IslamExpo - Speakers

Speakers

Ken Livingstone- Mayor of London since the creation of the post in 2000. Author of two books If Voting Changed Anything They'd Abolish It (1987) and Livingstone's Labour (1989).	Jamal Badawi- Professor at Saint Mary's University, Canada, where he is currently a cross-appointed faculty member in the Departments of Religious Studies and Management. Expert in Christian-Muslim dialogue, founder/chairman of the Islamic Information Foundation.and author of numerous books.
Merve Kavakci- Turkish politician elected as a Virtue Party deputy for Istanbul in 1999, but prevented from making her parliamentary oath because of her hijab, being eventually stripped of her Turkish citizenship. Has a degree in computer science from the University of Texas at Dallas, and is a hafiz of the Quran. Currently professor at George Washington University	Prof John Esposito - University Professor of Religion& International Affairs and of Islamic Studies and Founding Director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. Editor-in-chief of The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Modern Islamic World, The Oxford History of Islam, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, and Oxford’s The Islamic World: Past and Present as well as author of more than 35 books.
Abdelbari Atwan- Respected Arab writer and journalist, and editor of al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. Published several studies about Middle East Politics and Media as well as a book.	Wadah Khanfar- Managing Director of the Arabic channel Al Jazeera Satellite Channel. Former Baghdad bureau chief and correspondent.
Lord Sebastian Coe- One of the greatest athletes of all time having won 2 Olympic Gold medals (Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984) and broken 12 world records during the course of his career. Chairman of London 2012, developing an exciting and winning package to bring the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to London.	Daud Abdullah- Senior researcher at the Palestinian Return Centre and editor of its Return Review. Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. Member of the mission to negotiate the release of British hostages in Iraq.
Qazi Hussain Ahmad- Elected as Ameer (Chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan in 1987, and continues to serve in that capacity, getting re-elected thrice. President of the Islamist opposition alliance. First elected as member of the Senate of Pakistan in 1986 for a term of six years; re-elected in 1992, but resigned in 1996 as a protest against the corrupt political system.	Khadija Benguenna- Algerian-born News Presenter, Al Jazeera Satellite Channel, Qatar since 1997.
Azzam Tamimi- Director of the Institute of Islamic Political Thought. Commentator on Palestinian and Middle Eastern affairs as well as on the affairs of Islamic Movements in the Middle East and North Africa. Authored and edited several books and papers.	Norman Kember- British peace activist who was working with Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Iraq when he was taken as a hostage. Retired professor of medical physics.
Iqbal Sacranie- Former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. Awarded a knighthood in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List for "services to the Muslim community, to Charities and to Community Relations".	Frank Gardner- Leading expert and reporter on the "global war on terror". Has many years' experience working in Saudi Arabia as a journalist and has worked with the BBC since 1995, becoming its Middle East correspondent in 2000. Author of Blood and Sand.
Tariq Ramadan- Visiting lecturer at St Antony's College, Oxford. Previously lecturer of Religion and Philosophy at the University of Fribourg and the College de Saussure, Geneva. Studied philosophy and French literature, having two doctorates in Philosophy and Islamic studies. Author of several books, including Western Muslims and the Future of Islam, and To Be a European Muslim	Lord Nazir Ahmed- Labour member of the House of Lords. Made Britain's first Muslim peer in 1998, and raised to the peerage as Baron Ahmed, of Rotherham in the County of South Yorkshire. He was also one of the youngest peers to achieve this position at the age of 40.
Zaghloul El-Najjar- Leading scientist and author. Completed his Phd in Geology in Wales University in 1963 and given the "Robertson Award for Research" in the field of mining. Has been a university lecturer in Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Wales, the US and Saudi Arabia, and has published numerous books and research papers.	Anas Altikriti- Chief Executive of The Cordoba Foundation, Leading member of British Anti-War movement and Envoy to Iraq to negioatiate release of Western hostages.
