Empowering Muslims to benefit society through faith-based campaigns
Location: Field Based
Riyaz is a freelance writer, researcher and consultant to the 1st Ethical Charitable Trust and works in his full-time capacity as an internal communications manager for a major civil service department. He holds a first class degree in BA (Hons) English Literary Studies and is a member of the Government Communication Network – a virtual community of professional communicators working in government.
Riyaz is a co-founder and director of thinkBRITE Services, an organisation set up to provide authentic, scholarly and relevant information on Islam and Muslims in the social context of modern-day Britain. He has collaborated in hosting several inter-faith initiatives aimed at building bridges of understanding between Britain’s diverse communities. This includes presenting the Islamic perspective at multi-faith celebration events, facilitating regular mosque visits for members of the public and working with the Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths on several shared projects. He is a certified facilitator of the “Being Muslim Being British” training course developed by Cambridge University and is regularly invited to speak at colleges and universities about his experiences of Islam in a British context.
Riyaz is also working on his first book about British Muslim identity, focusing on the common values of the West and Islam. His research has showed that the historical interdependencies of European and Islamic cultures mean that a ‘clash of civilisations’ is far from inevitable. He firmly believes that choosing to focus on what unites us, instead of what divides us, will lead to a healthier world for all.