Counter-terrorism activist, writer and broadcast Maajid Nawaz is the founder of anti-terrorist think tank Quilliam and the host of his own radio show.
Nawaz was born in Southend-on-Sea, and went on to study Law and Arabic and later Political Theory at the London School of Economics. While he was still studying, he joined radical Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir and quickly rose through the ranks of the organisation, eventually recruiting members and becoming a senior figure in the group. He became a national speaker and an international recruiter for the extremist network, travelling to both Pakistan and Denmark as part of their strategy. His activity with the group led to his arrest in 2001, and he was imprisoned in Egypt. Amnesty International helped him to return to London, and it was after this that he distanced himself from the radical ideology of Hizb ut-Tahrir and ultimately, left the organisation. This was also due in part to the vast range of ideology he encountered while in prison, which offered him a spectrum of teachings and beliefs.

Since leaving the extremist group, Nawaz has founded the anti-terrorism think tank Quilliam and has become a leading figure in community relations. He has addressed the Homeland Security Committee on the topic of Islamist extremism, as well as speaking at the Sovereign Challenge conference in the US. His documentary, When Tommy Met Mo, ultimately led to Tommy Robinson’s withdrawal from the EDL which has been viewed as a huge breakthrough for the eradication of extremism in the UK. Nawaz has also released two books, run as a Liberal Democrat candidate and become a regular radio and magazine contributor.