hearts, minds and Mecca’, The Economist
7 January 2010
The CSC’s ‘Islam on Campus’ is cited demonstrating the links between some university Islamic societies and the increasing segregation and radicalisation that can take place on campuses.
‘Detroit bomber mixed with radical preachers in Britain’, Daily Telegraph
5 January 2010
CSC Director Douglas Murray denounces the extreme nature of some of the speakers invited to address Muslim students on UCL campus
‘How a radical student joined the global terror network’, The Guardian
3 January 2010
CSC researcher Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens comments on the increasing influence of pro al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki among some young British Muslims.
‘British universities: seats of learning – and loathing’, Daily Telegraph
2 January 2010
CSC research is cited in a discussion of why financial need and government interference is leaving British universities open to conditional donations.
‘Detroit bomber's mentor continues to influence British mosques and universities’, Daily Telegraph
2 January 2010
CSC Researcher Houriya Ahmed is quoted discussing pro al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki and campus extremism.
‘YOU ARE TOO SOFT ON THE FANATICS, US TELLS BRITAIN’, Express
1 January 2010
CSC researcher Robin Simcox discusses the need for the British Government to work closely with the US to tackle fundamentalism.
‘The Rotting Fruit of Multiculturalism’, American Spectator
December 2009- January 2010
CSC Director Douglas Murray and CSC Researcher Robin Simcox explore the failings of multiculturalism and the rise of Islamist and white supremacist extremism in the UK.
‘Suspect Puts U.K. Schools in Focus’, Wall Street Journal
31 December 2009
CSC Researcher Hannah Stuart is quoted in an article discussing the links between Islamist terrorist plots and British university students and graduates.
‘The 2009 Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust Award essay’, The Times
30 December 2009
Douglas Murray wrote the 2009 Charles Douglas-Home Memorial Trust Award essay, discussing ‘To what extent is Sharia already operating in Britain?’
‘Universities feel the heat over flight bomber’, The Independent
30 December 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray is quoted discussing the prevalence of radical preachers on UK campuses.
‘Passengers relive terror of Flight 253 as new threat emerges from al-Qaida’, The Observer
27 December 2009
CSC Researcher Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, author of a CSC briefing paper on pro al-Qaeda preacher Anwar al-Awlaki’s popularity in the UK, discussed the role of al-Awlaki in radicalising young British Muslims.
‘Terror plot raises questions over student visas’, Daily Telegraph
27 December 2009
CSC Researcher Hannah Stuart is quoted in an article investigating at University College London and the failed Detroit bomber Abdulmutallab.
‘Study: European Muslims Feel Shut Out’, TIME
16 December 2009
Douglas Murray is quoted discussing Muslim integration into Europe following the Swiss referendum vote to ban the building of minarets.
‘Birmingham councillor shares platform with member of Hizb ut Tahrir’, Sunday Mercury
14 December 2009
CSC Researcher Hannah Stuart reveals that a Conservative Party councillor in Birmingham shared a platform with a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir at the Birmingham Muslim Education Conference.
‘Extremist schools: New evidence as Minister for Hizb ut Tahrir boobs again’, Daily Telegraph
14 December 2009
Coverage of a CSC press release exposing the radical nature of the curriculum being taught at the Hizb ut-Tahrir linked school Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation (ISF) – which included teaching armed jihad – and how closely it matched HT’s draft constitution.
‘Hizb ut-Tahrir barred from London university debate’, BBC News
10 December 2009
More coverage of the cancellation of a Queen Mary University event featuring two members of Hizb ut-Tahrir.
‘Hizb ut Tahrir: new tentacles spreading in London’, Daily Telegraph
7 December 2009
Queen Mary University’s Dialogue and Debate society were set to hold an event featuring two members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group banned from university campuses by the National Union of Students in 2004. The CSC informed Queen Mary student union of the event, which was subsequently cancelled.
‘Should Student Unions Take Political Stances?’ Student Rights
3 December 2009
Douglas Murray spoke at a UCL debate organised by Student Rights and the UCL Human Rights Society. Speaking alongside Professor Eric Heinze of Queen Mary University, the topic of the debate was ‘Should student unions take political stances?’
Private Eye: Libel News
11 December - 24 December
"Confidential submissions to the Commons inquiry into libel law reveal that those champions of free speech at Carter-Fuck are making pots of money by, among other things, menacing the critics of radical Islam..."
Literary Review: We ought to care about the Danes
Dec 09 / Jan 10
CSC Director Douglas Murray reviewed Jytte Klausen's 'The Cartoons that Shook the World' for the current issue of the Literary Review.
BBC Newsnight: Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation and Hizb uTahrir
27 November 2009
CSC Researcher Houriya Ahmed is interviewed for BBC 2's Newsnight which provides further evidence of the close links between the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation, the schools' curriculum and Hizb ut-Tahrir
BBC Radio Berkshire: Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation
26 November 2009
CSC Researcher Hannah Stuart was interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire about CSC revelations that the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation received more than £113,000 of government grants despite being set up by members of Hizb ut-Tahrir.
