Abdullah Quilliam

William Henry Quilliam ( born April 10, 1856 in Liverpool, † April 23, 1932 in London), which later changed its name to Abdullah Quilliam ( later Henri Marcel Leon and pseudonyms were Haroun Mustapha Leon ), converted to Islam in the 19th century and founded the first mosque in England as well as the first Islamic center.

Life

William Quilliam was a member of a wealthy Manx family. His father was Robert Quilliam watch manufacturer. William learned at the Liverpool Institute and at King William 's College on the Isle of Man. In 1878 he started as a Solicitor to work and built a successful law firm in Liverpool. In 1879 he married Hannah Johnstone.

Conversion to Islam

Quilliam was raised as a Methodist, but converted to Islam in 1887, after he had taken a trip to Morocco to recuperate from an illness. Earlier, he has dealt with Islam, as he toured the South of France in 1882, and Algeria and Tunisia. After his return to Liverpool, he began to promote Islam as Abdullah Quilliam in the UK.

Quilliam founded in 1889 the Liverpool Muslim Institute at 8 Brougham Terrace, West Derby Street and opened it on the first Christmas Day. This was the first mosque in England, which could accommodate about one hundred believers. This was followed by a Muslim College, led by Hashem Wilde and Nasrullah Warren, which offered courses for Muslims as well as for non-Muslims.

Quilliam also influenced the lives of other converts, including his mother Harriet ( converted 1893) and his sons, and scientists and intellectuals; Following his example converted over 150 Englishmen to Islam. Quilliam was influential in the dissemination of knowledge about his religion in the UK, reaching converts through his writings and he founded charities.

As an author and essayist he created from 1893 to 1908 a weekly paper, The Crescent ( " The Crescent" ). He has published three editions of his The Faith of Islam ( " The faith of Islam" ), which has been translated into thirteen languages ​​and became famous throughout the Islamic world.

Quilliam's work in Liverpool ended when he left England in 1908, before he was a year later removed from the Member role as a solicitor. His son sold quickly released the property, which was used as a mosque and Islamic Centre. Without the influence and funding Quilliam is dispersed the Muslim community of Liverpool.

In December 1914, he returned under the name of HM Leon back to the UK. He spent much time in the village of Onchan on the Isle of Man. He died in London in 1932 and was buried in Brookwood Cemetery.

Legacy

Western Muslims, especially converts see in Quilliam a pioneer. His legacy remains in the Abdullah Quilliam Society, which was founded in 1996. The organization raises funds to restore the historic mosque in 8 Brougham Terrace or reopen and to open an educational center.

In 2008, the Quilliam Foundation was established, a think tank that opposes Islamist ideologies.

Works

• The Faith of Islam: An Explanatory Sketch of the Principal Fundamental Tenets of the Muslim religion; ISBN 9781177882309