Sadiq Khan MP- Elected Member of Parliament for Tooting in 2005. He completed the Law Society finals at the College of Law in Guildford and trained as a Human Rights Solicitor, setting up a firm (Christian Khan) with Louise Christian. Former Chair of Liberty (NCCL) and Vice Chair of Legal Action Group (LAG).	Abdelwahhab El-Affendi- Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster and co-ordinator of the Centre's Democracy and Islam Programme. Author of several books and contributor to many leading journals.
Yvonne Ridley- Journalist who came to prominence in September 2001 when she was held hostage by the Taliban for 11 days whilst working for the Daily Express. Converted to Islam in the summer of 2003. Respect election candidate. Author of In the Hands of the Taliban: Her Extraordinary Story and Ticket to Paradise. Presenter of The Agenda on the Islam Channel.	Andrew Murray- Campaigner and journalist. National Chair of The Stop the War Coalition, UK anti-war group set up on 21 September 2001.
Lindsey German- Convenor of the Stop the War Coalition and the Respect candidate for Mayor of London in 2004 and the 2005 general elections. Editor of Socialist Review for twenty years until 2004. Author of numerous books and articles.	Raghad Altikriti- MAB Shura Committee member. Community worker and campaigner for Muslim women, particularly as leading member of the Protect-Hijab Campaign
Redmond O’Neill- Policy Director at the Greater London Assembly and aide to Mayor of London Ken Livingstone.	Peter Sanders- One of the leading photographers of the Islamic World. His photographs have appeared in many international publications, including Time Magazine, Paris Match, The Observer, The Sunday Times Magazine.
Abdelwahab ElMessiri- English literature Professor at Ain-Shams University, Egypt. Former Cultural Affairs Advisor in the permanent delegation of the Arab League to the United Nations. Has published scores of books and articles on political thought, Zionism, and English literature	Inayat Banglawala- Media Secretary for the Muslim Council of Britain. Selected as one of seven "conveners" for a Home Office task force with responsibilities for tackling extremism among young Muslims set up in the wake of the London bombings.
Seumas Milne- has been the Guardian's comment editor and a columnist since 2001. He has worked for the paper since 1984, as a general reporter, labour correspondent (Europe) and labour editor. He has reported for the Guardian from the Middle East, eastern Europe, Russia and Latin America. From 1981-4 he was a staff journalist on the Economist. He studied economics and politics at Oxford and London universities, was a member of the National Union of Journalists' executive for 10 years and is co-author of Beyond the Casino Economy and author of The Enemy Within.	Mohamed El-Gomati- Professor in the Department of Electronics ,University of York. College Faith Advisor. Director of the Foundation of Science, Technology & Civilization
. Mohammed Ayoob- University Distinguished Professor of International Relations, at Michigan State University. A specialist on conflict and security in the Third World. Author, co-author, or editor of 11 books, in addition to publishing numerous 85 research papers in leading journals.	Roshdi Rashed- Emeritus director of research (exceptional class) at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France. Director of the Centre for the History and Philosophy of Arabic and Medieval Sciences until 2001. Author of more than 30 books and 100 articles on the role of Muslim and Arab scientists in the advancement of science.
Asad Ahmad- Asad is currently presenter and reporter on BBC London, programme. Born 1969, South Kensington, London. Studied in Blackheath, London before spending a year at the University of London and then read Law in Bristol.	Ibrahim Hewitt- former Chairman of the Islamia Schools Trust and the Chairman of the British Muslim charity, INTERPAL. Head of Al-Aqsa Primary School in Leicester.
Haifa Zangana- Iraqi-born novelist and artist. Imprisoned by the Ba’ath regime in the early 1970s. Published numerous articles and books, including Not One More Death, and Through the Vast Halls of Memory.	Madeleine Bunting- Guardian columnist and associate editor. Author of Willing Slaves: how the overwork culture is ruling our lives.
