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Mo Ansar

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Mo Ansar
BornEngland
NationalityBritish
Occupationsocial commentator

Mohammed "Mo" Ansar is a British Muslim political and social commentator. Appearing regularly on television and radio in the United Kingdom, he commentates on a variety of issues. He has opposed the far right and Muslim extremists in media debates. He is regularly criticised by groups from the far right and the Islamic community for his progressive views on homosexuality and treatment of minority groups.

In April 2012 he first met the then English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson, when they participated in a BBC programme The Big Questions. At Ansar's invitation, the two began a dialogue after the programme in which they sought to develop an understanding of their opposing views. Ansar became the first Muslim to address an audience of EDL members, when at his own request he talked to an EDL gathering about Islam, and invited questions afterwards. Robinson left the organisation in 2013, after which he joined the Quilliam Foundation, a think-tank that tackles Islamic extremism. Their journey was the subject of a 2013 BBC documentary, Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo, which aired on BBC One on 28 October 2013.

In October 2013 Ansar was alerted by anti-terrorist police that he and a number of other moderate Muslim figures in the UK had been targeted by a propaganda video created by Al-Shabaab, the terrorist group responsible for the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya: the video urged jihadists in the UK to take action, citing the murder of Lee Rigby as an example to follow.

References

  1. "Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo" BBC One, Producer/Director: Amanda McGlynn: video from 1:33. Broadcast 28 October 2013. Accessed 31 October 2013
  2. "Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo". BBC. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  3. Russell, Jonathan (29 October 2013). "BBC Religion & Ethics - Perspectives: The Quilliam Foundation - fighting extremism". BBC. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  4. "Quitting the English Defence League: When Tommy Met Mo" BBC One: video from 8:21. Accessed 31 October 2013
  5. "Ex-leader of the Luton-based EDL Tommy Robinson to appear in BBC One documentary with Mohammed Ansar". Bedfordshire News. 28 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  6. Ansar, Mohammed (19 October 2013). "Mohammed Ansar: My 18 months with former EDL leader Tommy Robinson". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  7. Shiv Malik, Duncan Gardham and Vikram Dodd (17 October 2013). "Prominent UK Muslims under police protection after al-Shabaab threats". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2013.
  8. Simon Hooper (26 October 2013). "British Muslims defiant over al-Shabab threat". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 6 November 2013.

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