‘I turned my back on extremism after seeing too much death’

Reading-born Urzan Azadi will be one of the guest speakers at a festival event entitled ‘Our Response to Extremism’ organised by the West Berkshire Peace and Integration Forum.
The multi-faith, multi-cultural event will highlight and discuss extremist incidents happening in British society and the fallout from them. It will include videos, group discussions, Q&A sessions and the opportunity to meet Mr Azadi.
Mr Azadi was sent back to his family’s native Pakistan by his father, who feared he was drifting into trouble and drugs. There, he says he was weaned off drugs, but was given religious indoctrination and paramilitary training instead, and ended up fighting alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan.
However, six months before Al Qaida launched the 9/11 attacks on New York, Mr Azadi said he realised that the direction of his life had to change after seeing “too much death”.
Forum spokesman Shahzad Nadeem said that following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, the forum hosted a series of programmes to show people this was not the Muslim way, and this was the next in the series to try to counter misconceptions about Islam and the ethnic community.
Mr Nadeem said that he hoped people would learn much from listening to Mr Azadi, as he had been “deradicalised” after experiencing the Taliban first-hand.
He said: “He went into redemption and he learned that that’s not right and that’s not what Islam is all about. He started working with us intensively to help youths understand.
“This guy has seen both sides of the coin. He is best placed to say what he felt on both sides of the fence.”
The leader of Thatcham Town Council, Lee Dillon, said: “The festival, as it does every year, evolves, and we are now seeing debating sessions and workshops become part of our vibrant community which allows for the testing and development of individuals views.
“For those who want to understand the complex nature of extremism and how this may affect society, this new event offers something different from previous years.”
The event takes place on Wednesday, October 23, 7pm, at Thatcham Town Council chamber in Brownsfield Road.