William Abdullah Quilliam

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William Henry Quilliam (April 10, 1856[1][2][3] – 1932), who changed his name to Abdullah Quilliam, was a 19th century convert from Christianity to Islam, noted for founding England's first mosque and Islamic centre. Quilliam was influential in advancing knowledge of Islam within the British Isles, and gained other converts through his literary works and the charitable institutions he founded.

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[edit] Background

William Quilliam was born in Liverpool to a wealthy manufacturing family in 1856. He was the son of a watch maker Robert Quilliam, and a claimed relation of [4] Captain John Quilliam RN, First Lieutenant on HMS Victory with Nelson [5]. He established himself as a successful solicitor.

[edit] Conversion to Islam

Quilliam was brought up a Christian but learned about Islam and converted, either while visiting southern France in 1882 and crossing over to Algeria and Tunisia, or after visiting Morocco in 1887 [1]. Returning to Liverpool, he began to spread Islam among the masses as Abdullah Quilliam.

Quilliam established the Liverpool Mosque and Islamic Institute at 8 Brougham Terrace, West Derby Street, Liverpool in 1889, opening on Christmas day. This was England's first mosque, accommodating around a hundred Muslims, This was followed by a Muslim college, headed by Haschem Wilde and Nasrullah Warren, which offered courses for both Muslims and non-Muslims. A weekly Debating and Literary Society within the college attracted many non-Muslim intellectuals.

Quilliam influenced the paths of many converts, including his formerly Methodist mother, his sons, and prominent scientists and intellectuals and his example lead to the conversion of over 150 Englishmen to Islam.

An active writer and essayist, he produced a weekly paper, The Crescent, from 1893 until 1908. He published three editions of his masterpiece, The Faith of Islam, which was translated into thirteen languages, gaining him fame across the Islamic world.

He received many honours from the leaders of the Islamic world. He was appointed Sheikh al-Islam by the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II in 1894 and Persian Consul to Liverpool by the Shah. He also received money from the Emir of Afghanistan to fund the Islamic Institute in Liverpool.

Quilliam's work in Liverpool stopped when he left England in 1908 and the Muslim community there dispersed.

He died in 1932, in London, and was buried in Brookwood Cemetery, near Woking. He was buried near Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall (who each translated the Qur'an), and Lord Headley.

Western Muslims, particularly converts to Islam, see him as a pioneer of the path they have taken. His legacy is maintained by the Abdullah Quilliam Society which was formed in 1996. The Society is raising funds for the purchase of 8-10 Brougham Terrace in order to restore the historic mosque and establish an educational centre.[2] It has now signed a two-year lease on the premises.[6].

The Quilliam Foundation, a moderate Muslim thinktank aimed at challenging extremist islamist ideologies, was launched in 2008.[7][8] Some Muslims criticized the organization's choice of name because Quilliam was fervently opposed to British imperialism and strongly supported the Ottoman Caliphate, even as Marmaduke Pickthall was supporting the reformist Young Turks.[9]

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ aqsSAQuilliam
  2. ^ Forgotten champion of Islam: One man and his mosque - This Britain, UK - Independent.co.uk
  3. ^ Brief Biography of William Henry Quilliam
  4. ^ MCB
  5. ^ MCB
  6. ^ BBC R4 Sunday 12 August 2007
  7. ^ The Guardian; Ex-Islamists start moderate thinkthank
  8. ^ "Ex-extremists call for 'Western Islam'"
  9. ^ Abdullah Quilliam: Britain’s First Islamist?

[edit] External links

[edit] Sources

  • Lewis, Philip (1994). Islamic Britain: Religion, Politics, and Identity among British Muslims: Bradford in the 1990s. London: I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1-85043-861-7.