BBC News 24: Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation
25 November 2009
CSC Researcher Hannah Stuart was interviewed on BBC News 24 about CSC revelations that the Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation, a charity that runs two primary schools and nursery which was set up by members if Hizb ut-Tahrir, received more than £113,000 of government grants
CSC Pamphlet on Al Qaeda Linked Anwar al-Awlaki Featured in Weekly Standard
19 November 2009
The CSC Pamphlet on Anwar al-Awlaki's UK connections was featured in the blog of US Magazine, 'The Weekly Standard'.
BBC Oxford News: 'Domestic extremists'
26 October 2009
CSC Research Fellow Robin Simcox appeared on BBC Oxford News to discuss the police database on 'domestic extremists' and civil liberties.
LBC Radio: Islamic Shakhsiyah Foundation
27 October 2009
CSC Researcher Houriya Ahmed discusses the Centre’s forthcoming report, 'Hizb ut-Tahrir: Ideology and Strategy', as part of LBC Radio breakfast show’s top story, ‘Should we condone Islamic law?’
CSC Exclusive: London Mayor's Links with Man Wanted By Interpol
25 October 2009
In the Sunday Express, the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) revealed that the Conservative London Mayor's office has worked alongside Mohamed Ali Harrath, who is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice for "terrorism", "counterfeiting" and "crimes involving the use of weapons/explosives." This is despite previous statements from the party condemning Mr. Harrath. Click below for more information.
CSC Exclusive: Islamists who want to destroy the state get £100,000 funding
25 October 2009
Information from the CSC's forthcoming report, 'Hizb ut-Tahrir: Ideology and Strategy', was featured in the Sunday Telegraph.
CSC Director Douglas Murray in the Independent
The BNP are racist and laughable – but still get away with it.
CSC Director on BBC 1's This Week
09 October 2009
Douglas Murray discussed General Sir Richard Dannatt's appointment as advisor to the Conservatives and the situation in Afghanistan on the BBC's political review of the week with Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Diane Abbott.
CSC Director on BBC 1's Big Questions
13 September 2009
Douglas Murray appeared alongside novelist and religious commentator Cristina Odone and Ibrahim Mogra from the Muslim Council of Britain to discuss this week’s Big Questions with Nicky Campbell. The questions discussed were 'Does Islam encourage violence?', 'Is there too much sex on TV?' and 'Has religion any place in politics?'
'PC PCs? Officers in burkhas dismissed as gimmick', The Independent
03 August 2009
"Three women police officers spent a day in full Muslim dress as part of a scheme to improve community understanding. Two sergeants and a community support officer dressed in head-to-foot burkhas and other traditional clothing and went out shopping..."
CSC Director on BBC1’s The Big Questions
26 July 2009
Douglas Murray appeared alongside writer and critic, Bidisha and the Mail on Sunday columnist, Peter Hitchens to discuss this week’s Big Questions with Nicky Campbell.
'Now non-Muslims seek 'justice' at Sharia courts', Daily Express
22 July 2009
"MORE people are turning to Islamic sharia courts because Muslims do not want to use any other form of legal process, it was claimed yesterday..."
'BNP is at the heart of web of Nazi filth', Socialist Worker
21 July 2009
"A motley collection of Holocaust deniers, antisemites, white supremacists and admirers of Adolf Hitler will gather for their annual hate-fest in the Derbyshire village of Codnor at the Red, White and Blue festival on Saturday 15 August..."
Secure Freedom Radio: CSC on Hizb ut Tahrir America
16 July 2009
Robin Simcox, CSC Research Fellow, spoke alongside Frank Gaffney, Director of the Centre for Security Policy, and Steve Emerson, Director of the Investigative Project, on the launch of Hizb ut-Tahrir in the United States for Secure Freedom Radio.
BBC News: the 'Headscarf Martyr'
12 July 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray and journalist and Respect Party politician Yvonne Ridley discuss the case of Marwa el-Sherbini, a Muslim woman stabbed to death in a German court on BBC 1 Breakfast News.
Al Jazeera English: Inside Story – A hate crime or simply a crime?
10 July 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray is interviewed for al Jazeera’s current affairs programme discussing the motivation behind the brutal killing of Egyptian Muslim Marwa el-Sherbini in a German courtroom. Murray [who begins at 09:40] spoke alongside professor of law at King's College London Maleiha Malik and media spokesperson for European Muslim council Sulaiman Wilms.
‘Ban the Burkha here in Britain,’ The Daily Express
24 June 2009
“Britain should stop women wearing the body-concealing burkha, both Muslims and non-Muslims said yesterday…”
Download pdf for CSC Director Douglas Murray’s commentary.
CSC Director on Secure Freedom Radio
22 June 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray talks about events at Conway Hall last week when a sharia law debate was hijacked by the extreme radical group al-Muhajiroun.
Interview: 'Freedom & Blasphemy in Europe'
08 June 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray speaks to the Director of the Centre for Security Policy Frank Gaffney.
‘The Taliban's perversion of sharia law,’ The Guardian
03 May 2009
CSC Researcher Houriya Ahmed wrote for Comment is free:
“The Taliban have perverted sharia law in a way that shames Islam and contravenes human rights. In the Malakand region of Pakistan, the Taliban have started correcting the "moral wrongs" of society by banning women from shopping in public areas, as it is believed to be obscene. They have have punished men by shaving their hair and moustaches for listening to music, seen as un-Islamic. As non-Muslims living under sharia law, the Sikh community in Orakzai Agency is being forced to pay 15m rupees, approximately £130,000, in tax to live in peace. If Sikhs refuse, then the Taliban will occupy their properties…”
CSC Exclusive: Hate preacher Abu Izzadeen granted early release from prison
06 May 2009
The Centre for Social Cohesion has revealed through the Daily Mail that radical preacher Abu Izzadeen has been released from prison only one year after he was convicted of terrorism related offences [see pdf below]. Izzadeen’s release has been picked up across the broadsheet media.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
May 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray discusses The Broken Compass, a new book by Peter Hitchens, in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘What’s in a name?’
