A recent MCB press release notes the formation of “a taskforce headed by Assistant Secretary-General, Zara Mohammed, consisting of UK-based Sri Lankan representative bodies, lawyers, medical experts, and senior leaders of the community.”
She brings to this responsibility the requisite skills: a postgraduate degree in human rights law and a track record of community activism, which has included serving as the first female president of the Federation of Students Islamic Societies (FOSIS).
The MCB’s task force is a fine example of the new crop of community leaders benefiting from the guidance of its veterans – a guiding figure in this MCB initiative has been Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the body’s founding secretary general.
Zara Mohammed is standing for the office of MCB Secretary General, and faces a challenge from the other contender, the charismatic Imam Ajmal Masroor, President of the Islamic Society of Britain.
The MCB has published the manifestos of both candidates on its website, and delegates will have to decide at an online annual general meeting that is taking place in stages for a week from Sunday 24 January 2021.
Whoever succeeds has the unenviable task of maintaining the standards set by six distinguished predecessors – Sir Iqbal Sacranie (1998-2000, 2002-2004, 2004-2006), Yousuf Bhailok (2000-2002), Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari (2006-2008, 2008-2010), Farooq Murad (2010-2012, 2012-2014), Dr Shuja Shafi (2014-2016) and Harun Rashid Khan (2016-2018, 2018-2020). – and continue the organisation’s trajectory as an important representative voice of British Muslims.
