Ajmal Masroor
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Ajmal Masroor ( bn, আজমল মসরূর; born 19 October 1971) is a
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
i-born British
imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...
, broadcaster and politician. He is well known for being a television presenter on political discussions and on Muslim channels.


Early life

Masroor was born in
Sylhet District Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট), located in north-east Bangladesh, is the divisional capital and one of the four districts in the Sylhet Division. History Sylhet district was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Bengal Pro ...
,
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and came to
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
at the age of one when his parents immigrated from the country. He moved back to Bangladesh a few years later at the age of seven due to his father's concerns about different cultures and the possibility of losing their Muslim identities. However, they returned when he was at the age of 13. When living in the
East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
, Masroor experienced racism against the Bangladeshis in the areas, with properties being damaged. He was brought up in
Shadwell Shadwell is a district of East London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , east of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the Thames between Wapping (to the west) and Ratcliff (to the east). This riverside location has meant ...
, and attended the Bluegate Fields School on Cable Street. He is the oldest of six children. At the age of 19, his father attempted to force him into a marriage in Bangladesh, but was unsuccessful because Masroor challenged his father, saying
forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...
is not acceptable in
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
. He then married a Hungarian, Henrietta Szovati (who had
converted to Islam Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...
), and they now have two children. He went to Hammersmith and West London College to study his GCSEs and A Levels, and while studying he was very active in student unions and founded the college's first Islamic society. Masroor took admission at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) to study BA Politics and Arabic, and then Masters at Birkbeck College in Islamic Studies. He also studied Relationship Counselling with Relate.