‘Statement of Hate,’ Standpoint
May 2009
CSC Researcher Alexander Hitchens wrote for the cultural and political magazine Standpoint:
“There have recently been signs of an encouraging shift in attitudes towards Islamism within sections of the British government. Though there are still plenty of insiders claiming that "non-violent" Islamists are our best defence against the violence that their ideology inspires in others, at least the error of this has been recognised by some…”
CSC Director on BBC Asian Radio
21 April 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray and other guests discuss plans to allow schools to schedule teacher training days on religious holidays for the Asian network’s lunchtime discussion show.
‘Islamists kill, and the UK wants to talk,’ The Daily Star, Lebanon
29 April 2009
CSC Researcher Alexander Hitchens wrote for Lebanon’s main English language newspaper:
“Imagine this scene: One of the senior leaders of a movement the European Union has designated a "terrorist entity," and that for the last two decades has based a good part of its military strategy on attacking civilians; that has repeatedly heightened the prospect of conflict whenever there has been an increased probability of peace; and that has a founding Charter effectively advocating the elimination of a United Nations member state, is allowed to address the government of a European nation in the heart of its democratic institutions, with no strings attached…”
CSC Director on BBC2’s Daily Politics show
24 April 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray is a guest on BBC2’s lunchtime political discussion show.
‘Muslim group Tony Blair promised to ban calls for 'jihad' at London rally,’ The Daily Telegraph
17 April 2009
‘A leader of a radical Muslim group which Tony Blair promised to ban four years ago has called on followers to support "jihad" against Israel at a rally in London. Dr Imran Waheed, told followers of Hizb ut-Tahrir that there could be "no peace" with Israel and urged them to "fight in the way of Allah". A leaflet distributed by the international wing of the organisation also called for Muslim countries to "eliminate the state of the Jews"…’
‘New calls to shut down Jihad group that Blair promised to ban,’ The Daily Mail
17 April 2009
‘Ministers are facing renewed calls to ban an extremist Islamic group after its leaders asked Muslims to fight Israel and overthrow moderate Arab regimes. Tony Blair promised to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir after the July 7 bombings four years ago, but the Government has never carried through the threat…’
‘Let's not die for timid and misguided political correctness,’ The Sunday Telegraph
12 April 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray writes in the Sunday Telegraph:
‘The fact that the latest suspected terrorist threat involves students should come as no surprise. It is the predictable result of three things: an insatiably violent Islamist ideology; the politically-correct refusal of our political class to admit reality; and the comprehensive neglectfulness of our university authorities. This country has already produced a number of students who have gone on to become jihadist murderers. If this situation is not to get even worse, it is time not just to start asking questions, but to demand answers…’
'No Offence,' The Literary Review
April 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray reviews Kenan Malik's new book 'From Fatwa to Jihad: The Rushdie Affair and its Legacy' for this month's Literary Review:
“Another title for this book might be ‘From the Satanic Verses to The Jewel of Medina’. The significance of the two decades that Malik covers is that they stand between the fatwa pronounced of Rushdie for a very good novel and the chasing into hiding of the publisher of Sherry Jone’s exceedingly bad one…”
‘Institutions attack claims that Saudi and Chinese donors direct policy,’ The Times Higher Education
09 April 2009
“Universities have challenged the factual accuracy of claims that institutions are allowing leaders of ‘despotic’ regimes with dubious human-rights records to buy influence through cash donations. A catalogue of financial donations from foreign governments to university subjects designated as ‘strategically important’ by the UK Government was laid out last week in A Degree of Influence, a report by the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC)...”
‘Philanthropy or propaganda,’ The Guardian
07 April 2009
“Does money from foreign donors come with strings attached? Dangerously so, according to research last week that claimed foreign governments have corrupted British universities and threatened their academic impartiality. The report, A Degree of Influence, from the Centre for Social Cohesion, lists the millions of pounds that leading UK universities have accepted from donors in the Middle East, Asia and Russia…”
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
April 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray discusses unhelpful precedent of the Northern Ireland peace process in today’s discussions about Islamist terrorism in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘Unfamiliar Troubles’.
The Knowledge, Catch 21 Productions
March 2009
CSC Researcher Robin Simcox discusses the roots of the political Islam and how the government have tried to combat Islamic extremism for a youth internet TV channel Catch21Productions.
'Funding with strings attached,' The Guardian
31 March 2009
CSC Researcher Robin Simcox in Comment is Free:
'Some of the UK's finest universities are taking money from some of the world's worst regimes – without revealing it...'
Barry Rubin: Britain gets tougher on radical Islam
27 March 2009
Rubin on the decision to deny Dr Ibrahim el-Moussaoui entry to the UK:
'That’s why research groups like the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC), which played the leading role in informing the British government and public in this case, are so important.'
