The Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) was a British
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
with its headquarters in London. Founded in 2007 as part of another London think tank,
Civitas
In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () on th ...
, it became independent in 2008 and was eventually subsumed into a separate London think tank, the
Henry Jackson Society
The Henry Jackson Society (HJS) is a trans-Atlantic foreign policy and national security think tank, based in the United Kingdom. While describing itself as non-partisan, its outlook has been described variously as neoliberal and as neoconser ...
, in April 2011.
Foundation and constitution
CSC was established with funding of circa £275,000Civitas Ltd Audited Accounts and Financial Statement for the year ending 31 December 2007 (see pg. 8). Accessed 19 January 2009 from
Civitas
In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () on th ...
. The organisation was constituted as a company limited by guarantee. It was incorporated and registered with
Companies House
Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are i ...
in June 2008.Companies House records relating to the Centre for Social Cohesion Accessed 19 February 2009 Companies House records indicate that, as of 5 January 2009, the company's
directors
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
were Baroness Cox, former Professor of the private
University of Buckingham
, mottoeng = Flying on Our Own Wings
, established = 1973; as university college1983; as university
, type = Private
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, Dr John Marks,University of Buckingham in the news June 2008 update. Accessed 25 February 2009
and author Dr
Ruth Dudley Edwards
Ruth Dudley Edwards (born 24 May 1944) is an Irish Unionist historian and writer, with published work in the fields of history, biography and crime fiction, and a number of awards won. Born in Dublin, Ireland, she has lived in England since 1965 ...
. Cox and Marks are also directors of the Educational Research Trust.
CSC shared its Clutha House premises in London with The Pilgrim Trust, Civitas, and Policy Exchange.Details of the lease of Clutha House by Kensingtons Chartered Surveyors on behalf of GM Investment Trustees (a financial services company) Accessed 19 February 2009 Unlike similar think tanks, including its stablefellows
Civitas
In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () on th ...
and
Policy Exchange
Policy Exchange is a British conservatism in the United Kingdom, conservative think tank based in London. In 2007 it was described in ''The Daily Telegraph'' as "the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right". ''The Washing ...
, the Centre for Social Cohesion is not registered with the
Charity Commission for England and Wales
, type = Non-ministerial government department
, seal =
, seal_caption =
, logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg
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, formed =
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.Charities Commission Register Accessed 19 February 2009 According to Companies House, the Centre for Social Cohesion was dissolved on 15 January 2013.
Activities and director
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, and
democracy
Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...
. It researched ethnic and religious communities and organisations in the UK and published analyses.Centre for Social Cohesion Accessed 19 February 2009
The Centre's Director was Douglas Murray, author of '' Neoconservatism: 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 of
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
democracy, and
religious pluralism
Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following:
* Recognizing and tolerating the religious diversity of a society or countr ...
. The CSC took the position that
Islamism
Islamism (also often called political Islam or Islamic fundamentalism) is a political ideology which posits that modern states and regions should be reconstituted in constitutional, economic and judicial terms, in accordance with what is ...
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.
Media reception
The CSC said that it had no political affiliations and aimed to be impartial and non-partisan in carrying out its work. A frequently referenced media source, the CSC was labelled by parts of the media such as the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as "right leaning", its research has been described as "controversial" and it attracted criticism from the
National Assembly Against Racism The National Assembly Against Racism (NAAR) was a British anti-racist and anti-fascist group.
NAAR was a predominantly black-led national anti-racist grouping, formed after the acrimonious collapse of the Anti-Racist Alliance. It first met on 4 Feb ...
,National Assembly Against Racism Accessed 19 February 2009 the National Union of Students and the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, whose chief executive
Osama Saeed
Osama Saeed (born 27 May 1980) is a Scottish communications professional and politician. Formerly he was Head of Media and Public Relations at Al Jazeera Media Network, and was a parliamentary candidate for the Scottish National Party in Glas ...
described the CSC, along with the
Policy Exchange
Policy Exchange is a British conservatism in the United Kingdom, conservative think tank based in London. In 2007 it was described in ''The Daily Telegraph'' as "the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right". ''The Washing ...
, as a "right-wing 'stinktank'". By contrast, the CSC's findings were more favourably received by other media outlets. Melanie Phillips of ''The Spectator'' described the Centre as "invaluable", and the ''Telegraph''s
Damian Thompson
Damian Thompson (born 1962) is an English journalist, editor and author. He is an associate editor of ''The Spectator''. Previously he worked as editor-in-chief of the ''Catholic Herald'' and for ''The Daily Telegraph'' where he was religious a ...
described
Murray
Murray may refer to:
Businesses
* Murray (bicycle company), an American manufacturer of low-cost bicycles
* Murrays, an Australian bus company
* Murray International Trust, a Scottish investment trust
* D. & W. Murray Limited, an Australian who ...
as the Centre's "brilliant young director" in his ''Daily Telegraph'' blog.
Murray robustly defended his February 2010 open invitation to post Irish jokes on his blog. A number of people questioned whether Murray would invite jokes about Pakistanis or Israelis.
See also
*
List of UK think tanks
This is a list of think tanks in the United Kingdom.
A–I
* Adam Smith Institute
* Africa Research Institute
* Bow Group
* Boyd Group
* Brand EU
* Bright Blue
* British American Security Information Council
* British Future
* Bruges Group
* ...
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'', 27 July 2008
Radical Islam gains ground in campuses Poll attacked over claim that a third of Muslim students think killing in the name of religion is justified and 40 per cent support sharia law in the UK, Jamie Doward, ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...