Maajid Nawaz: A global culture to fight extremism 

Maajid Nawaz is a phenomenal speaker. He's like a Pakistani Christopher Hitchens

Maajid Nawaz always talks sense, nothing controversial at all in what he's saying. Politics and religion should remain separate. Groups supporting democratic values need to be encouraged.

We muslim need 1,000 more reformist like Maajid Nawaz!

i'm an atheist, yet i think Maajid Nawaz has done a brave job in fighting extremism I hope more people like him will stand up against the al-Qaeda and the Pakistani, and he will encourage more people to fight religious extremisim particularly islam once religious extremisim is gone in islam, it would now be easier for people to drop their religion totally and embrace human values and progress

The hatred for Islam in these comments makes me sick. Extremism exists in nearly all major religions and while Islamist extremists have been most effective at taking advantage of communication systems to strike against people they perceive as enemies, it does not make Islam as a religion some sort of cult, virus, or terrorist organization. It shares values with both Christianity and Judaism and there are many peaceful practitioners around the world. An entire group cannot be judged by a few.

That was very well done! Thank you Maajid Nawaz! I hope to see a big change in the next few decades in the Middle East!

Very very well done Maajid Nawaz. Those living in Muslim countries can truly understand what you are saying and i can only hope that the right wing fascist westerner types commenting here will also slowly grow to understand.

Maajid is really interesting and articulate. Good to see a man can be redeemed from a life of violence, and for me, my problem isn't with 'freedom fighters', but rather, with men who equate the tyranny of violence and brutal terrorism with fighting for freedom. When Subhas Bose tried to take India by force alongside other Indian extremists, they failed, and ultimately the British seized the moral highground of eliminating a 'terrorist threat'. When Gandhi forced himself and his followers to suffer unimaginable brutalities through peaceful protest and dissent, the British began to truly understand the values of 'liberty' and 'freedom' and 'justice which they had used up until then to mask the cruel nature of Empire...and finally let India go. Some men say, 'If I am not violent, how will I defend myself against someone who is violent?' this is the argument each of us makes and which creates a world filled with violence. When someone does the truly brave thing, and becomes the first person to lower that fist, he is making the leap of faith which others will follow into a world of dialogue, discussion, progress and ultimately long lasting peace.

This man is brilliant. End of story.

I think he had a very difficult point to make, and he did an excellent job conveying that point in a short amount of time. Impressive.

I always have difficulty when someone as intelligent as Maajid equates the far right as a threat comparable in danger to the terrorist attacks we've had since 2001. As soon as I hear far right I switch off.

Excellent and thought-provoking. God bless you, Maajid.

Actually started taking notes during this speech. He's not right in all things, but that doesn't mean that all the things he said can be disregarded automatically.

I dont know why this hasnt gotten more views.

In democracy it's your vote that counts; In feudalism it's your count that votes.

Attacking extremism without attacking the ideology behind it will be fruitless. I admire his effort though and the hardships he has endured for trying.

Its ironic how he is advocating for democracy and freedom of belief when people in the comments are completely shitting on his attempt to revive democracy and speaking out for what you (although we might not all agree) believe in.

I gotta hand it to this guy. When Malcolm X tried to show the world that those he once supported were wrong, he got assassinated for it. It takes nards to not only admit you are wrong, but to admit a group with no qualms in mass murder are wrong.

Read "The Wahhabi Myth" by Haneef James Oliver.

I love these kind of muslims ❤️❤️

This has to be the best TEDTalk I've heard all year.

Well, he is a democratic leader because all around the world people follow him voluntarily, I guess.

It took him a while to get there. But I think that's because he had to lay down a wide range of points to prove his advocacy of the idea he wished to promote. I think in the end, as it all coalesced at the end of the talk, it turned out well. I agree with what he is saying. Democratic Advocacy is something that we should actively connect around and promote for it's own sake, Internationally. Entering dialogue with like minded people in other countries. There ARE more of us than them.

Truly inspirational stuff that I couldn't agree more with. And incredibly poignant with regards to what has happened since this talk in 2011. Maajid Nawaz I take my proverbial hat off to you!

I wonder whether by now he realised that he is a civic nationalist. Civic nationalism can create strife as well (like between the USA and other countries like Russia), but it is the best system we have, because democracy is the best system we have.

when maajid speaks n makes a case, you can't win. He makes strong connections n leaves no room for rebuttal. Hard to out-debate the man

He certainly is articulate. He's very charismatic as well. Perhaps by giving such talks he believes he is paying for old "sins". Perhaps he is. If he can cause what he espouses then I say more power to him and like-minded thinkers. I am a bit leery but that's because I think that people like him are rare. But do hear me: I could be wrong. In fact I most certainly hope that I am wrong. His ideas sound good. Time will tell. One thing that he said is dead on: Democracy's taking a beating.

