Muslim Council of Britain leadership candidates quizzed at first hustings event
Candidates for leader and deputy leader of the MCB hope to win voters over with pledges to engage young people and mend relations with the government
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Engaging young Muslims, boosting membership and future-proofing the Muslim Council of Britain were key priorities among candidates at the organisation’s first leadership hustings last week.
Held at the Muslim World League in London on 7 January, it was the first of three hustings events taking place this month as the organisation prepares to elect a new secretary general and deputy secretary general. Zara Mohammed, who has held the position since 2021, steps down on 25 January after completing the maximum two terms.
There was a turnout of about 50 people, including members of the MCB leadership and national council, delegates from affiliate organisations and members of the public.
Following calls for nominations in November, the race has been whittled down to two hopefuls for each position: Dr Mohammed Wajid Akhter and Dr Muhammad Adrees for secretary general, and Lamine Konate and Maswood Ahmed for the deputy role. Each was invited to share their reasons for running and how they hoped to contribute to the MCB before being asked questions by the audience.
Akhter said, if elected, he would focus on achieving a “more forward-looking” culture at the MCB.
“While it is important, we need to shift away from this mindset of just constantly dealing with Islamophobia,” he said. “I want to find ways of engaging the youth, ethnic minorities and women in a more interesting way.
“My dream is to make the MCB somewhere that is fun and appealing. It’s where the best of your talents can be used. If we do that, if it’s seen as a place where progress is being made, I think people with ideas and talents will flow to it.”
He suggested creating a team of people focused on the uses of artificial intelligence (AI). “As a Muslim community, we missed out on the industrial revolution,” he said, “but the AI revolution is happening now. Let’s harness it.”
Adrees said that his first priority in office would be to build a relationship between the MCB and the UK government. Neither Labour nor its predecessors have engaged with the organisation since Gordon Brown’s communities secretary Hazel Blears cut ties in 2009.
“My focus will be to promote the importance of the MCB and build a working relationship with the government, so we can fulfil our role of addressing the needs of the Muslim community,” Adrees said.
Adrees also noted that, while the MCB has more than 500 affiliates, including mosques, schools and community organisations, “we are still lacking in grassroots engagement”.
“There are around 2,000 mosques across the UK,” he said. “That’s quite a big gap — our engagement with many Islamic centres is not there. I want to encourage as many organisations as possible to register with us.”
Affiliates of the MCB must be registered charities dedicated to representing Muslims and in operation for more than a year. Membership costs around £100 a year, depending on the organisation’s income.
Adrees added: “We need to increase the unity of our community, but we also need to ensure the integration of Muslims within the UK. We are only 6% of the population, we need to work with the other 94% too.”
The candidates for deputy general secretary also laid out their key objectives. Ahmed, currently the MCB’s assistant secretary general and a member of its national council, said he would prioritise engagement with young Muslims.
“We need our youth on board — we need to create a new generation of leaders. The elders did their bit by laying the foundations,” Ahmed said. “They built the mosques, but many of those mosques are empty today because the young people are not engaged. It’s important we build that community, while also ensuring our young people feel proud of the country they live in.”
Konate, who began volunteering with the MCB in 2019 and is currently acting treasurer, said he would focus on building stronger relationships with mosques and Muslim community groups across the UK, with the goal of doubling the membership.
“I’ll make sure the affiliates’ concerns are taken seriously at the MCB,” he said.
“My vision is to ensure our affiliates are financially healthy, and that they are complying with the law. We know that some of our affiliates are failing because they aren’t complying, especially when it comes to governors and Companies House.” Companies House is the UK’s business register.
He added: “I also want to ensure that the MCB is not seen as a London-based organisation, but that we are also present in the north, and make sure no one is left behind.”
Mohammed, current secretary general of the MCB, said the incoming leader would need “resilience, patience and a lot of courage”.
“This role is about navigating a very diverse membership and being a strong voice for British Muslims, while being resilient to the politics of the day,” she told Hyphen. “It’s a very tricky and difficult landscape for British Muslims right now, so we can’t be naive to the fact that it is going to be tough, especially with British politics itself and the rise of the far right.
“But you have got to be strong, and you’ve also got to enjoy it.”
She added: “It’s important to remember that wider society is on our side, and there’s a lot of positive outlook.”
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