‘Our universities are competing to take cash from foreign dictators,’ The Telegraph
28 March 2009
CSC Researcher Robin Simcox:
‘UK universities are in trouble. A Degree of Influence, a new report from the Centre for Social Cohesion to be published on Monday, shows that universities are now so impoverished that they are reliant on cash from theocracies and dictatorships to fund whole departments or institutes. This is demonstrably altering the way they are run…’
‘Foreign donors threaten academic freedom at UK universities,’ The Telegraph
28 March 2009
‘Multi-million pound donations from foreign governments have corrupted British universities and threatened academic impartiality, according to a new report…’
CSC Director at The Orwell Prize shortlist debate
25 March 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray discusses the question, 'Are political parties bankrupt? The economic emergency and the next election' alongside Sean Maguire (chair), Nick Cohen, David Davis MP, and Frank Field MP.
CSC Director on BBC1’s Question Time
19 March 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray appeared alongside Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke MP, Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, Lib Dem economics spokesman Vince Cable and ITV’s Fern Britton answering audience questions on the recession, binge-drinking and university fees.
‘Let’s treat all bigots equally,’ The Jewish Chronicle
19 March 2009
‘After Wilders’s UK ban, blocking Moussawi was the only sane course of action,’ writes CSC Director Douglas Murray in the Jewish Chronicle following the government’s decision to refuse entry to the UK to Hezbollah spokesperson Ibrahim el Moussawi. The CSC had previously pledged to seek an arrest warrant should el Moussawi enter the country.
‘How 100m of your cash goes to fund terror,’ The Daily Express
16 March 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray was quoted after a new report by the TaxPayers Alliance revealed that money donated by the British government has been spent promoting terrorism and encouraging young Palestinians to hate the West.
‘BBC accused of being too “soft” on ex-terror suspect,’ The Daily Express
14 March 2009
Researcher Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens was quoted following claims that the BBC gave former al Qaeda suspect Binyam Mohamed a public platform without demanding answers about his alleged terror links.
CSC on BBC1’s Celebrity Lives – Sharia Style
09 March 2009
CSC Researcher Houriya Ahmed is interviewed about the implications of accommodating some parts of Sharia law to the settling of civil disputes amongst British Muslims for a topical BBC documentary.
‘Campaigners will seek arrest of Islamic radical,’ The Telegraph
08 March 2009
CSC has pledged to seek an arrest warrant for alleged media spokesman for Hezbollah Dr. Ibrahim el-Moussaoui, who is due to visit Britain this March.
‘Terror in Pakistan is now a growing threat to Britain,’ The Daily Express
04 March 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray comments on how growing radicalisation in Pakistan affects Britain and our allies.
‘Which is worse - Islamic terrorism or Muslim ghettos?’ The Daily Telegraph
01 March 2009
Damian Thompson mentions the Centre for Social Cohesion on his online blog.
‘De svigter frihedens idealer,’ NordJyske
28 February 2009
‘Victims of Intimidation’, CSC’s report on censorship by intimidation within Europe’s Muslim communities, published in November 2008, received further international coverage in the Danish paper, NordJyske.
‘Government banning policy faces test with visit of controversial Lebanese journalist,’ New Humanist
27 February 2009
The CSC press release revealing that alleged media spokesman for Hezbollah Dr. Ibrahim el-Moussaoui is scheduled to a course on political Islam at SOAS was referenced in an article discussing the Conservative appeal to ban Moussaoui in light of the bans on Geert Wilders and the Westboro Baptist Church.
‘Imaginary Islamist Think-Tanks,’ Standpoint
March 2009
CSC Researcher Robin Simcox highlights how Islamists in the UK are establishing their own think-tanks to gain media access and legitimise extreme interpretations of Islam in the cultural and political magazine Standpoint.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
March 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray discusses the Home Office’s decision to deny controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders entry to the UK in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘More of a fire fighter than a fire starter, Geert Wilders has been caught in the nightmare of a British establishment that can't tell the difference’
‘Civil servants ready to pay £2,000 each (of your cash) to hear Islamic extremist preach’, The Daily Mail
26 February 2009
A CSC press release [pdf below] exclusively revealed that SOAS, which is part of the University of London, was planning to pay Islamist extremists to teach government officials and police on a course on political Islam between 23 and 27 March 2009. The story was covered in the Daily Mail.
CSC Director on BBC Radio 4’s The Today Programme
25 February 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray discussed the release of Binyam Mohammed and Guantanamo Bay alongside Philippe Sands QC on Radio 4’s daily news discussion programme.
CSC Director on BBC1’s The Big Questions
22 February 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray appeared on the BBC’s topical discussion programme alongside Director of the Quilliam Foundation Maajid Nawaz, Labour MP for Keighley Anne Cryer and Paralympics Champion Dame Tanni Grey Thompson.
This week’s Big Questions: Is Islam an intolerant religion? Are men's sins worse than women's? Do benefits encourage sponging?
Joan Smith: Beyond the psychotic drivel, Qatada is serious about jihad, The Independent
22 February 2009
Writing about the European Court of Human Rights decision to award Abu Qatada £2500 compensation following his detention in the UK, Joan Smith refers to CSC translations [download pdf] of Qatada speaking in the UK, in which he urges Muslims to murder “kaffirs” [non-Muslims], denounces Christianity and Judaism as devil worship and describes a final conflict in which every Jew in the world is destroyed.
