British Muslims: Islamophobia, aspirations and contribution
Changing the narrative from hate to hope
Open Discussions
in association with
Gulf Cultural Club
invites you to a seminar
British Muslims: Islamophobia, aspirations and contribution
Changing the narrative from hate to hope
Speakers
* Zara Mohammed
Secretary General at Muslim Council of Britain
**Miqdad Versi
(Media monitor and researcher)
6.30pm (GMT), Tuesday 19th November 2024
Venue: Abrar House, 45 Crawford Place, W1H 4LP
The Muslim presence in the UK and the West is now well-established. With this comes rights and duties. Good citizenship is what modern societies aspire to achieve. Muslims have contributed positively to their new abodes in the West. Some individuals have reached high offices, while most have endeavoured to enhance their societies, establish good citizenship records and sacrifice to ensure the peace and security of these lands. More than 1.5 million of them were killed in action in the two world wars.
Yet Muslims in the West are facing increasing challenges in the light of rising Islamophobia, far-right sentiments and increasing polarisation fuelled by politicians and the media. How do we combat this? Building bridges of understanding and fostering hope for the betterment of society as a whole may help. What is the future of the Muslim presence in Europe generally and UK in particular? How can equal citizenship be achieved? And what are the prospects for the emergence of a real consensus among the inhabitants to accept this presence?
The meeting will be held in person, followed by dinner
You can also participate on Zoom using this link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85680888416?pwd=THBPWHhCRkxEeWtMQWlJVHBycExOUT09
Meeting ID: 856 8088 8416
Password: 000000
Or on Youtube:
*Zara Mohammed is the first female, youngest and first Scottish Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Law & Politics in 2013 from the University of Strathclyde. She also did her Master’s degree at the same university in Human Rights Law in 2014. After working in the charitable sector for several years, she has set up a consultancy with a focus on developing excellence in leadership, better governance, and improving equality and diversity in the workplace.
**Miqdaad Versi is director for media monitoring at the Muslim Council of Britain. As well as holding the position as one of the council’s active public representatives, Versi is also engaged with the media voicing concerns over the misrepresentation of Muslims. The Guardian described him as “the UK’s one-man Islamophobia media monitor.” Versi occasionally writes opinion pieces for the Guardian and the Independent. He is a board member of Rights Watch UK. Versi also runs a travel agency in north-west London full-time. Versi grew up in Harrow, London in an Indian family. His father moved to the UK from east Africa in the 1970s and worked as an engineer. His mother worked as a nursery teacher. He read mathematics at the University of Oxford. During his university studies, in pursuit of his interest in Islamic jurisprudence, Versi spent one year in Damascus, Syria learning Arabic and Islamic law. He later worked for Oliver Wyman and then for the Royal Bank of Scotland.