Ali Orr
Chair
Ali is a Senior Project Manager with experience in the science, legal and not-for-profit sectors. His diverse career includes working as a Research Scientist for Cancer Research UK, Senior Case Manager for Wordwave International and Project Manager for the London Borough of Kingston. He has served as Chair for many steering groups and professional review panels, developing partnerships between regulatory bodies and delivering training in governance models.
He is also Advisor to the Exploring Islam Foundation, having worked as the script-writer for its inaugural media and press campaign ‘I Love Muhammad’ in 2010. He is prolific writer on issues relating to the integration of Muslims communities into mainstream British society. Alisdair is a graduate in Molecular Biology from the University of Manchester. He currently works as the Deputy Registrar at the Science Council where he manages the Chartered Scientist Scheme, which is administered by 20 organisations to 15,000 scientists.
Afshaan Hena
Secretary
Rukaiya Jeraj
Founding Trustee
Rukaiya is a strong advocate on diversity issues with experience in undertaking service user consultation, developing policy and designing practical tool-kits for implementation in the public and voluntary sectors. She has participated in international delegations of the Foreign & Commonwealth Organisation to Germany and Singapore, sharing good practice and delivering training. She has also lectured at the University of Brighton on the role of creative writing in the virtual domain. She is passionate about the arts including poetry, drama and contemporary fashion. Rukaiya is a graduate in English Literature and Language from the University of Brunel and holds a postgraduate in Creative Writing from the University of Sussex. She currently works as the Head of Advocacy at Muslim Youth Helpline.
Syed Mohamad Musa Naqvi
Founding Trustee
Musa is an academic and freelance public sector consultant with strong experience research, strategy development and social care policy. He has undertaken detailed Qualitative and thematic analyses of public sector services and published reports with different government think tanks. His published reports include ‘Patient Safety in Hospitals’, ‘Disability Hate Crime’ and ‘Sexual Violence against Women’. He is also Chair of the Islamic Unity Society. He maintains a strong academic interest in women’s rights and domestic violence issues as well as international development schemes. Musa is a graduate in Economics & Management from Brasenose College, University of Oxford. He is currently studying towards a Masters in Economics at the University of Manchester.
Karrim Farrag
Trustee
Fatema Zehra Bandali
Secretary
Sonia Malik
Trustee
Sonia is a graduate in Law from the University of Leicester. She currently works as a Solicitor in the Housing & Welfare Benefits Team at Glaisyers Solicitors.
Sanjana Deen
Trustee
Sanjana has worked as TV and print journalist, with a focus on covering issues of interest to the Muslim community. She was involved in the production of topical TV shows for women on one of Britain’s most popular Muslim channels and has contributed to Muslim magazines, Emel and Q News. Before entering journalism, Sanjana journeyed to Bangladesh where she taught English and worked on educational projects with development organisations, including BRAC, Bangladesh’s biggest NGO. Her time in Bangladesh allowed her the chance to gain a better insight into the lives of street children and the opportunities provided to them under a government-funded project. She maintained an interest in development issues on her return to the UK and for three years, she held the position of Press Officer for the UK branch of the Bangladesh Society for the Enforcement of Human Rights (BSEHR). Sanjana has also volunteered for Acid Survivors Trust International. She is a graduate in Economics and History from SOAS, University of London and currently works as an English teacher.
