William Abdullah Quilliam

William Abdullah Quilliam

William Henry Quilliam (April 10 1856 [ [http://www.abdullahquilliamsociety.org.uk/aqsSAQuilliam.html Quilliam Society website] ] [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2826203.ece Forgotten champion of Islam: One man and his mosque - This Britain, UK - Independent.co.uk ] ] [ [http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/people/law/whqllm.htm Brief Biography of William Henry Quilliam ] ] – 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.

Background

William Quilliam was born in Liverpool to a wealthy Manx family in 1856. His father, Robert Quilliam, was a watch manufacturer. William was educated at the Liverpool Institute and King William's College on the Isle of Man. He began work as a solicitor in 1878.

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. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/heritage/england/liverpool/article_1.shtml BBC - Legacies - Architectural Heritage - England - Liverpool - The 'little mosque' - Article Page 1 ] at www.bbc.co.uk] Returning to Liverpool, he began to promote 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 non-Muslims.

Quilliam influenced the paths of other converts, including his formerly Methodist mother, his sons, and scientists and intellectuals and his example lead to the conversion of over 150 Englishmen to Islam. Quilliam was influential in advancing knowledge of Islam within the United Kingdom, and gained other converts through his literary works and the charitable institutions he founded.

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. [ [http://www.salaam.co.uk/charities/26-07-05.php Appeal for Heritage Centre in Liverpool] ] It has now signed a two-year lease on the premises. [BBC R4 "Sunday" 12 August 2007]

The Quilliam Foundation, a moderate Muslim thinktank aimed at challenging extremist islamist ideologies, was launched in 2008. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/01/islam.religion The Guardian; Ex-Islamists start moderate thinkthank] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7360652.stm|BBC: "Ex-extremists call for 'Western Islam'"] ] Some Muslims criticised the organization's choice of name because Quilliam was opposed to British imperialism and supported the Ottoman Caliphate, even as Marmaduke Pickthall was supporting the reformist Young Turks. [ [http://www.yahyabirt.com/?p=136/ Abdullah Quilliam: Britain’s First Islamist?] ]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.abdullahquilliamsociety.org.uk/ Abdullah Quilliam Society]
* [http://abdullahquilliam.wordpress.com/ Abdullah Quilliam: The History of British Muslims]
* [http://www.quilliamfoundation.org/ Quilliam Foundation]
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2826203.ece "Forgotten champion of Islam: One man and his mosque" The Independent newspaper, 2 August 2007]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/heritage/england/liverpool/article_1.shtml Special BBC feature on Abdullah Quilliam and his Mosque, including audio testimonials from his grand-daughter and admirers]
* [http://www.mcb.org.uk/features/features.php?ann_id=139 The Muslim Council of Britain's special biography and profile on Quilliam's life]
* [http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/bmh/BMH-AQ-poem4.htm "The Riddle of Life", poem by Abdullah Quilliam]
* [http://www.wokingmuslim.org/pers/quilliam/ Quilliam mentioned in early Ahmadiyya sources and his connection with the Woking Muslim Mission under the name Professor H.M. Leon]
* [http://www.isb.org.uk/iaw/yesteryear.htm A brief look at Muslims in Britain from yesteryear]
* [http://www.islamic-considerations.blogspot.com Review of Abdullah Quilliam and the misappropriation of his name]

Sources

*cite book|last=Lewis|first=Philip|title=Islamic Britain: Religion, Politics, and Identity among British Muslims: Bradford in the 1990s|year=1994|publisher=I.B. Tauris|location=London|id=ISBN 1-85043-861-7


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Abdullah Quilliam — William Henry Quilliam (* 10. April 1856 in Liverpool, † 23. April 1932 in London), der sich später in Abdullah Quilliam umbenannte (spätere Pseudonyme waren Henri Marcel Leon und Haroun Mustapha Leon), konvertierte im 19. Jahrhundert zum Islam… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Quilliam — is a surname, and may refer to:*John Quilliam *Susan Quilliam *William Abdullah Quilliam …   Wikipedia

  • Quilliam Foundation — The Quilliam Foundation is a counter extremism think tank set up by former Islamist activists in the United Kingdom. The group, largely founded by ex Hizb ut Tahrir activists, describes itself as a think tank and campaign group that believes that …   Wikipedia

  • Quilliam Foundation — Die Quilliam Foundation wurde im April 2008 in London von Aussteigern aus der islamistischen Szene gegründet und versteht sich als anti islamistischer Think Tank. Unter der Leitung der beiden Direktoren Maajid Nawaz und Ed Husain (Autor des Buchs …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • John Quilliam — Statue de John Quilliam à Castle Rushen (Castletown), œuvre du sculpteur Bryan Kneale. John Quilliam (Marown sur l île de Man, 29 septembre 1771 Kirk Michael, 10 octobre  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • King William's College — Motto Assiduitate Non Desidia Established 1833 Type Independent school Principal Mr M.A.C. Humphreys, M …   Wikipedia

  • List of converts to Islam — Converts to Islam Isabelle Eberhardt • Uluç Ali Reis • Claude Alexandre • Parameswara • Marmaduke Pickthall • Jacques Francois Menou • Rudolf Carl von Slatin  • Lord Headley • Malcolm X  …   Wikipedia

  • List of former Christians — This is a list of people who left Christianity for another religion or a non religious ideology. Ex Christians who had been Roman Catholics This is a list of people who left Roman Catholicism for another religion or a non religious ideology.… …   Wikipedia

  • Manx people — Manx Manninee …   Wikipedia

  • List of Islamic and Muslim related topics — This is an alphabetical list of topics related to Islam, the history of Islam, Islamic culture, and the present day Muslim world, intended to provide inspiration for the creation of new articles and categories. This list is not complete; please… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”