CSC comments on radical cleric Abu Qatada’s deportation
18 & 19 February 2009
CSC Director was interviewed extensively following the UK Law Lords ruling that radical cleric Abu Qatada can be deported from the UK to Jordan where he faces jail for terrorism. Murray appeared on BBC Arabic TV, Radio 5 live, BBC News 24 and BBC Wales [below].
‘Archbishop of Canterbury: Society is coming round to my views on sharia,’ Sunday Telegraph
15 February 2009
A year on from the interview with Archbishop of Canterbury in which he said it ‘seems inevitable’ CSC Director Douglas Murray comments on the introduction of Islamic law in the UK.
CSC Director appears on Dutch TV Channel ‘Netwerk’
11 February 2009
CSC Director appears on Dutch television commenting on the British government’s decision to deny entry to the UK to controversial Dutch MP Geert Wilders
‘Violence and Fear of Islam Debate,’ Aftenposten
09 February 2009
‘Victims of Intimidation’, CSC’s report on censorship by intimidation within Europe’s Muslim communities, published in November 2008, received further international coverage in the Norwegian paper, Aftenposten.
CSC Campus Tour: University of York
02 February 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray was a panellist at a University of York event, 'Countering Radical Islam in Britain', speaking alongside Ghaffar Hussain, Director of Outreach and Training, Quilliam Foundation and Baroness Haleh Afshar, Professor of Politics, University of York.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
February 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray examines UK Muslim community leaders’ responses to the war in Gaza in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘Power to the Spokespeople.’
‘Faith, Fanaticism, and Freedom of Speech,’ The Weekly Standard
26 January 2009
‘Victims of Intimidation’, CSC’s report on censorship by intimidation within Europe’s Muslim communities, published in November 2008, received further coverage in the US politics and culture magazine, the Weekly Standard.
Coverage: CSC Director ‘security risk’ at London School of Economics (LSE)
23 January 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray was due to chair a debate on Islam and liberalism at the LSE on Friday 23rd January. Two days before the event LSE officials withdrew Murray’s invitation citing ‘security reasons’. For details of the coverage and criticism of the LSE’s decision not to allow Murray on campus download the pdf below.
CSC Director on BBC1’s The Big Questions
04 January 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray appeared on BBC1’s The Big Questions discussing the question, ‘Is Israel justified in bombing Gaza?’ (To watch the remainder of the programme follow the link below.)
‘The 27, Murray and Verwey,’ Die Trouw
03 January 2009
The CSC report on censorship by intimidation across Europe, ‘Victims of Intimidation’, received further coverage in the Dutch paper, Die Trouw.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
January 2009
CSC Director Douglas Murray's monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘In the struggle against terrorism, is our foreign policy an aggravating factor? Yes, in that anything we do aggravates them’
‘The extremists behind London's anti-Israel demonstrations,’ Conservative Home Blog
31 December 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray analyses how demonstrations outside the Israeli embassy in response to the situation in Gaza were co-ordinated by the British Muslim Initiative and other Islamist and Hamas-linked groups, many of whom have previously spoken out against Israel's right to exist.
‘Studying Islam has made me an atheist,’ The Spectator
‘Muslim groups “linked to September 11 hijackers spark fury over conference”,’ The Daily Telegraph
27 December 2008
The CSC exclusively revealed that the East London Mosque was hosting extremist speakers at a New Year's Day event called 'The End of Time', which included a video lecture by Anwar al-Awlaki, an alleged spiritual adviser to three of the 9/11 terrorists and accused by the US Department of Homeland Security as using video lectures to "encourage terrorist attacks."
‘Think tank: Muslim group spokesman praised terror,’ The Jerusalem Post
22 December 2008
The CSC’s press release on MPAC UK’s Asghar Bukhari’s comments glorifying terrorism was also covered by The Jerusalem Post.
‘'Prosecute him,’ The Spectator
22 December 2008
The CSC’s press release on MPAC UK’s Asghar Bukhari’s comments glorifying terrorism was also covered by The Spectator online.
‘Any Muslim killed fighting Israel goes to paradise, says MPAC spokesman,’ The Daily Telegraph blog
19 December 2008
A CSC press release revealing that Asghar Bukhari, co-founder and spokesman for the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPAC UK), had made comments glorifying terrorism was covered by Damian Thompson’s religious affairs blog. (To read the full press release download the pdf below.)
'Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right...’ Total Politics Debate
December 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray and Sunny Hundal, editor of LiberalConspiracy.org, discuss whether ideology is a good thing in politics.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
December 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray's monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘I have finished yet another round of talks at universities. I am both impressed and disheartened.’
‘Government finally attempts to deal with blight on the UK's conscience,’ The Henry Jackson Society
30 November 2008
CSC Researcher Robin Simcox discusses recent government legislation tackling forced marriage in the UK.
‘Rebel Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran stays defiant in radio rallying call,’ The Times
28 November 2008
Following a CSC press release about Heroes’ Day, an event sympathetic to the proscribed terrorist group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or the Tamil Tigers, The Times reported on the Tamil leader Prabhakaran’s Heroes’ Day 2008 speech given by video-link.
