Maajid Nawaz is no stranger to the Muslim community. Known for his popular appearances on national television, public speaking engagements, and book deals worth thousands if not millions of pounds, Nawaz has made a career out of touting himself as a “progressive Muslim” and a reformer simultaneously. While most Muslims can easily detect Nawaz’s doublespeak, this subtlety is lost on the average non-Muslim who is unable to grasp what sets him theologically apart from what he doggedly calls “my community”. The blurring of this line grants Maajid an air of authority, and therefore, an opportunity to exploit people’s ignorance about what constitutes normative Islam. With more than 124,000 likes on Facebook, Nawaz boasts a modest fan base; however, unsurprisingly, most of his followers are non-Muslims, which is further evidenced by the type and number of individuals who leave comments on his wall.
Richard Dawkins, a renowned evolutionary biologist and avowed atheist, recently revealed his feelings about “progressive Muslims” like Maajid Nawaz at the International Conference on Free Expression & Conscience, London, 22-24 July 2017 [See 55:51-56:22]:
“Maajid claims to be [a progressive Muslim]. Whenever I meet a progressive Muslim who, as it were, is on our side, I always say, “But why the hell are you a Muslim? You’re clearly an intelligent person. What’s this all about? Why do you believe this nonsense when there’s no justification or evidence for it whatsoever.” And usually they kind of smile and I get the feeling they don’t believe it but see it as politically expedient [1].”
It should be clear that even New Atheists recognize the enormous damage the likes of Nawaz are capable of, that is, galvanizing change in Islam from “within” as someone who is apparently, but not actually, a Muslim.
References:
[1] B. (2017, July 27). Blasphemy, Islamophobia, Free Expression Panel. Retrieved July 31, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seJkIGV8urc
New Atheists, Progressive Muslims, and The Like 
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