Excerpt:
Maajid Nawaz, the British Muslim reformer who recently recovered a large monetary settlement from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), is scheduled to meet with SPLC president Richard Cohen next week to demand an explanation for its decision to label him an “anti-Muslim extremist,” National Review learned Friday in an exclusive interview with Nawaz.
The SPLC’s “Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists” — intended to serve as resource for journalists to identify purveyors of hateful propaganda — suggested that Nawaz’s criticisms of Islamic fundamentalism, which are informed by his personal experience as a former Islamic radical, constituted a “savaging” of the religion. After demanding a retraction for the better part of two years, Nawaz threatened to sue over the characterization in April. The SPLC admitted fault earlier this month and agreed to pay him, and his anti-extremist think tank the Quilliam Foundation, $3.375 million “to fund their work to fight anti-Muslim bigotry and extremism.”