‘Heroes’ Day – or a terrorist fundraiser?’ The Independent
27 November 2008
A CSC press release revealed that a forthcoming event at London’s ExCeL Centre glorifying the tactics of the proscribed terrorist group the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), aka the Tamil Tigers, would defy UK laws which prohibit the glorification of and support for terrorism. The press release was covered by The Independent. (To read the full press release download the pdf below)
CSC Director in 'Whether the UK should have full Sharia Law' debate
26 November 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray debated alongside Gina Khan against Anjem Choudary and Stephen Hockman QC on the subject of 'Whether the UK should have full Sharia Law'. The event was covered by the Daily Telegraph.
‘Think tank: Betrayal of Muslim reformers,’ The Sunday Times
23 November 2008
Following the publication of CSC’s report on censorship by intimidation, ‘Victims of Intimidation: Freedom of Speech within Europe's Muslim Communities’, CSC Director and co-author Douglas Murray wrote an opinion piece for the Sunday Times detailing some of the cases covered in the report.
Coverage of CSC report on censorship by intimidation, ‘Victims of Intimidation: Freedom of Speech within Europe's Muslim Communities’
November 2008
CSC report ‘Victims of Intimidation’ received widespread coverage. For more details of the coverage the report received download the pdf below.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
November 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray questions David Cameron and Barack Obama's ability to be effective national leaders in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘Airing the truth is not the same as concocting a lie; but neither must be made impossible.’
‘Iceland: a new front in the War on Terror?!?’ Henry Jackson Society
29 October 2008
CSC researcher Robin Simcox discusses the government's misuse of terror legislation against Iceland.
‘Mauer des Schweigens [Wall of Silence],’ Die Weltwoche
03 October 2008
CSC report on honour-based violence in the UK, ‘Crimes of the Community’, was the subject of a feature-length article in the Swiss weekly magazine Die Weltwoche.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
October 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray highlights censorship-by-intimidation in Europe in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘Britain and America may soon be governed by eloquent speakers whose attitude to foreign affairs is self-aggrandising posturing.’
'British Muslims: Providing foot soldiers for the global jihad,' The Sentinel
October 2008
Deputy Director James Brandon discusses the role played by British Muslims in jihadist violence globally for The Sentinel, the monthly journal of the Combating Terrorism Centre at the US military academy at West Point.
CSC press release on the Scottish Islamic Foundation in Democratiya
September 2008
CSC press briefing on the Scottish Islamic Foundation was cited in the political journal Democratiya and in an article on 'Nationalism and Islamism in Scotland' by Tom Gallagher, a lecturer at the University of Bradford.
CSC Director in The Guardian's September Islamophonic podcast
September 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray talks to Riazat Butt about the CSC’s recent work and commenting on a variety of Muslim UK-based organisations. To listen to the podcast follow the link below.
CSC press release – ‘Abu Qatada meets with convicted Egyptian extremist while on bail’
04 September 2008
A CSC press release highlighting the inadequacy of Abu Qatada’s bail conditions received coverage in the national press. For more details of the coverage received download the pdf below.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
September 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray examines the Conservative Party's attitude to security issues: ‘The past 11 years have shown that security isn't an issue that divides along party lines.’
‘The Conservative Moment: Part 2,’ Henry Jackson Society
26 August 2008
CSC researcher Robin Simcox discusses the Conservative Party's policies on Islam and Islamism.
'50 things you need to know about British history,' The History Channel debate
21 August 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray’s participated in a panel discussion to launch a new series for the History Channel. For details of coverage download the pdf below.
‘As race wars split Georgia, could it happen in Britain?’ The Daily Express
15 August 2008
During the conflict between Russia and Georgia CSC Director Douglas Murray discussed community conflicts in the UK in the Daily Express.
‘America is still the nation whose eyes say “yes”,’ The Spectator
13 August 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray wrote on the US elections and their implications for Europe and the Middle East for the Spectator.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
August 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray criticises Peter Oborne's Channel 4 Dispatches programme 'It shouldn't happen to a Muslim' following its broadcast on the three year anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘ “Islamophobia” is a nonsense term. There are reasons to be fearful of some aspects and versions of Islam.’
Coverage of CSC report on attitudes towards Islam on UK campuses, ‘Islam on Campus: A survey of UK student opinions’
July 2008
CSC report on attitudes towards Islam on UK campuses, ‘Islam on Campus’ received extensive local, national and international coverage. For more details of the coverage the report received download the pdf below.
CSC Director Douglas Murray interviewed in Sappho
09 July 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray spoke about the CSC and comments on the failures of multiculturalism, in an interview with the Danish political magazine Sappho.
‘Forced Marriage in the UK: Tanzt nicht aus der Reihe!’ Frankfurter Allgemeine
07 July 2008
CSC’s February report on honour-based violence ‘Crimes of the Community’ was explored at length in an article on forced marriages in Britain in the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine.
CSC report on extremist websites ‘Virtual Caliphate’ in Taxpayers’ Alliance report
06 July 2008
CSC report ‘Virtual Caliphate: Islamic extremists and their websites’ was referred to in a Taxpayers Alliance report on the cost of government policy towards jailed radicals and other extremists.
