Maajid Nawaz is a British media personality and activist. Nawaz is considered part of the intellectual dark web. Nawaz has platformed and supported other members who hold anti-transgender views.
Background
Maajid Usman Nawaz born on November 2, 1977 in Southend-on-Sea, England. Nawaz’s sibling became involved in Islamist political activity through Hizb ut-Tahrir, and Nawaz also got involved.
Nawaz attended Newnham College. While in school, Nawaz had a year abroad in Egypt. Nawaz was arrested and imprisoned there for involvement in Hizb ut-Tahrir.
Upon release, Nawaz returned to the UK and earned an undergraduate degree at SOAS, University of London, then earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
Nawaz founded the Quilliam Foundation, a counter-extremism think tank, and became a critic of Islamism. Nawaz has written about leaving Islamist extremism and ran for office as a Liberal Democrat.
Anti-transgender activity
Nawaz is critical of a kind of progressivism dubbed “control left,” which includes people supportive of gender minorities. Nawaz accuses the control left of “post factual behaviour, violence being seen as an option and prioritising group identity over individual rights” and “they want to control our lives, control what we think, control how we even feel.”
Nawaz hosted a weekend afternoon radio show on LBC from 2016 to 2022.
Nawaz has appeared on shows with other intellectual dark web figures, including Joe Rogan and Sam Harris. Nawaz hosted the podcast Radical and covered gender on several episodes, including one devoted to the anti-trans propaganda piece What Is a Woman?
Media
LBC (May 22, 2018). Jordan Peterson On Why He Refuses To Use Special Pronouns For Transgender People – LBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_UbmaZQx74
Sky News (Feb 14, 2020). Should gender transition for children take longer? | The Pledge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tG6SPmqVUw
References
Nawaz, Maajid (November 20, 2016). Maajid: The Left Is No Longer Liberal. LBC https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/maajid-nawaz/maajid-the-left-is-no-longer-liberal/
Resources
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)