Biography:

Dr. Zoheir Esmail is a Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Al-Mahdi Institute. Dr. Esmail qualified as a chartered accountant before pursuing full-time studies in the seminaries of Syria and Qum for a period of 12 years. During that time, he was awarded a doctorate from the University of Exeter with the thesis title: Between Philosophy and ʿIrfān: Interpreting Mullā Ṣadrā from the Qajars to Post-Revolutionary Iran. He returned to the UK in 2020 and taught a number of traditional and academic, graduate, and postgraduate courses including transcendental philosophy, logic, contemporary thought in the Muslim world, and human rights and Islam. He also teaches the whole spectrum of Islamic studies at various levels privately. His research interests include mysticism, spiritual psychology, transcendental philosophy, early Islamic history, Quranic exegesis, and hadith.

Biography:

Sadaf attended Jamia tul Zahra in Qum, before completing her Masters at the Al Mahdi Institute in Birmingham. She has worked for a number of public and not for profit organisations building engagement with Muslim women and young people – including the delivery of leadership training courses.

In her spare time she dabbles in art and poetry and recently set up Hayya Fitness; a Modest Activewear company. She also runs Hayya Adventures which aims to encourage safe spaces and opportunities for Muslim women to engage in active pursuits not always inviting or easily accessible.

Biography:

Saeid Sobhani is a Shi’i scholar specialising in the main fields of the classical Islamic disciplines including theology, philosophy, jurisprudence, principles of jurisprudence, exegesis of the Qur’an, history, biographical studies, and fundamentals of belief, on each of which he has authored a number of books and articles. Sobhani has studied under many grand scholars including Ayatollah Javadi-Amoli, Ayatollah Mirza Jawad Tabrizi, and Ayatollah Ja‘far Sobhani. His publications include Nayl al-Watar min Qa‘idat la Darar (The Jurisprudential Maxim of No Harm, 1999) and Jahan-bini va Shenakht (Epistemology, 1988)

Biography:

Luqman specialised in the languages (Arabic, Persian and Urdu), literature and cultures of the Middle East and the Indian Sub-continent. He then spent a decade working as a linguist, writer and translator before serving for 3 years as programmes manager for a London-based humanitarian NGO where he raised funds from European GO’s and NGO’s in order to deliver humanitarian projects for refugees and displaced persons in the Middle East with DFID and UNHCR.

In 1997, Luqman co-founded Khayaal, the first professional theatre company dedicated to the exploration of classic Muslim literature through contemporary stagecraft as a means of fostering greater intercultural and interfaith engagement and understanding..

Biography:

Dr Emami, a GP in Harrow, learned the Quran as a chld from her grandmother and at school in Tehran. She now runs Quran Hifdh class at The Salaam Centre.

Biography:

Safiyah is 10 years old and an active member of SICM. She enjoys drama and public speaking and has given several presentations and talks at her school, as well as here at SICM.

Biography:

Zahra Khimji is a Personal Trainer and Pilates instructor based in Harrow

Biography:

Ali is a lawyer in the Office of Speaker’s Counsel at the House of Commons, where he has worked for over four years. Prior to that he practised commercial law in the City.

He has advised dozens of MPs on legislation, debates and policy, having completed with Distinction the House of Commons’ flagship qualification in Advising MPs on Parliamentary Procedure.

Biography:

Shelina Janmohamed is one of the UK’s most influential voices in the creative economy, both an awardwinning advertising executive and author. She is the VP of Islamic Marketing at Ogilvy, one of the world’s largest advertising and branding agencies. Her works include the groundbreaking memoir Love in a Headscarf and the children’s book Story of Now: Let’s Talk About the British Empire. Along with being a newspaper columnist she is also the host of the Muslim Women Talk Ramadan podcast.

Biography:

Kumail Jaffer is the team leader of Who is Hussain London, having previously been involved with the organisation as a press officer and volunteer. Outside of his charity work, Kumail is a political journalist who often covers housing in his articles.

Biography:

Dr. Noori Husain is a psychiatrist with a deep passion for exploring the connection between Islam and mental well-being. Committed to breaking the stigma around mental health within the Muslim community, she strives to improve access to care, empower individuals with tools to nurture their mental resilience, and advocate for culturally competent treatments in the NHS.

Biography:

Nabeelah Jaffer is a PhD student researching the history of ‘hijra’ in political Islam.

Biography:

Zahra Latif is a freelance private client paralegal active in various charities and have an interest in health