The point that democracy as a system gets the blame when parties that embrace it inevitably make mistakes, which then leads the populace to embrace antidemocratic alternatives, is quite profound.

By reading the comments you can see how many ppl are obsessed with this guy sexually.

@CitrusLizard I'm sorry to say that you have been misinformed, due to the miseducation of ancient history by modern day historians: the Greeks (let us take the Athenians) where not the first to free slaves, they were a slaving society, even the athenians who called themselves democrats. For example the Celts of ancient times used an all equal system, no slaves, only "free-men" whilst the Athenians had only approx 30% (no women, slaves, or people not born in the city-state) where allowed to vote.

I think the Democrats should draft him to create campaign ideas! Power to the people!

Banning Halal & Kosher murder methods is not a stance against freedom of religion: it is a stance against torture. All murder, be it of human or non-human animal, should be illegal, & banning throat-slitting of those who are as aware as a young human children is a step in the good direction.

Maajid Nawaz...thankyou so so much for giving me the missing links and connections for the thoughts that were floating in my head dispersed and unattached...thankyou

@AndyRogerss He didn't talk about Islam, he talked about Muslim Extremism.

This guy got owned in a 2 v 2 debate by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Look it up!

Trust me, i know this comment has nothing to do with the video. OMFG DAT ACCENT! Its so cool i want one!

The idea that democracy needs transcultural advocacy is interesting. None other than Ayaan Hirsi Ali has talked of the need for the same thing. The "demand-led" idea has a lot to it. OTOH, the scenario where the mistakes of democratic parties cause the dismissal of democracy itself works both ways -- in Egypt, the rule of Morsi was enough of a disaster to set the Muslim Brotherhood back severely, even in other countries such as Jordan. Nawaz wants us all to be radicals -- in the right cause...

@4shacks1house "This guy" was advocating democracy in the Middle East. I have no idea why he'd want to go to Israel, the only real democratic country there. The Israeli government is willing to give back some land if they thought it would make a difference. No, I believe he should go to Palestine, and advocate them to uprise and not allow people to believe their legitimate authority is terror groups like HAMAS and Fatah (it's military branch, Al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigade, is known to be terrorist)

@DoubtingMarcus :: I am very uncomfortable with the categories of this speech. I think you are right regarding his making a link between legitimate criticism and generalities and xenophobia. I think he uses too much energy to explain things like "even the villain has his good sides" and so on. We need another kind of understanding, that is his message, I guess. His bid on what this understanding could be is not what I consider an insight as neutral or multifaceted as possible.

@ToonVanKets "Not all extremes are bad" Any examples of extremism being better in any way, then more balanced opinion?

its quite simplistically brilliant solution! I believe in him cause he has experienced it first hand!! thats something!

Props for Al Gehaz in Egypt for knocking some sense into this one

Inshallah!!!!

I hate when people try to paint anything that opposes an Islamic practice as far right. Perfect example Halal meat should be banned because it's animal cruelty. There is no legitimate reason to put an animal through that kind of pain. There are very real "Islamophobic" problems in the world but trying to paint every criticism of Islam in that way is counterproductive.

Very interesting talk.

This is fresh thinking that makes a lot of sense; Thanks for sharing your ideas. Highly recommend this video

The problem with religious fundamentalism is the fundamentals of religion.

Ted Talks are educational.

@WestofKevin No, it is moral to me because I know it is. There are absolute moral truths. Slavery, for instance, is wrong. If some culture in the 21st century was holding on the the archaic practice of keeping slaves, nowhere would you find someone arguing the principle of cultural relativism in its defense. I do not accept it as a valid argument for honor killings or child brides either, just to name two. If you put your hand to the middle of your back, you will feel a spine.. Use it.

What about the hacker movement? Lots of young people defending freedom and democracy there. To quote the eth0 2010 slogan "In a digital age, hackers save the planet".

Please don't tell me that the new name for terrorists is extremist behaviorist.

Enjoyed this video , he really seems to be an inspirational speaker , great interview feel to this Thank you Denner Videos

I can't tell whether he's glorifying the right wing or ridiculing it.

end extremism... simple enough. the world seeks solutions, he comes is peace. the only question now is do you trust him? your choice.

Maajid Usman Nawaz, Essex, Reino Unido, el 2 de noviembre de 1978 es un activista, escritor, columnista y político británico. Fue candidato al parlamento de su país en representación del distrito electoral de Hampstead y Kilburn de Londres con el partido Liberal Demócrata en las elecciones generales de 2015.

@tvswnet I see what you're saying, but even if its not made possible resolution is out of the question. Consensus does not work, because religions do not change or evolve by themselves. They change because they are forced to by outside sources. My critique was addressed to moderate islam as system, not to demonize muslims. Although I don't believe "moderate" muslims exist because I spoke with many and I have yet to meet the first one to not defend or downplay the verses on wife beating.

