What is "quilliam"

Quilliam is a surname, and may refer to:

• John Quilliam (1771–1829), a British Royal Navy officer and the First Lieutenant on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar
• Susan Quilliam (born 1950), an agony aunt and author noted for bringing systemic psychology to a mass audience
• William Abdullah Quilliam (1856–1932), a 19th-century convert from Christianity to Islam, founding England's first mosque and Islamic centre

Quilliam is a London-based think tank that focuses on counter- extremism, specifically against Islamism, which it argues represents a desire to impose any given interpretation of Islam on society. Founded as The Quilliam Foundation, it lobbies government and public institutions for more nuanced policies regarding Islam and on the need for greater democracy in the Muslim world whilst empowering moderate Muslim voices.

According to one of its co-founders, Maajid Nawaz, "We wish to raise Islamism"; he also said, "I want to demonstrate how the Islamist ideology is incompatible with Islam. Secondly … develop a Western Islam that is at home in Britain and in Europe … reverse radicalisation by taking on their arguments and countering them."

The organisation opposes any Islamist ideology and champions freedom of expression. The critique of Islamist ideology by its founders, Maajid Nawaz, Rashad Zaman Ali and Ed Husain, is based, in part, on their personal experiences.