Career

Masroor is primarily an educator who specialises in relationship counselling, spiritual coaching and transformative training. He is an author, broadcaster and fundraiser. Masroor runs the Barefoot Institute, which provides support and education for Muslim relationship, including marriage, divorce and family counselling, mediation and coaching. He runs transformative courses using Quranic principles covering a range of subjects including Learning to be a Peacemaker, 30 Rules of Life, 10 Steps to Survival and Success, 10 Principles of Interpersonal Relationship etc. Masroor is a traveling imam (unpaid), who leads
Friday prayers In Islam, Friday prayer or Congregational prayer ( ar, صَلَاة ٱلْجُمُعَة, ') is a prayer ('' ṣalāt'') that Muslims hold every Friday, after noon instead of the Zuhr prayer. Muslims ordinarily pray five times each day according ...
at various mosques across the United Kingdom including Palmers Green mosque, West Ealing mosque, Wightman Road mosque
Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of ...
. and Finsbury Park Mosque in London as well as Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool. He is also invited to lead Friday prayer at Leeds Grand Mosque and Greenwich Islamic Centre occasionally. Masroor has been involved in the Muslim Council of Britain in various capacities from its inception and was recently elected on its National Council. He spent his youth as an active member and one of the leaders of the Young Muslims and later joined the Islamic Society of Britain and served as its chairperson for three years. He was the Director of Communities in Action, an organisation founded to empower communities to organise, deliver and realise their full potential. He was the Chairman of ChildrenPlus, a charity that focused on providing humanitarian assistance to poverty stricken and most vulnerable children around the world. Masroor was selected as Liberal Democrats prospective parliamentary candidate for
West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...
in the 2005 General Election, but stood down after being criticised for posting on the Muslim Public Affairs Committee forum. He stood in the 2010 General Election, for the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency in East London, representing the Liberal Democrats, came second with 10,210 votes (20.1%) to
Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
candidate
Rushanara Ali Rushanara Ali ( bn, রুশনারা আলী; born 14 March 1975) is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bethnal Green and Bow since 2010. She served as a Shadow Minister for International D ...
won with 21,784 votes (42.9%). Masroor is a well known broadcaster and presenter on various TV and Radio channels in the UK. He currently presents his own programmes on
Islam Channel Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel and online media platform funded by advertising and donations. It was founded in 2004 by Mohamed Ali Harrath (born 1963), a Tunisian act ...
and on
Channel S Channel S is a UK-based, free-to-air television channel targeting the British Bangladeshi community. The channel was established on 16 December 2004 by Mahee Ferdous Jalil, a Bangladeshi businessman in London. On Sky it at first had a timesha ...
, where he presents an English programme called ''Let's Talk''. He is also part of the panel in a programme broadcast by
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
, called ''
Shariah TV ''Shariah TV'' is a Muslim-themed talk show, presented by Tazeen Ahmad, broadcast on a late-night slot on Channel 4. The audience, made up of British Muslims, asks a panel questions relating to life as a Muslim in Britain. Channel 4 frequentl ...
''. On Channel 4, he also presented a programme called ''Make Me a Muslim'' - he asks six non-Muslims and one lapsed Muslim to follow Islamic teachings for three weeks. On 10 May 2009, Masroor presented a programme called "Celebrity Lives -
Sharia Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the H ...
Style" which was broadcast on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
. He has also appeared on major news channels such as the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
,
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and many other channels as a commentator on social, political and religious issues. On 30 January 2011, he appeared on the BBC show ''
The Big Questions ''The Big Questions'' is an interfaith dialogue and ethics television programme usually presented by Nicky Campbell. It is broadcast live on BBC One on Sunday mornings, replacing ''The Heaven and Earth Show'' as the BBC's religious discussion pr ...
,'' and in 2019 he appeared on BBC's
Newsnight ''Newsnight'' (or ''BBC Newsnight'') is BBC Two's news and current affairs programme, providing in-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines. The programme is broadcast on weekdays at 22:30. and is also availa ...
. In October 2013, Masroor was alerted by anti-terrorist police that he and a number of other prominent Muslim figures in the UK who had spoken out against Islamist extremism were targeted by a propaganda video created by Al-Shabaab, the terrorist group responsible for the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya: the video urged jihadists in the UK to take action, citing the
murder of Lee Rigby On the afternoon of 22 May 2013, a British Army soldier, Fusilier#United Kingdom, Fusilier Lee Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was attacked and killed by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woo ...
as an example to follow. Interviewed by ''
Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
'', Masroor said of the video: "It is a terrible piece of work and the content is vile and disgusting and horrific in many ways. It is a group of people who are glorifying violence and death. It didn't make me scared. It just made me angry and more determined.". He also received a second death threat in 2015 from the ISIS terrorist cell in Iraq and Syria that led him to moving his home and his family relocating to another country for a short while. In July 2015, Masroor was interviewed by Nadia Ali on
BBC Asian Network BBC Asian Network is a British Asian radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially British Asians between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has ...
about his
Ramadan , type = islam , longtype = Religious , image = Ramadan montage.jpg , caption=From top, left to right: A crescent moon over Sarıçam, Turkey, marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Ramadan. Ramadan Quran reading in Bandar Torkaman, Iran. ...
memories. In October 2018 the
Muslim World League The Muslim World League (MWL; ar, رابطة العالم الاسلامي, Rabitat al-Alam al-Islami, ) is an International Islamic NGO based in Mecca, Saudi Arabia that promotes what it calls the true message of Islam by advancing moderate v ...
fired him from the Fitzrovia Mosque for criticising Saudi Arabia and crown prince
Mohammed bin Salman Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud ( ar, محمد بن سلمان آل سعود, translit=Muḥammad bin Salmān Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 August 1985), colloquially known by his initials MBS or MbS, is Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. H ...
, following remarks he made about the disappearance of
Jamal Khashoggi Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi (; ar, جمال أحمد خاشقجي, Jamāl ʾAḥmad Ḵāšuqjī, ; 13 October 1958 – 2 October 2018) was a Saudi journalist, dissident, author, columnist for ''Middle East Eye'' and ''The Washington Post'', and a ge ...
and corruption in the
royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...
. The Muslim World League released a statement saying "But since he continued provoking public opinion against the individuals, governments, causing stir in the society, shaming and accusing falsely, no option was left but to stop dealing with him in anyway." He spoke at an event immediately after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and said that Mohammed Bin Salman was directly responsible for the murder of Mr Khashoggi and he should be tried for him crime. He said that Saudi Arabia was ruled by illegitimate regime and the civilised world should boycott the country, not sell them arms, intelligence or should never offer its rulers the red carpet treatment when they come to the UK or Europe.


