Shafi Chowdhury
Shaykh Shafi graduated from one of the oldest Islamic seminaries in the UK where he studied Islamic sciences with isnad (unbroken chains of transmission to classical masters) in the fields of Qur’anic recitations and exegesis, Hadith studies and narration of the Six Canonical texts, Fiqh (Jurisprudence), `Aqidah (Doctrine), and Arabic Language.
After graduating he embarked on a year-long tour of South Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe, where he was engaged extensively in Da’wah work within a wide range of Muslim communities. He has been involved in extensive community work and teaching maintaining an open minded approach and building bridges between communities. He is an easy to approach scholar that works at grassroots level. Shaykh Shafi has been the chief editor of an Islamic publishing house, Fisabilillah Publications; lecturer of various Islamic and Arabic disciplines at Ebrahim College, a leading Muslim college in London. Furthermore he is currently a Muslim Chaplain in the Prison Service and consultant to NOMS (National Offender Management Service) on developing programmes for Islamic spiritual learning. Shaykh Shafi is a lecturer at the Islamic College of England (ICE). He serves as a voluntary advisor to Al Hikma Media providing valuable advice, participating in national conferences, radio shows, university speaker tours and tutoring the volunteers of Al Hikma in an array of modules.
Surkheel Sharif (Abu Aaliyah)
Abu Aaliyah is the Director of the Jawziyyah Institute. He has studied the religious sciences with various Islamic Scholars over a period of twenty years. He has an MA in Islamic Studies. He has been teaching and lecturing on Islam, to both Muslims and non-Muslims, for over two decades. He delivers a number of seminars and courses on Islamic Law, theology and spirituality, both here and abroad. He has translated a number of books, two of which have recently been published (“More Fish Please” & “The Golden Rule of Differing”.
Abu Aaliyah appears on Islam Channel and has made a few radio broadcasts. He lives with his family and four children in London.
Muhammad Manwar Ali (Abu Muntasir)
Manwar has a B.Sc. (Hons) M.Sc. in Computer Science from London University, MA in Islamic Studies (London University), and a Diploma in Arabic from Birkbeck College.
He is presently the Chief Executive of JIMAS, a UK educational charity notable for its financial independence, annual conferences, collection and distribution of Zakah with zero-overhead in the UK, helping refugees and asylum seekers, homeless people, activities that create understanding, and cooperation with other organisations.
Among other roles, Manwar is a Fellow of Suffolk New College (SNC), chaplain for University Campus Suffolk (UCS) & SNC & Ipswich Hospital, as well as a Member of Local Scrutiny & Involvement Panel for the Crown Prosecution Service East England.
Experienced at delivering talks for over 25 years and teaching Islam across the UK, he engages in discussion at schools, church groups and Interfaith events and focuses in working with the community at large and participation in civil society, while ensuring the continuing process of education of Muslims, particularly the youth, is not neglected.
Paul Keane
Fr Paul Keane was born in London and attended the London Oratory School. After reading history at Peterhouse, Cambridge, he studied philiosophy and theology at the Universita Gregoriana in Rome. He is the Catholic Chaplain to the University of Essex. In 2009, his first work was published – The Martyr’s Crown; a historical study of a series of Roman wall-paintings from the Sixteenth Century.
Malcolm Wiseman
Malcolm Wiseman is the Jewish Chaplain at the University of Essex. He is a fellow of the Religious Studies Department at the University of Essex and a member of the University Court. He is a religious advisor to small Jewish communities in the UK and the Commonwealth and outlying universities.
Mr. Wiseman is a former senior Jewish Chaplain to her Majesty’s forces and President of the Nato Airforces Chiefs of Chaplains Committee.
