Usama Hasan

Usama Hasan is an exceptionally brave and good man. That he has been subjected to this kind of bullying is upsetting. I’ve written about Hasan several times, in the most detail here.

Johaan Hari has an excellent piece about former Islamists in Britain who have renounced their past beliefs for something more humane and liberal. Last summer I spent a lot of time with Usama Hasan, featured in Hari’s article. My take on Hasan and some of his colleagues is here. I think one of the things I like most about Hasan is his love of astronomy. In addition to working as an imam, Hasan teaches artificial intelligence at Middlesex University. He helped launch the  remarkable Quilliam Foundation with Maajid Nawaz and Ed Husain. My take on Husain and his book, can be read here.

Writing in the Calgary Herald, Tarek Fatah, an outspoken liberal Muslim, asks why the CBC is teaming up on a food drive with the Muslim Association of Canada – a group openly supportive of the international Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, and its founder Hassan al Banna.