‘Forced marriage victims being betrayed by doctors,’ The Daily Telegraph
01 July 2008
CSC report on honour-based violence, ‘Crimes of the Community’, was featured in an article on forced marriages in the UK.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
July 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray examines the extent to which a David Cameron electoral victory would constitute a triumph for conservatism in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘I’m not sure what David Cameron intends to do for me when he offers to support people if they split up with their partners.’
‘Salmond backs first state-funded Islamic school for Scotland,’ The Scotsman
27 June 2008
A CSC press release the Scottish Islamic Foundation (SIF), describing the group's links to the Muslim Brotherhood, received coverage following the launch of the SIF by Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister. To read the press release download the pdf below.
‘Number 10's Terminological Troubles,’ Henry Jackson Society
27 June 2008
CSC researcher Robin Simcox analysed the usefulness of the language currently used by the government to describe radical Islam.
‘The Next Generation of Radical Islamist Preachers in the UK,’ Jamestown Terrorism Monitor
26 June 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon analysed the next generation of extremist preachers active in Britain for the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington based think tank.
CSC report in Home Affairs Committee report
13 June 2008
CSC report on honour-based violence in the UK, ‘Crimes of the Community,’ was extensively quoted in the House of Commons' Home Affairs Committee's report on 'Domestic Violence, Forced Marriage and "Honour"-Based Violence'.
Coverage of CSC report on extremist websites ‘Virtual Caliphate: Islamic extremists and their websites’
June 2008
CSC report ‘Virtual Caliphate’ was covered in the national press and in Government. For more details of the coverage the report received download the pdf below.
: ‘White British Converts to Islam Pose Suicide-Bombing Threat in UK,’ Jamestown Terrorism Monitor
10 June 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon analysed the threat posed to the UK by white converts to radical Islam for the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington based think tank.
The Outsider - CSC Director Douglas Murray’s monthly column
June 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray highlights censorship-by-intimidation in Europe in his monthly contribution to the cultural and political magazine Standpoint: ‘Some artists have finally had the courage to admit that they are scared. But we need them to do better than that. We need people with a voice to show that they aren’t scared.’
CSC Director Douglas Murray interviewed by NeoConstant
27 May 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray was interviewed for the launch of a new online political journal NeoConstant about the influences behind his political opinions.
‘At last, an apology from foolish policemen,’ The Observer
18 May 2008
The CSC report, ‘Crimes of the Community’, which highlighted how institutionalised fear of being called 'Islamophobic' is preventing police from tackling honour-based crime, was mentioned in the Observer after Ofcom cleared Channel 4 of charges levelled by the West Midlands.
‘The UK’s Experience in Counter- Radicalization,’ The Sentinel
April 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon analysed the UK's experience in combating radicalisation, ahead of the launch of the Quilliam Foundation, the UK’s first counter-extremism think tank, for The Sentinel, a publication from the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, the US Army's main military academy.
‘Jordan's Jihad Scholar al-Maqdisi is Freed from Prison,’ Jamestown Terrorism Monitor
03 April 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon examined the role of Jordanian Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi in defining jihadist ideology for the Jamestown Foundation, a think tank in Washington D.C.
‘Forced marriages disgrace Islam,’ The New Statesman
27 March 2008
The CSC’s report on honour-based violence in the UK, ‘Crimes of the Community’, was reviewed by Ziauddin Sardar in the New Statesman. Sardar cites the CSC report as he calls on the government to criminalise forced marriage in a first step to tackle so-called honour killings.
‘A film-maker who lives in the shadow of a fatwa,’ The Spectator
12 March 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray interviewed Dutch MP, Geert Wilders, in advance of the release of Fitna, his short film about Islam and Europe, for the Spectator.
CSC staff in the Yorkshire Post
11 March 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow and co-author of ‘Crimes of the Community’, Salam Hafez, was interviewed by the Yorkshire Post following suspicions that children were being removed Children's Minister Kevin Brennan's admission that the government could not account for missing children
Education Bradford, the private company that runs the area's schools, could not account for 33 children lost during the 2006-7 academic year.
CSC Director on BBC’s HardTalk
03 March 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray was interviewed by Stephen Sackur for BBC's Hard Talk commenting on neo-conservative politics and the current war in Iraq, the prospects of freedom and democracy in the Middle East and the integration of Muslim communities into Europe. To watch the programme follow the link below.
‘The Pakistan Connection to the United Kingdom’s Jihad Network,’ Jamestown Terrorism Monitor
22 February 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon analysed the connections between jihadis in the UK and their counterparts in Pakistan for the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington based think tank.
Intelligence² debate – ‘America should be the world’s policeman’
17 February 2008
CSC Director defended the motion ‘America should be the world’s policeman’ at an Intelligence² debate in New York. To read the transcript of the debate download pdf below.
CSC Director on BBC1’s The Big Questions
10 February 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray participated in BBC 1's religion and ethics programme The Big Questions discussing the potential inclusion of aspects of Sharia, or Islamic law, into the UK legal system.
CSC Director on BBC2's Newsnight
08 February 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray debated Visiting Research Fellow at St Anthony's College, Oxford, Tariq Ramadan and the Bishop of Hulme, Rt Rev Stephen Lowe following the Archbishop of Canterbury’s suggestion that the incorporation of certain aspects of Sharia, or Islamic law, into the British legal system seemed unavoidable.
