Maajid Nawaz, former member of Hizb ut-Tahrir and executive director of the Quilliam Foundation, urges a more pro-active stance of the state in integrating Muslims in the Republic of Ireland. Speaking at the World Summit Against Extremism in Dublin, he emphasises the question of identity as crucial to the integration of Muslims. The state and the public need to engage in a debate on national identity in order to avoid the mistakes of other European countries where there are often tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims and a lacking sense of belonging felt among Muslims to a particular society. Therefore, Irish society needs to engage with the grievances of Muslim, ‘real or perceived’. Of particular importance, according to Nawaz, is the promotion of ‘counter-narratives’ against extremism and radicalism by charismatic Muslim leaders who stir young Muslims away from violence.
