A number of British Muslims have been honoured by the Queen in her annual New Year’s Honours List.
The list includes several Muslim educationalists, businessmen, inter-faith workers as well a Muslim who works in the government’s controversial Preventing Violent Extremism counter-terrorism programme.
The 2015 New Year’s Honours Muslim award winners include:
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE):
James Caan. Founder and chairman Start Up Loan Company. For services to Entrepreneurship and charitable services through the James Caan Foundation. (London)
Miss Adeeba Malik, MBE. Deputy chief executive, QED-UK. For services to Interfaith and Community Cohesion. (Bradford, West Yorkshire)
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE):
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Gulfaraz Ahmed. Headteacher Parkinson Lane Primary School, Halifax. For services to Education. (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire)
Ms Sajda Mughal. For services to Community Cohesion and Interfaith Dialogue. (London)
Professor Iram Siraj. Professor of Early Childhood Education Institute of Education, University of London. For services to Education. (Stapleford, Cambridgeshire)
Mizan Rahman Syed. For services to Government Digital Communication. (London)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE):
Ms Shabana Iltaf Abasi. Head of Service Cafcass Greater Manchester. For services to Children in Greater Manchester. (Cheadle, Greater Manchester)
Waqar Afzal Ahmed. Prevent manager Birmingham City Council. For services to challenging extremism and empowering communities. (Dudley, West Midlands)
Mrs Shahnaz Akhtar. Foster Carer, Slough. For services to Children and Families. (Slough, Berkshire)
Mrs Ulfat Shahin Ashraf. Muslim Chaplain, Birmingham. For services to Interfaith and Community Cohesion. (Birmingham, West Midlands)
Hasan Bakhshi. Director Creative Economy in Policy and Research, Nesta. For services to the Creative Industries. (London)
Ahmed Bashir. Head Operations and Finance Business Partner, Marketing, UK Trade and Investment. For services to Equality in the Public Sector. (Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire)
Abdul Razaq Khan. Foster Carer, Slough. For services to Children and Families. (Slough, Berkshire)
Mohammad Aslam Rashud. Headteacher John Summers High School, Flintshire. For services to Education in Wales. (Warrington, Cheshire)
Mrs Laila Remtulla. Managing director, Laila’s Fine Foods Ltd. For services to the Food and Drink Business. (Blackpool, Lancashire)
Miss Zubeda Seedat. Policy Officer Public Health, Department for Health. For services to Public Health. (London)
Mizan Rahman Syed. For services to Government Digital Communication. (London)
Imam Mohammed Kabir Uddin. Imam HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs. For services to HM Prison Service. (London)
Muhammad Zahur. For services to the Pakistani community in Sheffield. (Sheffield, South Yorkshire)
British Empire Medal (BEM)
The reintroduction of the British Empire Medal (BEM) continues to provide the opportunity to recognise a large number of people who are actively engaged in charitable or voluntary work within their local community.
Mohammed Amal El-Hajji. Front of House Security manager Ministry of Justice Headquarters. For services to the Ministry of Justice.
Ms Effat Rahimi-Kaloujeh. SIMS Operational manager (Inclusion) Westminster Academy, London. For services to Education. (London)
Dr Shazad Saleem. Dentist Manchester. For services to Dentistry. (Cheadle, Greater Manchester)
Diplomatic & Overseas List
OBE:
Dr Babu Mizanur Rahman. United National Assistance Mission in Somalia Mogadishu, Somalia. For services to peace building and conflict prevention in Somalia.
MBE:
Elkhidir Daloum Mahmoud Ahmed. Former Regional director for Latin American Caribbean and Middle East, Save the Children. For services to the protection of children in Africa.
“Extraordinary individuals”
Reacting to the announcement, The Muslim Council of Britain said it would like to congratulate all those “extraordinary individuals recognised in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List.”
The MCB said: “The honours system recognises people who have committed themselves to serving and helping Britain, and who have made achievements in public life. 74% of the recipients this year are people who have undertaken outstanding work in their communities either in a voluntary or paid capacity, and 6% are from ethnic minority communities.
“It is with great pride that we note that several of those awarded are British Muslims who have achieved recognition for their respective fields.”
Dr Shuja Shafi, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain added: “I would like to congratulate all those who have received an award in the New Year’s Honours list. This is an excellent achievement and great recognition that includes contributions made by numerous Muslims to the British community in a wide range of sectors. Well done and thank you.”
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