Coverage of CSC report on honour-based violence ‘Crimes of the Community’
February 2008
The CSC’s report on honour-based violence in the UK, ‘Crimes of the Community’, received wide coverage in local, national and international press. For more details of the coverage the report received download the pdf below.
Global Strategy Forum debate: 'Iran: time to stand against the "forces of extremism”?’
26 January 2008
CSC Director Douglas Murray spoke at a Global Strategy Forum debate, 'Iran: time to stand against the "forces of extremism”?’
The Centre on BBC2’s Newsnight
18 January 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon appeared in a BBC Newsnight report on an event jointly organised by the Radical Middle Way at which the speaker called on the predominantly Muslim audience to strive to re-create the Caliphate and urged them to follow the teachings of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood.
‘Hate on the State’ prompts consultation on the management of controversial material in public libraries
14 January 2007
The CSC’s first report ‘Hate on the State: How British libraries encourage Islamic extremism’ by James Brandon and Douglas Murray, published 05 September 2007 prompted The Museums, Libraries & Archives Council's (MLA) to initiate a consultation over guidance for public libraries on the management of extremist and inflammatory material.
CSC briefing on Muslim groups’ support for Ken Livingstone as London Mayor
January 2008
The New Statesman covered a CSC press release which analysed a joint public letter by Muslim groups which advised Muslims to vote for Ken Livingstone in the upcoming mayoral elections revealing that a third of the signatories had at some point publicly represented just two Muslim pressure groups, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB).
'The Changing Face of Salafi-Jihadi Movements in the United Kingdom' , The Sentinel
January 2008
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon analysed Salafi-Jihadi Movements in Britain for The Sentinel, a publication from the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, the US Army's main military academy.
CSC Director on BBC Radio 4’s Beyond Belief
31 December 2007
CSC Director Douglas Murray appeared on Beyond Belief, Radio 4's religion and ethics programme discussing whether employees should bring their religious convictions into the workplace.
CSC Director on BBC Radio 4’s Any Questions
14 December 2007
CSC Director Douglas Murray was a panellist on BBC’s Any Questions answering a range of questions from the police pay rise dispute, the recent EU treaty to the consequences of illegal immigrants obtaining jobs in Britain's security industry.
CSC Director takes part in Spectator Christmas survey
December 2007
CSC Director Douglas Murray answers the Spectator’s 2007 Christmas survey, ‘Do you believe in the virgin birth?’
Coverage of CSC debate ‘The West and the Future of Islam’
20 November 2007
The CSC hosted 'The West and the Future of Islam', a debate between former Dutch MP and self-declared Muslim apostate, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and author of the best-selling book The Islamist, Ed Husain.
More details:
CSC Director on BBC’s Question Time
08 November 2007
CSC Director Douglas Murray appeared on BBC’s Question Time discussing immigration, 50 day detention without trial extension for terrorist suspects, cuts in the armed forces and the security situation in Pakistan.
'The Spectre of Jihad', The Liberal
October 2007
CSC Senior Research Fellow John Thorne writes about his experience eye witnessing a multiple suicide bombing in Morocco and the rise of extremism in North Africa.
Spectator/Intelligence² debate: “We should not be reluctant to assert the superiority of Western values”
09 October 2007
CSC Director Douglas Murray supported the motion “We should not be reluctant to assert the superiority of Western values” at a Spectator/Intelligence² debate.
‘I am not afraid to say the West’s values are better ’, The Spectator
October 2007
In advance of the Spectator/ Intelligence² debate on Western values, CSC Director Douglas Murray writes that the West should be proud of its ethical achievements.
Coverage of CSC seminar with Ibn Warraq
08 October 2007
A CSC lunchtime seminar with the prominent historian of Islam, Ibn Warraq, discussing the centrality of unrestricted criticism of Islamic texts to challenging Muslim fundamentalism, was reviewed by author and journalist Melanie Phillips:
'How I became a Muslim extremist’, BBC’s Panorama
01 October 2007
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon featured as an interviewee on Shiraz Maher's documentary 'How I became a Muslim Extremist' for the BBC’s Panorama.
‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir Under Increasing Pressure in the UK’, Terrorism Focus
September 2007
CSC Senior Research Fellow James Brandon analyses Hizb-ut-Tahrir's activities in the UK for the Jamestown Foundation.
‘Hate on the State’ on BBC 2’s Newsnight
05 September 2007
The CSC’s first report, ‘Hate on the State: How British libraries encourage Islamic extremism’ by James Brandon and Douglas Murray, published 05 September 2007, was featured exclusively on BBC’s Newsnight.
CSC Director and co-author of 'Hate on the State', Douglas Murray said:
"Taxpayers' money should not be used to fund extremism... after all the library system is meant to educate and inform, not to cause separatism and bigotry."
Watch the Newsnight feature:
The Centre publishes its first report
05 September 2007
The CSC published its first report, ‘Hate on the State: How British libraries encourage Islamic extremism’ by James Brandon and Douglas Murray, on 05 September 2007. The report examines how public libraries may be fuelling Islamic radicalism, with many stocking a disproportionate number of pro-jihadist texts at the expense of more moderate authors.
More details and links to coverage:
BBC Question Time – Schools edition
05 July 2007
CSC Director Douglas Murray appeared on the BBC’s Question Time schools edition.