Douglas Murray (author) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Douglas Murray
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Murray in 2019
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| Born | Douglas Kear Murray 16 July 1979 Hammersmith, London, England |
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| Education | St Benedict's School Eton College |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
| Period | 2000–present |
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Douglas Murray (born 16 July 1979) is a British writer, journalist, and speaker. He shares his opinions on politics and culture. He is an editor at The Spectator magazine. He also writes for many other newspapers and online news sites.
His books include Neoconservatism: Why We Need It (2006) and The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam (2017). He also wrote The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity (2019). Other books are The War on the West (2022) and On Democracies and ... Cults: Israel, Hamas and the Future of the West (2025).
From 2011 to 2018, Murray worked for the Henry Jackson Society. This group studies international relations and public policy. Murray is known for his views on immigration and his support for Israel.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Douglas Murray was born in Hammersmith, London. His mother was an English school teacher, and his father was Scottish and spoke Scottish Gaelic. His father worked for the government.
Murray has an older brother. He shared in an interview that his parents encouraged discussions at home, but they were not very political themselves.
He went to local public schools for his early education. Later, he received scholarships to attend St Benedict's School, Ealing, and then Eton College. After teaching briefly, he studied English at Magdalen College, Oxford.
Douglas Murray's Career
In 2007, Murray started a group called the Centre for Social Cohesion. This group later joined the Henry Jackson Society. He was an associate director there until 2018. During this time, some people said the Henry Jackson Society had strong views on immigration.
Media Work
Murray is an associate editor for The Spectator magazine. He travels a lot for his work. He likes to visit new places when he is invited to speak.
In 2016, Murray held a poetry competition through The Spectator. People were asked to write poems about the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This was a response to a similar situation in Germany. The winner of the competition was Boris Johnson, who later became Prime Minister.
Roger Scruton Incident
In 2019, a journalist published an article about Roger Scruton. The article made Scruton seem like he had said controversial things. As a result, Scruton lost his job as a government adviser.
Murray said the journalist had been unfair. He asked for the original recording of the interview. When he got the recording, he showed that Scruton's words had been taken out of context. The journalist's magazine later apologized to Scruton. The government also apologized for firing him. Scruton thanked Murray for defending his reputation. Murray sees Scruton as a mentor.
Political Views
Douglas Murray is known for his conservative political views. He often shares his opinions on topics such as Immigration and Islam.
Views on Islam
Murray often discusses Islam. He has said that he believes there is a "malignant fundamentalism" within the religion.
In 2008, Murray pointed out cases where writers and artists received threats because they criticized Islam. He argued that people should be able to discuss their religion without fear.
Murray has called the term "Islamophobia" (fear or dislike of Islam) a "nonsense term." He believes it is reasonable to be concerned about certain parts of Islam, especially its extreme forms.
In 2009, a debate Murray was supposed to lead at the London School of Economics was canceled due to security worries. This happened after student protests about events in Gaza.
Later in 2009, Murray planned a debate about Sharia law with Anjem Choudary. The debate was canceled when security guards tried to separate men and women at the entrance. Murray later published a study linking some terrorism cases in the UK to Choudary's group.
Murray has also supported Muslim reformers in his writings. He has criticized those who celebrate when groups working for Islamic reform face difficulties.
Views on Brexit
Murray supported the UK leaving the European Union in the 2016 EU referendum. He was concerned about the Eurozone, immigration, and the idea of the EU becoming too unified.
He stated that he voted to leave because he felt the direction the EU was taking was not right for the UK. After the vote, Murray said that the result should be celebrated by anyone who believes in democracy.
Views on Immigration
Murray is a strong critic of immigration. In 2013, he claimed that London felt like a foreign country because "white Britons" had become a minority in many parts of the city.
In his book The Strange Death of Europe, Murray writes that Europe's values are disappearing due to large-scale immigration. He suggests stopping Muslim immigration. In the book, he also discusses crimes committed by immigrants in Europe.
In 2016, Murray supported Donald Trump's idea of building a wall on the US-Mexico border. In 2017, he defended a US policy that temporarily banned entry from seven Muslim-majority countries. In 2022, he supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard.
Views on Foreign Policy
In his book Neoconservatism: Why We Need It, Murray argues that a strong foreign policy is needed to fight against dictatorships and human rights abuses. He has called for continuing efforts against countries like Iran and Syria if they support terrorism.
Murray supported the Iraq War. He wrote in 2004 that success in Iraq would mean freedom for a nation that had suffered under harsh rule.
In 2013, Murray wrote an article against the US getting involved in the Syrian civil war. In 2021, he criticized the US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
In 2013, Murray criticized a reporter for wrongly saying that Israel had killed a child in a military strike. During a visit to Israel in 2019, Murray praised Israeli society. He said Israel has a "healthier attitude towards nationalism than Europe."
In 2020, Murray criticized people who called the COVID-19 lab leak theory a conspiracy theory. This theory suggests COVID-19 came from a lab in Wuhan, China. Murray has also criticized TikTok, calling it "malware from China."
Views on Donald Trump
In 2016, Murray questioned why US Democrats called Trump sexist or racist, as they had used similar labels for other politicians before. He also said that Trump's foreign policy plans were less likely to cause problems than Hillary Clinton's.
Before the 2020 United States presidential election, Murray argued that Trump's re-election would be better for the UK's foreign policy. He praised Trump for helping to create peace agreements between Israel and other countries.
In 2021, Murray criticized the January 6 United States Capitol attack by Trump supporters. He said that Trump was responsible for causing the riot.
In 2022, Murray repeated his criticism of Trump's actions after the Capitol riot. However, he also argued that some Democratic politicians were inconsistent in their condemnation of violence. He also said that the Trump government had strong policies on immigration, Iran, and China.
Views on Viktor Orbán
Murray is known for his connection with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. In 2018, Orbán posted a photo of himself reading Murray's book The Strange Death of Europe.
Murray has disagreed with claims that Hungary is becoming less democratic under Orbán. In May 2018, Murray met with Orbán in Budapest at a conference.
Other Activities
Murray is on the advisory board of NGO Monitor. This is a group based in Jerusalem that focuses on non-governmental organizations. He is also a director of the Free Speech Union. This organization supports freedom of speech.
In March 2025, Murray won a lawsuit against a media company. A columnist had wrongly linked comments Murray made to riots in Britain. Murray received an apology and money.
Awards and Recognition
- Manhattan Institute – 2024 Alexander Hamilton Award.
- Special recognition from President Isaac Herzog of Israel in 2024.
Personal Life
Murray is gay. He had a long-term partner for 10 years until 2018.
Images for kids
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Murray in 2019
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Murray being interviewed on the Mark Steyn Show in 2019
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The Future of Europe International Conference, 2018 - The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam
