Twenty two members of the Muslim community were named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for their contribution to society: two CBEs, seven OBEs, 11 MBEs and two overseas & military MBEs. Amongst the four women and 18 men are an artist, barrister, doctor, professor and translator. The number of Muslims awarded for their work is considerably higher than last year when only seven were honoured. Other members minority faith groups have also been included, with 14 members of the Hindu and Sikh faiths (2 OBEs, 11 MBEs, 1 Diplomatic Overseas List MBE) and 22 members of the British Jewish community being awarded two knighthoods, seven CBEs, seven OBEs and six MBEs. Chair of the British Muslim Forum, Dr Khurshid Ahmed, is to be made a CBE for his services to community relations in Birmingham and the Black Country. Dr Ahmed served as Chair of the audit committee, CRE envoy to the Muslim community and as Assistant Chief Executive at Birmingham City Council from 1984 to 1999. He is currently the Chair of the Dudley Community Partnership. He told The Muslim News he felt humbled by the award…it is for the hard work and dedication of all my staff. Mohammed Afzal Khan is to be a CBE for his service to Manchester’s community and interfaith relations. He told The Muslim News, I enjoy serving the public and look forward to carry on serving the public for many years to come. Khan worked as a youth worker before serving as a police constable with Greater Manchester Police. He began his legal career as a solicitor and is now a senior partner at a law firm. Khan has acted as lead member for Race Equality and has been involved in interfaith work for 20 years. Elham Asaad Buaras reports.
