Muhammad Abdul Bari; proud of Bangladesh

Muhammad Abdul Bari, MBE FRSA  born 2 October 1953 at Tangail in Bangladesh. He is the Chairman of the East London Mosque, and was the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain from 2006 until 2010.

Muhammad Abdul Bari

Education

After studying at Chittagong University, he joined the Bangladesh Air Force in 1978. Later he moved to the United Kingdom. In 1983, he was awarded a scholarship to do a PhD in England. He studied at King's College London, and at Royal Holloway College, University of London as a postdoctoral researcher, where he become involved in community work. He entered into teaching after completing Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from King's College London in 1991. He spent five years in a secondary school in London training as a Science teacher. He is a researcher in physics, science teacher and Special Educational Needs specialist in London.

Career

Bari has served East London’s diverse communities in various capacities for three decades. Since 2002, he has been the Chairman of the board of trustees at the East London Mosque (London’s first mosque, which now includes the London Muslim Centre) leading the institution to win the national ‘Super Model Mosque Competition’ in 2009. He is also a founding member of The East London Communities Organisation (TELCO), a coalition of churches, mosques, and other civil society organisations working together to promote understanding and a safer, fairer and better governed city.

He was Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain from June 2006 until June 2010, having completed two terms. Prior to that, he served as the Council's Deputy-Secretary General for four years. As Secretary General, Bari worked to have more young people take part in the Council’s work.

A physicist and educationalist by training, Bari received his doctorate in Physics and qualified as a teacher from King’s College London, and gained a management degree from the Open University. He is now a Special Educational Needs specialist in London.

In addition, Bari is a patron of the National Youth Agency, The Ramphal Centre, Anchor House (a homeless charity based in Newham, London) and Nida Trust (an educational charity). He is a trustee of Muslim Aid, an international charity and London Catalyst. He served on the Good Childhood Inquiry Panel which was set up by the Children's Society in 2006. He is also an advisor to the Centre for Public Policy Seminars.

Bari is a parenting consultant and facilitates an interactive parenting skills programme “Building Families” (www.amanaparenting.com). He has written for various newspapers, journals and community publications. He is the author of Building Muslim Families, A Guide to Parenting, “Addressing Adolescence: A Guide to Parenting in Islam” and Race, Religion and Muslim Identity in Britain.

He is on the Organising Committee Board for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Recognition

In 2003, Bari was awarded an MBE, for services to the community. In 2005, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In July 2008, he was made an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary, University of London. Bari was recognised for his ‘Outstanding Achievement’ by British Bangladeshi Who's Who in Islamic Affairs and Community Relations. In January 2012, he was in the British Bangladeshi Power 100.

Views

Bari has appeared in the British media to speak about Muslims in Britain, integration and what efforts could be taken to improve and control fundamentalism rising among and against Muslims since 9/11 and the 7 July bombings. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he said he believes the rise of Islamophobia is linked to sections of the media and some politicians: “But some political leaders and sections of the media are demonising Muslims, treating them as if they're all terrorists – and that encourages other people to do the same.” “Young Muslims need role models to show them they can play a part in British society.”

Bari feels that the media is only interested in fringe groups of angry Muslims instead of mainstream Muslims from the community. He also made the criticism that some right wing tabloid media twisted some of his past comments. Bari criticises the government's stance on how it deals with violent extremism, which he believes is responsible for creating tensions within the communities, and believes that the “UK will become Nazi Germany, if the situation is not handled very well by the government.” One of his examples included remarks by the head of MI5, Jonathan Evans, and criticised the government’s war on Iraq, described as a “disaster.”

Bari occasionally writes on social and global issues in The Huffington Post and Al Jazeera English.

Personal life

His interests include reading and travelling “where there are mountains and seas.” His father was a land-owning farmer in the Tangail outside Dhaka. He speaks Bengali and English fluently and believes all immigrants to the United Kingdom should speak English.