Dr H.A. Hellyer
Fellow of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations (CRER) at the University of Warwick
New Book: "Muslims of Europe: The 'Other' Europeans" (Edinburgh University Press)
'While many today think we need to go beyond multiculturalism, Hellyer argues that the success of what he calls stage one multiculturalism means neither the end of common citizenship and national identity, nor their re-imposition but rather their re-making. He draws on theory but is focused on real-world problems and the book is informed by his good sense and a search for the middle ground.'
Professor Tariq Modood, University of Bristol
'I can think of few books that are more timely and important. H. A. Hellyer’s Muslims of Europe: The ‘Other’ Europeans is must reading for scholars, students and policymakers.'
John L. Esposito, University Professor and Professor of Religion & International Affairs, Georgetown University and co-author of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think
Associate Fellow of CRER, and Director of the Visionary Consultancy Group (VCG), a West - Muslim World relations policy consultancy, Dr Hellyer is a recognised expert on Muslims in Europe, political philosophy, minority Muslim communities and the interplay between Islam and modernity. He is currently focusing his academic research on examining other minority and majority Muslim contexts, including Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.
Dr. Hellyer was Ford Fellow of the Project on US Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution (USA), where he focused on Muslim European communities. From October 2007 to April 2008, he was also Economic and Social Research Council Placement Fellow at the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he carried out research as Warwick University’s Senior Research Fellow, on a project looking at Muslims in Europe. His prior affiliations include being Visiting Professor of Law at the American University in Cairo (AUC) (Egypt) and Member of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OCIS) of the University of Oxford.
In the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings in the UK, Dr Hellyer was nominated as Deputy Convenor of the UK Government's Home Office working group on 'Tackling Extremism and Radicalization'; in that capacity, he engaged with different parts of the UK and US administrations and security agencies, as well as engaging with different sectors of the Muslim community in Britain and in the Muslim world in counteracting radical extremist narratives. In September 2007 at the Brookings Institution, he released a study relating to community engagement in counter-terrorism entitled ‘Engagement with the Muslim community and counter-terrorism: British lessons for the West’.
Currently a UN Alliance of Civilizations Global Expert and formerly the first Principal Research Fellow at a think-tank launched by the Malaysian Prime Minister in support of advanced studies of Muslim societies and Islam, Dr Hellyer is an internationally acclaimed writer and regular commentator in international media. He is a regular commentator in mediums such as the Guardian (UK), the Washington Post (USA) and the Prospect Magazine (UK), and speaks to forums such as the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the Azhar University in Cairo and the BBC Doha Debates.
He continues to work with and assist think-tanks and foundations such as the Tabah Foundation (UAE), Demos (UK) and the World for All Foundation (South Africa) in the development of their work. Dr Hellyer is also a signatory to the Common Word, the historic interfaith document between Muslim authorities and Christian churches worldwide.
Dr. Hellyer writes on minority Muslim communities (including those in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and Africa), political philosophy, government policies on integration, and the interplay between Islam and modernity. His academic publications include chapters in a number of books including a recent Edinburgh University Press volume on Muslim radical extremism and a chapter on Islam and modernity in a Manchester University Press volume. In his latest book, The ‘Other’ European (due to be published in 2009 by Edinburgh University Press), he argues that Europe must come to terms with all of her history, past and present, and that Muslim communities should work to be integral to Europe. He is completing work on two books entitled “Western Muslims and Islam in the 21st Century” and “Muslims on the Margins: Muslim Minorities in Southeast Asia, Africa and the West”.
Media Publications and Experience
Prior and Current Affiliations