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I saw the interview with Maajid Nawaz yesterday on the Newsnight website. I thought he gave a very measured interview.

Nawaz’s solution to tackling the Party is what I have suggested previously: rather than banning the organisation, let its arguments be undermined. He said he hoped members would leave the organisation and Party would ‘fizzle out’. Obviously, this requires Muslims to take up the challenge by examining their arguments (historical, textual, political and so on). It looks like Comment is free has become the space where some of this argument is taking place on the web. Nawaz himself has started to take textualist look at Islamic sources.

Nawaz also said that Hizb are not involved in terrorism and affirmed this was the position inside the Party. However, he said that it fostered a culture of separateness which has been harmful to Muslims. More importantly, were the Hizb to take control of a state, it would engage in the ‘killing of millions’ through aggressive wars and liquidation of opponents. If you have spent time speaking to Hizb operatives you quickly realise that they see their own organisation as Islam itself. That is to criticise the Party means you’re criticising Islam. This is something Nawaz also notes in his interview.

You can watch the interview on the Newsnight website, for now at least. The Newsnight blog has more.

Related:
How not to Fight Hizbi Ideas