| Ishtiaq Hussain | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ishtiaq Hussain June 1976 |
| Residence | London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Ethnicity | Pakistani |
| Occupation | Civil Servant |
| Employer | UK Government |
| Known for | Author of The Tanzimat: Secular Reforms in the Ottoman Empire |
Ishtiaq Hussain (born June 1976) is a British Pakistani. He holds a B.A.(Hons) and has studied MA in Social Sciences. In his teenage years he was an activist for the radical group Hizb-ut-Tahrir, later leaving over ideological and moral differences. In the early 2000s, alongside his full-time job, Hussain also worked as a Youth and Community Worker.
In 2008, Hussain joined the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam as a Senior Trainer. He was responsible for delivering training to local authorities, police forces and government departments. He was also made a media spokesman for the organisation and appeared on: Sky News,[1] BBC, CNN and ZDF to discuss radicalisation as a phenomenon. In August 2009, he spoke to LBC radio about the Liquid Bombing Plot. He has also given interviews in the Urdu language to Asian media outlets, including: Venus TV and Sunrise Radio. Hussain left Quilliam in late 2009 to join central government.
Hussain has featured as a keynote speaker at various Conferences, Universities, Schools and Community events. In November 2009, he spoke at The Holocaust Memorial Centre in Newark (Nottinghamshire) alongside a Holocaust survivor.
In 2010, Hussain was featured in the BBC television documentary 'The Virtual Revolution' and the German television documentary 'Wohin Der Islam'. The Arabic television channel Al-Hurra also interviewed him for a documentary on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Ishtiaq has written articles for The Guardian newspaper, specialist Blogs and featured in various print media internationally.
He currently works as a policy maker and advisor to the UK government. In this capacity he trains, supports and advises government departments and local authorities on: extremism, policy implementation, stakeholder engagement and capacity building. In July 2011, Hussain spoke at a conference organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in Leeds. In October 2011, the think tank Faith Matters published a research paper written by Hussain titled 'The Tanzimat: Secular Reforms in the Ottoman Empire.[2] The paper received positive coverage in the national media.[3]