Personal life

Masroor currently lives in
Haringey The London Borough of Haringey (pronounced , same as Harringay) is a London borough in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of ...
, London. His interests include learning about new cultures and world food, playing badminton, and reading based on history, society and politics. He is a keen cyclist and gardener. Masroor has a brother, not sharing the same surname, Mustafa Almansur, who was the organiser of the Grenfell tower protests in 2017. Almansur was rumoured to be a former terrorist suspect. Despite Masroor being an Imam and leading Friday prayers, several of his siblings have chosen to leave Islam. His brother Amir Moshkur Hussain is an outspoken critic of Islam and follows a liberal, humanist approach to religion and philosophy. On 17 December 2015, Masroor was stopped by a
U.S. embassy The United States has the second most Diplomatic mission, diplomatic missions of any country in the world List of diplomatic missions of China, after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as obse ...
staff from boarding
Virgin Atlantic Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and w ...
flight at
Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
to
John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Avia ...
. Masroor was informed that his U.S. business visa had been revoked and received no further explanation as to why he was being prevented from travelling, despite travelling to the U.S. four times earlier in the year. On 22 December, he was invited to the U.S. embassy to speak about the matter but was still not given a reason, nor an apology. On 13 January 2016, it was reported that he was prevented from travelling to the U.S. and his visa was revoked over concerns about one of his 28,000 Facebook followers. Masroor set up a website, called www.flyingwhilemuslim.org.uk, so other Muslims can document any similar experiences they have faced while trying to travel to U.S. In 2019 the US embassy in London has reissued Masroor a valid US visa and has welcomed him to travel to the USA anytime.


Awards and nominations

In January 2013 and 2015, Masroor was nominated for the Religious Advocate of the Year award at the
British Muslim Awards The British Muslim Awards are an annual award ceremony that honours the success and achievements of British Muslim individuals, groups and businesses. It was established in 2013. Overview The British Muslim Awards was founded by Oceanic Consulti ...
.


See also

*
British Bangladeshi British Bangladeshis ( bn, বিলাতী বাংলাদেশী, Bilatī Bangladeshī) are people of Bangladeshi origin who have attained citizenship in the United Kingdom, through immigration and historical naturalisation. The term ...
*
List of British Bangladeshis This is a list of notable British Bangladeshis ( bn, উল্লেখযোগ্য বিলাতী বাংলাদেশীদের তালিকা). This includes Bangladeshi immigrants settled or residing in the United Kingdom a ...
*
Islam in England Islam in England is the second largest religion after Christianity. Most Muslims are immigrants from South Asia (in particular Bangladesh, Pakistan and India) or descendants of immigrants from that region. Many others are from Muslim-dominated ...


References


External links

* *
Ajmal Masroor
on Liberal Democrats
Ajmal Masroor
on ''
theguardian.com TheGuardian.com, formerly known as Guardian.co.uk and ''Guardian Unlimited'', is a British news and media website owned by the Guardian Media Group. It contains nearly all of the content of the newspapers ''The Guardian'' and ''The Observer'', ...
'' * Casciani, Dominic
Muslim hope among terror 'wreckage'
''
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
''. 11 September 2002
Integration, not assimilation
''
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
''. 17 July 2005
Muslim body welcomes Pope apology
''
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
''. 17 September 2006 * Masroor, Ajmal
Britain has failed many young Muslims: Imam Ajmal Masroor
''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...
''. 14 June 2007
Soul's Search by Ajmal Masroor - Google Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masroor, Ajmal 1971 births Living people Bangladeshi Muslims British Muslims Bangladeshi emigrants to England British people of Bangladeshi descent British politicians of Bangladeshi descent British television presenters Bangladeshi imams British imams Sunni imams Liberal Democrats (UK) parliamentary candidates The Guardian journalists People from Sylhet District People from Shadwell Alumni of SOAS University of London Imams in the United Kingdom 21st-century Bengalis 20th-century Bengalis Islamic scholars in the United Kingdom Bengali Muslim scholars of Islam