Aisha Lemu- English Muslim who accepted Islam in 1961. Director General of the Islamic Education Trust in Nigeria. Former National President and current chairperson of Federation of Muslim Women's Associations of Nigeria. Author of several books and articles on Islamic topics.	Jonathan Freedland- Columnist at The Guardian, and the London Evening Standard. Named Columnist of the Year in the 2002 What the Papers Say awards. Author of Bring Home the Revolution: How Britain Can Live the American Dream, Jacob's Gift, a memoir and 'the Righteous Men’
Alastair Crooke- Former Security Advisor to Javier Solana, the European Union High Representative and Head of Foreign and Security Policy. Founding director of Conflicts Forum.	Salma Yaqoob- Head of the Birmingham Stop the War Coalition and the vice-chair of RESPECT The Unity Coalition. A trauma psychotherapist. Respect candidate for the Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency during the May general elections.
Leila Aboulela- Sudanese-born author of a number of award-winning novels and plays, including The Translator (1999), Coloured Lights (2001), The Mystic Life (2003) and Minaret (2005).	Doug Jewell- Campaigns Co-ordinator for Liberty, one of the UK's leading human rights and civil liberties organisations.
Ali Ould Sidi- Geographer and manager of the sites of Timbuktu in the Republic of Mali. Head of the Timbuktu Cultural Mission.	Tahir Alam- Chairman of the education committee of Muslim Council of Britain. He is also a school governor and trains other people to develop the skills to also take on such a role.
Marwah Daud Ibrahim- Indonesian Member of Parliament. Author of several books including Technology, Emancipation, and Transedency; Civil Society with Islamic Vision. University lecturer and Life Skills trainer.	Rafiq Abdessalam- Political Philosophy expert. Completed his PhD in Politics and International Relations at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster, London. His thesis on Secularity, Modernity and Islam is due to be published soon. Regular columnist for several Arabic newspapers.
Nihad Awad- Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington D.C.-based American Muslim political and civil rights group.	Qasim Al-Samarrai- Studied comparative mysticism for his doctorate at Cambridge University. Has held teaching posts at several universities including Cambridge and Baghdad. Has published more than 60 works, on various themes and topics especially on Arabic and Islamic Paleography and Codicology.
Taha Al-Hiti- Iraqi-born calligrapher, designer and architect living in London. Has worked in the field of architectural design for over a decade, currently heading Yaqut designs Ltd. Lectures and runs workshops at the British Museum, and has published articles and research papers on Islamic architecture.	Salaheddine El-Djazairi- Algerian born historian. Author of The Hidden Debt to Islamic Civilisation and The Golden Age and Decline of Islamic Civilisation.
Ali Omar Ermes- globally renowned artist, writer, photographer and poet. widely exhibited and probably the number one collected contemporary Muslim artist in the world.	Soumaya Ghannoushi- Researcher at the school of Oriental & African studies. Having been awarded a bachelor and masters degrees in philosophy from the University of London, she moved on to Oriental Studies. Currently completing a doctorate thesis on 'The medieval origins of the Orientalist discourse'. She is a regular contributor to various publications and a columnist on aljazeera.net.
Jennifer Heath- Award-winning arts journalist. Humanitarian campaigner in Afghanistan. Her interest in Islam and in cultures associated with Islam and its history, led her to research and write The Scimitar and the Veil: Extraordinary Women of Islam.	Atif Khan- Programme Director of Islamic Banking at Bank Training and Development. Trained in Hanafi commercial law with scholars in Pakistan and studied economic development at Harvard University. Previously an investment banker with Morgan Stanley in New York and London.
Luqman Ali- Trained for 10 years in the sciences of Islam and the languages and cultures of the Middle East and the Indian Sub-continent. Co-founder of the UK-based Khayaal, the first professional theatre company of its kind and remains its chief conceptualist and artistic director.	Rageh Omaar- Former BBC world affairs correspondent. His career highlights include reporting live from war-torn Somalia and Iraq. Author of Revolution Day, a book about his time as the BBC's Iraq correspondent. Recipient of an EMMA award for the best media correspondent.
