EDL Leader Tommy Robinson with Former Islamist Majid Nawaz (FIRST PHOTO)

Robinson (c) with former radical muslim Majid Nawaz (l) PIC: @nbenotman

This is EDL leader Tommy Robinson with the former Muslim extremist who helped him quit the English Defence League (EDL).

Robinson is seen with EDL deputy leader Kevin Carroll alongside Majid Nawaz, a man who used to belong to fundamentalist hate group, Hizb ut-Tahrir.

The radical group has faced calls for it to be banned for preaching violent ideology which calls for the Queen and parliament to be overthrown.

In the image, Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley Lennon, and Nawaz are pressing the button on a computer mouse with Carroll.

Wearing smart attire, the image could capture the occasion when Robinson and Carroll quit the EDL.

Nawaz used to belong to Hizb ut-Tahrir, which calls for the government in Britain to be replaced by an Islamic State governed by fundamentalist Shariah law.

He was jailed in 2002 for being a member of the group while in Egypt. In prison he developed contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood, which was outlawed in Egypt under the rule of dictator Hosni Mubarak.

After being released from captivity, Nawaz had "serious doubts" about his ideology which led him to eventually quit the group seven years ago, in 2007.

Married father-of-one Nawaz co-founded the Quilliam Foundation a year later, which is taking credit for helping Robinson extricate himself from the EDL. Quilliam;s role in helping Robinson leave the EDL ranks as one of its biggest scoops.

Robinson and Carroll announced their dramatic decision to quit the controversial group was because of the danger posed by extreme-right elements in the organisation.

Robinson said: "I have been considering this move for a long time because I recognise that, though street demonstrations have brought us to this point, they are no longer productive.

"I acknowledge the dangers of far-right extremism and the ongoing need to counter Islamist ideology not with violence but with better, democratic ideas."

Robinson hinted that leaving the English Defence League was not easy by saying he had been suffering with "insomnia," on Twitter.