Aminul Hoque, MBE () is a Bangladeshi-born British lecturer and writer.

Early life

Aminul Hoque was born to a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...

family in the village of Bagir Ghat in

Golapganj Upazila Golapganj Upazila (), previously known as Gulabganj, is an upazila of Sylhet District in Sylhet Division, Bangladesh. Geography Golapganj Upazila (Sylhet District) area 278.33 km2, located in between 24°41' and 24°55' north latitud ...

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

, Bangladesh. Aminul Hoque's father had been living and working in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

since the early 1960s so the rest of his family joined him in 1980. Aminul Hoque grew up in a predominantly

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

neighbourhood in

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and includes much of ...

. His early memories were of extreme poverty, overcrowding and experiencing racism. Aminul Hoque graduated from the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

. He completed two degrees and a PhD.

Career

Since October 2008, Aminul Hoque has been a lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies at

Goldsmiths A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and serviceable ...

, and a visiting lecturer at

London Metropolitan University London Metropolitan University, commonly known as London Met, is a public university, public research university in London, England. The University of North London and London Guildhall University merged in 2002 to create the university. The Un ...

. Aminul Hoque's writing and work focuses on issues of multicultural Britain, identity, social justice, youth policy, religion and race relations. In 2015, his book '' British-Islamic Identity: Third-generation Bangladeshis from East London'' was published. In February 2015, he contributed in a discussion regarding the three British schoolgirls from Bethnal Green Academy who left home to join the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish national radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 N ...

and

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

. In the same month, he spoke at the London Festival of Education, hosted by the

Institute of Education The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior t ...

. In April of the same year, he was interviewed by Nihal on

BBC Asian Network BBC Asian Network is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially those between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has produc ...

. In May of the same year, he contributed on

's ''

Today programme ''Today'', colloquially known as ''the Today programme'', is BBC Radio 4's long-running morning news and current-affairs radio programme. Broadcast on Monday to Saturday from 06:00 to 09:00 (starting on Saturday at 07:00), it is produced by BB ...

''. In July 2015, he was interviewed by Nadia Ali on

about his

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

memories and the

British Bangladeshi British Bangladeshis () are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots are from Bangladesh. Bengali Muslims have prominently been migrating to the UK since World War II. Migration reached its peak during the 1970s, with ...

community. Aminul Hoque's background is in youth, community and voluntary work. He is an expert in young people and cultural identity. Most of his community work is in Tower Hamlets. Hoque is also a freelance journalist and broadcaster. In 2020, he hosted an episode of '' A Very British History'' focusing on Bangladeshi emigration to the United Kingdom from the 1960s onwards. Aminul Hoque served as a trustee on the board of

Royal Museums Greenwich Royal Museums Greenwich is an organisation comprising four museums in Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater L ...

from 2016 to 2021. The

Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport The secretary of state for culture, media and sport, also referred to as the culture secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Cultu ...

Oliver Dowden Sir Oliver James Dowden, (born 1 August 1978) is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2023 to 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, he previously held various ministerial positions under Prime ...

, vetoed his reappointment for a second term in 2021. The chair of the board,

Charles Dunstone Sir Charles William Dunstone ( ; born 21 November 1964) is the British co-founder and former chairman of mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse, former chairman of multinational electrical and telecommunications retailer and services company ...

, resigned in protest at the government's failure to reappoint Aminul Hoque. Aminul Hoque said that he was "shocked, disappointed and baffled" at Dowden's veto against his reappointment.

Awards and recognition

In 2008, Aminul Hoque was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2008 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and ...

for his services to youth justice in

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

. In 2005, he received a Philip Lawrence Award. In 2004, his radio documentary ''Islamic Pride'' was shortlisted for the

Sony Awards The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy ...

Personal life

Aminul Hoque is a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

He has three children. He is a

Manchester United Football Club Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

fan.

Works

* Aminul Hoque. (January 2005)
Long-Distance Nationalism: a Study of the Bagir Ghati Community Living in East London
* Aminul Hoque. (2015). '' British-Islamic Identity: Third-generation Bangladeshis from East London''. London: Trentham Books. .

References

External links

*
Hotseat: Islam expert Aminul Hoque
''BBC News''. 28 January 2005 * Aminul Hoque
I'm a British Bangladeshi Muslim academic: it's about confidence
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

''. 15 November 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Aminul Hoque 1977 births Living people British Muslims Bangladeshi emigrants to England Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom English male journalists Muslim writers British Asian writers 21st-century British writers The Guardian journalists Journalists from London Alumni of the University of Sussex Academics of London Metropolitan University Academics of Goldsmiths, University of London People from Golapganj Upazila Writers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Members of the Order of the British Empire 21st-century Bengalis 21st-century Muslims 20th-century Bengalis