Ilham Al-Qaradawi- Associate Professor, Physics Department, University of Qatar. Awarded the University of Qatar merit award for excellence in research 2003/2004. Obtained her Masters and PhD degrees from the University of London.	Mostafa Othman Ismail- Former Sudanese Forieng Minister. Currently Senior Advisor to the Sudanese President. Former president of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies and the International Islamic Federation of Student Islamic Organisations.
John Rose- Author of numerous books and articles including The Myths of Zionism. Teaches sociology at Southwark College and London Metropolitan University.	Adil Salahi- Author of Muhammad: Man and Prophet. Former Senior Lecturer of Islamic Studies at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education. Director of Al-Furqan Foundation. Contributor to various newspapers, magazines and websites.
Emily Savage-Smith- Senior Research Associate at The Oriental Institute and Senior Research Fellow at St Cross College, Oxford. Internationally recognised authority on the History of Science.	Timothy Stanley- Senior curator for the Middle East in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. Writer, lecturer, and editor; principal author of Palace and Mosque, the first book to cover all aspects of the V&A's Islamic collection.
Din Syamsuddin- Theology Lecturer at Jakarta University. Secretary General of the Indonesia Committee on Religion and Peace (ICRP). Author of several books, including Politics in Islam: The Case of the Muhammadiyah in Indonesian’s New Order.	Shabir Ally- Shabbir- Comparative Religion Expert known for his good debating skills. President of the Islamic Information and Da'wah Centre International, Canada.
Batool Toma- Research and Education Officer at the Islamic Foundation. Converted to Islam 25 years ago. Coordinator of the New Muslims Project	Bill Tupman- Senior Lecturer and Convenor of the Community Safety Research Group at the University of Exeter. Author of Policing Europe, and several papers and articles on transnational crime, security and terrorism.
Riyadh Ul-Haq- Graduated from Darul Uloom al Arabiyyah al Islamiyyah, Bury. Until 2003 he served as the honorary principal of Madinatul Uloom al Islamiyyah, Kidderminster, UK (a branch of Darul Uloom). Several of his lectures and sermons have been recorded and distributed.	Jacques Waardenburg- Professor emeritus of Comparative Religion at the University of Lausanne. Holds the chair of Science des religions at the University of Lausanne, and president of the Swiss Association of Religious Studies. Author of numerous books including Classical Approaches to the Study of Religion and Muslims and Others.
Abdullateef Whiteman- Artist who has led a diverse career in music, design and calligraphy with an emphasis on North African religion and culture. Has worked on architectural projects in USA and Spain including the first design for the Granada mosque.	Rebecca Williams- Converted to Islam 11 years ago. Work as Link Governor Trainer for Birmingham Local Authority. Mother of 3, lives in Birmingham
Anne-Marie Brennan- Senior Lecturer in Ecology at South Bank University. Author and editor of several books on ecology.	Azyumardi Azra- Professor of history at Jakarta State Islamic University, Indonesia. Founder of Studia Islamika; Indonesian Journal for Islamic Studies in 1993; and remains its editor-in-chief. Visiting Professor at several universities including Oxford and Harvard. Author of many books on Islamic thought and Islam in Southeast Asia.
Khaled Azzam- Egyptian-born architect. Director of The Prince's School of Traditional Arts.	Saleh Al-Wuheibi- Secretary General of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
Saeed Akhtar Bhutta- Director of the Muslim Education Council of Scotland. Principal science teacher at Abronhill High School in Cumbernauld, and head of UK Islamic Mission in Glasgow. Founding member of the Scottish Muslim Educationists Association.	Jamil Al-Qudsi Dweik- Presenter of “The Balance” health and nutrition programme on Satellite channel Iqra. Author of a 35-volume encyclopaedia on principles of nutrition and energy science from the Quran and Prophetic Sunnah.
Wakkas Khan- Former president of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, a body that caters for the needs of Muslim students in further and higher education across the UK and Ireland.	Emma Clark- Lecturer and tutor in the Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts Department at the Prince's Foundation in London. Author of The Art of the Islamic Garden, in addition to several articles on Islamic and traditional arts and two children's books on Muslim heroes.

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