The controversial “anti-extremism” think-tank the Quilliam Foundation has made it onto the finalist shortlist for the upcoming British Muslim Awards.
Quilliam Foundation has angered many British Muslims over the last few years by its strident criticism of members of the Muslim community and the perception that it has downplayed the impact of British foreign policy.
Its leaders – Maajid Nawaz and formerly Ed Husain – have become figures of derision among vast swathes of the community, although they are regularly courted by the mainstream and right-wing media when Muslims are in their crosshairs.
Following a “public vote” Quilliam, which used to receive millions in government money, made it onto a shortlist for the “Spirit of Britain” Award.
The British Muslim Awards is an annual event and will take place on 30th January at Salford City Stadium, Manchester.
It says it “will recognise a wide range of achievements which cover various aspects of society including business, charity, sport, arts and culture. The event will be one of celebration, reflecting the significant role that Britain’s Muslim have in society.
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“The evening will celebrate and showcase the determination, hard work, personal and commercial achievements of the British Muslim community.”
Quilliam describes itself as “the world’s first counter-extremism think tank set up to address the unique challenges of citizenship, identity, and belonging in a globalised world. Quilliam stands for religious freedom, equality, human rights and democracy.”
It says on its website: “Challenging extremism is the duty of all responsible members of society. Not least because cultural insularity and extremism are products of the failures of wider society to foster a shared sense of belonging and to advance liberal democratic values.
“With Islamist extremism in particular, we believe a more self-critical approach must be adopted by Muslims. Westophobic ideological influences and social insularity needs to be challenged within Muslim communities by Muslims themselves whilst simultaneously, an active drive towards creating an inclusive civic identity must be pursued by all members of society.
Quilliam seeks to challenge what we think, and the way we think. It aims to generate creative, informed and inclusive discussions to counter the ideological underpinnings of terrorism, whilst simultaneously providing evidence-based recommendations to governments for related policy measures.”
Here is a full list of the nominees:
SPIRIT OF BRITAIN – FINALISTS
Quilliam Foundation (London),
Christian Muslim Forum (London),
Muslim Jewish Foundation (Manchester)
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Quiz (Glasgow),
Euro Garages (Blackburn)
Asons Solicitors (Bolton)
Accrol (Blackburn)
Chunky Chicken (Manchester)
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Taz and Umer Sheikh (Gamucci, London)
Faraz Khan (SEED Ventures, London)
Ghias El Yafi (Tahira, London),
Taher and Zuber Mohsan (Burnley)
James Caan (London)
BUSINESSMAN OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Mohammed Bin Issa Al Jaber (MBI International, London),
Touker Suleyman (Hawes and Curtis, London),
Afzal and Akmal Khushi (Trespass, Scotland)
Mohammed Khalid (Chicken Cottage, Croydon)
Sutterwala Brothers (TRS, London)
BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Uzma Yaqoob (Sculpt Beauty, London),
Razwana Bashir (Peek.com)
Salma Chaudry (The Halal Cosmetics Company, Blackburn)
Tab Ahmed (Employ-ability, London),
Imtaz Khaliq (Bespoke Design and Couture Tailoring, London)
SERVICES TO FINANCE AND ACCOUNTS – FINALISTS
Ali Akbar Mohammed (Manchester),
Farmida Bi (Norton Rose Ful Bright, London),
Tarek el Diwany (London),
Asim Siddiqui (Gatehouse Bank, London),
Siddiq Musa (KPMG, Manchester)
POLITICIAN OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Sadiq Khan (Tooting),
Sajid Javed (Bromsgrove),
Mohammed Ashar (Wales),
Yasmin Qureshi, (Bolton)
Nadhim Zahawai (Stratford on Avon)
CIVIL SERVANT OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Asif Sadiq (City of London Police, London),
Emran Mian (Social Market Foundation, London),
Judge Khurshid Drabu (Ministry of Justice, London),
Asif Anwar Ahmad (Foreign and Commonwealth Office),
Suniya Qureshi (DWP, London)
SERVICES TO CREATIVITY AND TECHNOLOGY – FINALISTS
Moneeb Awan (Manchester),
Faizah Maryam Mustafa (London),
SUNDE Technologies (Manchester),
Nazish Aslam (Scotland)
Amaan Ahmed (Manchester)
SERVICES TO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING – FINALISTS
Salim T.S Al-Hassani (Manchester),
Haroon Ahmed (Cambridge),
Azra Meadows (Scotland),
Javaid Siddique (Manchester),
Nessar Ahmed (Manchester)
SERVICES TO LAW – FINALISTS
Forz Khan (Chambers of Khan, London),
Aina Khan (Duncan Lewis Solicitors, London),
Nauman Javid (Farani Javid Taylor, London)
Ifath Nawaz (Chiltern District Council, Chiltern)
Tahir Khan
SERVICES TO EDUCATION – FINALISTS
Tauheedul Islamic Girls School (Blackburn)
Yusuf Seedat (Islamiyah Girls High School, Blackburn)
Nadira Mirza (Bradford)
Sara Silvestri (London),
Sadek Hamid (Liverpool)
SERVICES TO MEDIA – FINALISTS
Tasnim Nazeer,
Mehdi Hassan (London),
Rageh Omaar (London),
Mishal Hussain (London),
Shelina Zahra Janmohamed (London)
DR.ABBAS KHAN MEMORIAL AWARD FOR SERVICES TO MEDICINE – FINALISTS
Seher Ahmed (Manchester),
Mohammed Javad (London),
Aziz Sheikh (Scotland),
Sheraz Daya (London),
Nadia Khalid (London)
BEST AT SPORT – FINALISTS
Tahmina Begum (London),
Salma Bi (Birmingham),
Nathan Ellington (Southport),
Saira Tabasum (Bradford),
Haroon Khan (Bolton)
RELIGIOUS ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Tariq Ramadan (Oxford),
Bilal Khan (Dome Advisory and Link Laters, London),
Ajmal Masroor (London),
Amar Jamil/Rizwan Mohammed (iSyllabus, Glasgow),
Abu Eesa Naimatullah (Al Maghrib Institute, Manchester)
NOOR INAYAT KHAN MEMORIAL AWARD FOR MUSLIM WOMEN OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Sughra Ahmed (Islamic Society of Britain, London),
Salma Yaqoob (Yara Consulting),
Yvonne Ridley (London),
Faeeza Vaid (Muslim Women’s Network UK, Birmingham),
Rabiha Hannan (New Horizons, London)
CHARITY OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Islamic Relief
Penny Appeal
The Lady Fatemah Charitable Trust
Muslim Hands
Muslim Aid
RESPONSIBLE MEDIA OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Islam Channel (London)
Al Jazeera (London)
Emel Magazine (London)
The Invitation Magazine
Peace TV (London)
YOUNG ACHIEVER OF THE YEAR – FINALISTS
Kasim Jameel (Worcester)
Saira Hussain (Hussain Design, Burnley)
Adil Rashid (Adil Rashid Cricket Academy, Bradford)
Rabia Bhatti (Chesham)
Islam Feruz (London)
ARTS AND CULTURAL AWARENESS – FINALISTS
Abdullah Quilliam Society (Liverpool)
British Muslim Heritage Centre (Manchester)
Arab British Centre (London)
Exhibition Islam (London)
Aerosol Arabic (Birmingham)
MUSLIMS IN THE COMMUNITY – FINALISTS
Colors of Islam (Scotland)
Bradford Muslim Womens Council (Bradford)
Zeeshan Rehman Foundation (Bradford)
Halal Food Festival (London)
Al Isharah (London)