@tenisplayer Religion is always a factor. ANY major differences cause problems. For example, Slavery, Why? Cause of skin colour, religion, culture, or economic status.

Democracy of the people has NO ROOM in True Islam, what am i talking about? read this article and you will know

Very Insight speech!

@MrJaydawger your misinformed also. Im a large animal vet in new zealand. Ive been to slaughter plants where they make halal meat. They are allowed to be reversibly stunned (one that they will recover from eventually, but they are bled out before they regain conciousness). They can not be reversibly stunned (like a captive bolt to the brain etc). Your right that the head is not cut off, and yes the heart is pumping but why does that matter? The animal is unconscious.

I think this speech is marred by ignorance.

@IdoloR Perhaps. I didn't actually make it up, I think it's a Sam Harris quote. I'm sure lots of people go with things without REALLY thinking about them, but I do think this quote has some serious genuine truth to it.

@talkaboom I thought what started this was the perception of democracy as the overbearing idea that people have the choice to not support (BECAUSE of democracy).

@courtesyZone Explicit in the transnational democratic movement is that universal human rights are unassailable, and that forms of pluralistic representation are guaranteed within a framework that acknowledges fundamental humanistic ethics, seperation of powers, and the rule of law. The majority cannot, therefore, disenfranchise a minority. Where we give rise to institutions that impinge on these principles, democracy has effectively been relinquished.

@TemporalOnline Incorrect. Corporations are a nation-state creation. Who do you think gives limited liability? And, you're implying your solution to big, powerful groups is to create one large, big powerful group with a monopoly on the right of violence. Do you not see the huge contradiction in your own philosophy? Creating one large watchdog leads to the who will watch the watchers issue. Those advocating for democratic nation-states are advocates for violence against their fellow man.

The narrative of the outraged and the marginalized will almost always have more emotional pull than any movement towards the status quo, in my opinion. I recognize the usefulness of what he's calling for, but not the feasibility of it.

@akodo77 I "extremely" dislike murder, rape, genocide, and tyranny. Someone with a "more balanced" opinion would be inclined to tolerate or even sometimes to support these things. Sure such a "balanced" person could not be counted upon to consistently defend these evils (he's "balanced" after all) but he would 50% of the time support them and I think that's monstrous. What do you think of such people?

@MrSubtle I mean come on, getting rid of money? Forcing everyone to live in cities that are shaped like circles? Forcing people to never use technologies that the leaders of the movement don't like? Maglev trains to solve our problems? Give me a break." You clearly have no idea what's going on and/or don't care what's going on. I hope you weren't expecting any respect in my response to that nonsense.

@ihallthirteen You are sadly correct :(

@CatFlashBlue That's a common misconception about agnostics. Most people who call themselves agnostics are actually atheists. You're right, I don't believe in a god of any sort, but I don't say it's "impossible." There simply isn't enough (and can never be enough) information to make that claim. I'm fine with that. ...to say for certain "it is impossible there is a god" relies on information we don't have, and that is exactly what theists do. As an atheist, I accept unanswerable questions.

@Firestryke2 That would make it sound a whole lot better. This guy however kept calling it "democracy" which is a whole different animal than a republic.

very wise, thank you

@jondiroku Sorry about the typo with "lef". I wasn't saying that there are no kids interested in politics, there certainly are, but what in the world would it mean to have a "youth-led" movement? why should "youths" lead a political movement? At best you could just say that it doesn't matter what age of people lead such a movement, but why explicitly call for the most naive and unexperienced people around to be leaders? I can think of one reason. Can you think of any?

@hpbrown1 ... (For the Supremacy of God and not the Supremacy of People) is the article I was trying to post....Google it as it wont allow me to post the web link

@WestofKevin I am not saying that all young people are naive (though by definition they are inexperienced), my point is to ask why in the world he or anybody would explicitly call for a "youth-led movement". There's exactly one reason I have seen this done, which is to: Recruit naive followers, to "hide" behind the youngsters and avoid answering probing questions. What other reason can you think of for such a call for a "youth-led movement"?

We Christians have plenty of extremism ourselves. We need to form a movement to outstrip extremism, regardless of our religions.

13:23 This is what the Bush admin told us Republicans what they were going to do in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they decided not to and my brother soldiers and the people of Iraq and Afghanistan paid the price.

What wrong with banning halal flesh? It´s unnesscery torture of animals!

This man spoke very well, however I am confused after listening to him. Does he want to create a radical left group to battle the radical right/religious extremists? Is he saying that the way extremists convey their message is the only way to get a point across in this world? Is he saying democracy does not work? And did it take just 5 years of prison to free his mind from his radical views on his old religion?

