| Merged into | Henry Jackson Society |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2007 |
| Dissolved | 2011 |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
Director | Douglas Murray |
TheCentre for Social Cohesion (CSC) was a right-wing Britishthink tank with its headquarters in London. Founded in 2007 as part of another London think tank,Civitas, it became independent in 2008 and was eventually subsumed into a separate London think tank, theHenry Jackson Society, in April 2011.[1]
The director of the CSC was writer and commentatorDouglas Murray, the author ofNeoconservatism: Why We Need It. According toAl Jazeera, the CSC produced reports that covered issue areas including the rise ofIslamist extremism andneo-fascism in the United Kingdom, as represented by theBritish National Party (BNP).[2]
CSC was established with funding of circa £275,000[3] fromCivitas. The organisation was constituted as a company limited by guarantee. It was incorporated and registered withCompanies House in June 2008.[4] Companies House records indicate that, as of 5 January 2009, the company'sdirectors wereBaroness Cox, former professor of the privateUniversity of Buckingham, Dr John Marks,[5] and author DrRuth Dudley Edwards. Cox and Marks are also directors of theEducational Research Trust.
CSC shared its Clutha House premises in London with The Pilgrim Trust, Civitas, and Policy Exchange.[6] Unlike similar think tanks, including its stable fellowsCivitas andPolicy Exchange, the Centre for Social Cohesion is not registered with theCharity Commission for England and Wales.[7] According to Companies House, the Centre for Social Cohesion was dissolved on 15 January 2013.[8]
The CSC's web site indicated that its aims were to foster new attitudes to help bring Britain's ethnic and religious communities closer together, while strengthening British traditions of openness,tolerance, anddemocracy. It researched ethnic and religious communities and organisations in the UK and published analyses.[9]
The centre's Director wasDouglas Murray, author ofNeoconservatism: Why We Need It, and the CSC's web site indicated that its researchers were trained in journalism, philosophy, and Islamic affairs, and include speakers ofArabic,Bengali,Urdu, and other Asian and European languages. The CSC web site indicated that it studied challenges toliberal society,secular democracy, andreligious pluralism. The CSC took the position thatIslamism represents a threat to social cohesion, and analysed its impact in this context. The Centre published regular reports, produces media releases, held seminars, and explored how best to promote tolerance,civic values, and greater cohesion in Britain.[9]
James Brandon describes his struggles with Douglas Murray at the CSC, which eventually caused the former to leave. According to Brandon, while the CSC seriously addressed the problem of Islamism, it often didn't distinguish between Islamism and Islam. Brandon had to struggle against Murray to ensure only Islamists were targeted and not "Muslims as a whole."[10]
The CSC said that it had no political affiliations and aimed to be impartial and non-partisan in carrying out its work.[9] A frequently referenced media source, the CSC was labelled by parts of the media such as theBBC andThe Guardian as "right leaning",[11] its research has been described as "controversial"[12] and it attracted criticism from theNational Assembly Against Racism,[13] theNational Union of Students[13] and the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, whose chief executiveOsama Saeed described the CSC, along with thePolicy Exchange, as a "right-wing 'stinktank'".[14][15][failed verification]
The CSC's findings were more favourably received by other media outlets.Melanie Phillips ofThe Spectator described the centre as "invaluable",[16] and theTelegraph'sDamian Thompson described Douglas Murray as the centre's "brilliant young director" in hisDaily Telegraph blog.[17]
