Dr. Abdul Haqq Baker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Anthony Baker 1966 |
| Education | MBA in Education PhD in Politics |
| Alma mater | University of Exeter |
| Occupation(s) | Academic and Religious Leader |
| Known for | De-radicalizing Muslim Extremists |
| Website | abdulhaqqbaker |
Abdul Haqq Baker (born 1966) is an academic and religious leader. He supports the Salafi branch of Islam that is popular in the Persian Gulf. [1] [2] He is known for his work de-radicalizing young Muslims influenced by extremist groups like al-Qaeda. [1] [3]
Baker was born in 1966. [1] His mother and father are from Guyana and Nigeria respectively. [4] [5] Baker was raised Roman Catholic and attended a Christian school, where he first became interested in religion. [6]
In his youth, Baker got involved in local gangs, until he converted from Christianity to Islam in 1990. [1] Baker's given name was Anthony Baker, but he adopted his current Muslim name after converting. [4] [5] Specifically, Baker joined the Salafi movement, [4] a fundamentalist branch of Sunni Islam. [2] Baker later earned a Master's degree in Business Administration and a PhD in Political Studies from the University of Exeter. [1] [7]
Baker worked as a lawyer for ten years, [7] before becoming the Chairman of The Brixton Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre in 1994, [8] a position he held for 15 years. [2] [5] While there, he persuaded radical Abdullah el-Faisal and his followers to leave the mosque after an armed standoff. [1] In 2007, Baker created a controversial initiative called Strategy to Reach, Empower and Educate Teenagers (STREET). [4]
Most of STREET's activities were typical of anti-gang youth initiatives, [2] but its de-radicalization program was unusual. [2] [4] It was praised by experts and security professionals for its effectiveness, [4] [5] but criticized by more liberal religious groups and Western countries for supporting the same literal interpretation of the Quran that radicalizes many terrorists. [2] [4] [5] Baker argued it was these very shared religious beliefs STREET had with at-risk Muslim youth that made it approachable. [4]
The British government cut funding of 300,000 pounds per annum to STREET in May 2010 after an election caused a change in political leadership. [2] [5] Baker had resigned as Chairman of Brixton, but remained a trustee, in order to focus on the STREET program. [5]
According to his website, Baker now does research, lectures, and public speaking events on violence among religious extremists. [7] Baker developed the "Convert's Cognitive Development Framework," which describes the stages of a Muslim's conversion to and from violent radicalism. It has four stages: (1) Founding Phase [Conversion] (2) Youthful Phase [Formative] (3) Adult Phase [Foundational] (4) Mature Phase [Reflective]. [9] Baker encourages institutions to move criminals and radicals to the self-reflective stage, whereby the citizen reflects on the world based on their own personal experiences, rather than emotions and propaganda. [9] [10]
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one of the most effective and important voices for preventing young men from falling into terrorism