Sam and Maajid published a book recently, a collaboration of not-always like minded intellects on the subject of Islamic reform. They've since become close and always produce worthwhile dialogue on religious and political issues. Nawaz, in a nutshell, is a reformed Islamist and former terrorist supporter who has served time for those offenses, who now runs the Quilliam Foundation in the UK, which is essentially a counter-extremism think tank. He's a liberal democrat (UK) but has refreshing insights into the U.S. political system, and voiced some of them in their recent conversation. He's far less concerned about the implications of a Trump presidency; views the Dem's strategy of identity politics as an absolute self-defeating dead-end; recognizes their refusal to call radical Islam by its name as condescending and also self-defeating; views President Obama's foreign policy (correctly, IMO) as an utter disaster, resulting in failure in Iraq, spawning ISIS, and undermining to the nation's moral authority; to list a few.
Strangely, the Southern Poverty Law Center has just added him and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is probably familiar to most people interested in the topic of radical Islam and reform, to their list of "anti-Muslim extremists", which should tell you everything you need to know about the integrity and moral clarity of the SPLC.
There's an earlier podcast in which they rehash some of the material from the book, which I also recommend, as well as all of his conversations on politics and Islam. Two standout episodes are his conversations with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and with Shadi Hamid on the topic of Islamism vs. Secularism
A good listen if you have a few hours to tune in.
https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/friend-foe
The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W
Strangely, the Southern Poverty Law Center has just added him and Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is probably familiar to most people interested in the topic of radical Islam and reform, to their list of "anti-Muslim extremists", which should tell you everything you need to know about the integrity and moral clarity of the SPLC.
There's an earlier podcast in which they rehash some of the material from the book, which I also recommend, as well as all of his conversations on politics and Islam. Two standout episodes are his conversations with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and with Shadi Hamid on the topic of Islamism vs. Secularism
A good listen if you have a few hours to tune in.
https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/friend-foe
The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W