@Dissimul You may be right. Steadily filtering out the 'bad parts' of any religion will eventually result in it not existing any more, I would say.

Did he actually say anything? I heard a lot of fluff.

@PealMoon All animal cruelty of that sort, including electrocution and hanged hooks, should be banned but to say "cutting the head off" with a knife isn't far worse than execution using captive bolt pistols is to simply be incorrect. Not to mention, as many pointed out, the process involves making an deep cut but not cutting the head off and then letting the animal bleed out. However, the point I was making was that he's lumping legitimate criticism in with Islamphobia and that's very harmful.

@SpeedAmphetamine I didn't say that a whole generation of people knows nothing or is clueless. I said that "youth" as a population group is always the least experienced group in the general population. Unless you think that there's no learning or experience that happens as we live our lives how can you doubt that? As for my rights, I have a right to "deem" anything I wish. Back to the point: Why should anybody call for "youth" in particular to lead a political movement? This guy did.

It's not about religious extremism it's about ISLAM. Fly with the eagles by reading my Islam Watch Blog daily, see my profile for url.

@CatFlashBlue Look, no one will ever, ever, ever be able to say that "a god is impossible." It is quite simply out of bounds. Luckily, this has nothing to do with the distinction between atheists and agnostics. Simply put, most people who call themselves agnostics are actually atheists who don't understand the word "agnostic," but prefer it over the stigma associated with calling themselves an atheist.

@dlucas90 Right, cause governments don't have a say in how much money they borrow. That's like blaming Mcdonalds for making people fat.

@MrSubtle i get your point, just that we disagree on the impact of it and it allowing you to claim objective moral truths. As an A-moral free-thinker, i have made a concious choice to place myself outside of both moral and cultural thinking (as well as i can) and instead rely on (boolean AND fuzzy) logic and reason to guide me, and use applied ethics and game theory with values i consider positive (and i guess most other reflected people would too) to make choises into optimization problems.

@farhanprine I disagree, of course. Religions tells people how to behave/think, and they have a lot of untrue, hateful things taught to people. Yes, it's a part of human nature. No, that is not a reason to let it slide. Those that don't subscribe to religion simply don't do things religious people are talked into. You're saying that because humans to bad things, religion is therefore not bad? Give me a break. It's bad disguised as good. That's super bad. Your assertion is actually flawed.

Psychoburgandy6 As I said, I am leery. As for the turn around, I don't think it happened in one day. As he said he was jailed for his behavior and I suspect that when one is rotting away in a small stuffy cell it gives one time to think. I hope he's legit but as I also said time will tell. One thing that he didn't do was give an example of how to establish the youth-led grass-roots democracy movement. Also he repeatedly said "I think" instead of "this is fact." I give him credit for that.

The Sick Healed, the Dead Raised, the Sinner Forgiven!

He didn't mention anything I don't already know.

The whole system of religious indoctrination is what has led to this. The world has never seen a higher need to abandon religion of all forms and adopt atheism. Easier said than done, but at least the movement has started.

@lancelottodd I second lancelottodd in that rejecting all religions' claim of a god, and not believing in one (which is not the same as disbelieving), is being an atheist. From a logic and linguistics point of view; A-theist when you analyze the word, is simply not theist (the complement to theist), so anyone who is not a theist is an atheist. What you may be thinking of is anti-theist, which is a subset of atheist, proclaming there is no god, and/or believing in a religion/god is bad.

He certainly has good political language , but his idea's are that of a pure optimist. Whilst talking about the need for building democracy's from the bottom upwards is ideal , it has never ever worked in human history without international governmental action and pressure , and usually results in huge blood shed, so the need for governmental growth is needed. None the less what muslim extremists need is time to evolve and or be eradicated.

@SikhiArt I want everyone to read this pinnacle of post-modernism post right here. Wow, just wow.

@BlckSbthMan The problem is that, there are sane people, who oppose that idea.

I don't know what's doing here but he ain't hard on the eyes!! :) Forget Islam just pose for GQ.....

@achahei Western governments don't need to do that. People just need to actually read the Quran, get educated and they wouldn't have that problem. Note how all the jihadists are rich, secularly-educated guys, not religious scholars. It wouldn't be politically correct to counter their arguments, it would just religiously correct. Suicide is already a sin and so is killing innocent people and forcing people to be one religion or another. Like Nawaz said,it's all about politics and power.

@MrSubtle wow discussion over, bro. "lenin" doesn't know shit about "abundance economics," you're comparing politics to engineering and biology. It's extremely difficult to take you seriously when you name irrelevant, inherently impossible ideas and attack them as if it matters. "if everyone were rich", "infinite production", and practically EVERYTHING you've attacked so far are impossible concepts to begin with. Let me guess, you think humans can't improve their environment, right?

Good video, I liked it. Made me think.