Muslim Council of Britain > Leadership

MCB’s Leadership

The MCB Leadership Team offers direction and focus, striving to open new doors to Muslims both in Britain and abroad.

Office Bearers

Zara Mohammed
Secretary General

Zara Mohammed graduated with an LLM in Human Rights Law from the University of Strathclyde and is based in Glasgow. She was elected as the youngest and first female Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain in January 2021.. Zara has served on the executive team of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS) for three years and was elected the first female President for the term 2016-17. Zara has contributed to a number of public consultations including Muslim women and employment, Islamophobia and has spoken at a number of events across the UK and Ireland. She is passionate about empowering young people and supporting women in her community.

Lamine Konate
Acting-Treasurer

Lamine Konate is a professional accountant specialising in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) since 2010 and now runs his own accountancy practice based in South London. He is currently the Secretary General of the African Ivorian Islamic Trust and the Deputy Imam of Peckham High Street Mosque.

Lamine is also a junior policy adviser to the Ivory Coast Embassy in London for international organisations and a financial analyst at the Department of Credit Institutions and External Finance (Treasury and Public Accounting). Lamine also serves as the Vice Chair of the Southwark Muslim Forum and works with the Southwark Interfaith forum. He also participates in the Southwark Faith and Health program in the borough and the funding project for Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital charity for the local community in Southwark and Lambeth.

Mohammed Kozbar
Deputy Secretary-General

Mohammed Kozbar holds a masters degree in Charity Management at St. Mary’s University, he is the chairman of Finsbury Park Mosque, one of the most prominent Islamic centre in the UK. He is also a member of the Islington Faiths Forum representing the Muslim Community in North London and was a regular IB Times UK and MEE columnist, he also sits at the diversity panel of the ITV London news and a member of the Police Islington Advisory Group (IAG), Mohammed also a member of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) London Scrutiny and Involvement Panel in hate crimes.

Mariam Hassam
Assistant Secretary-General
Mariam Hassam is a mother of four, and has worked and volunteered in the charity sector for over seven years. Through her experience she was drawn to get a better understanding of the Faith Based organisations in an academic context and is finishing her Masters degree in Faith Based Leadership with the University of Birmingham. She is the co- director of her own company Called Revive-Values skills growth which she co- founded in 2020.
She has previously served asa teachers and principal at her local madrasah and has taken on trustee roles at her mosque, the Council of European Jamaaats and through that role was been part of the National Council of the MCB. She is passionate about self development, wellbeing and building leadership capacity within communities.

British Muslim Communities

Our work is undertaken by several teams and overseen by an Executive Committee and National Council, with individuals drawn primarily from our member organisations in accordance with our governance structure.

Governance

As set out in our Constitution, the decision-making and ruling body of the MCB is its General Assembly which must meet at least once a year. The Assembly is composed of delegates representing member organisations.

Every two years the General Assembly directly elects the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary General roles, as well as approximately 60 individuals to the National Council.

The National Council meets at least quarterly and is responsible for holding the MCB leadership team to account.

Diversity

We try our utmost to ensure our volunteers and staff reflect the diversity of British Muslim communities in terms of age, gender, ethnic background and school of thought.

The National Council consists of approximately 60 individuals drawn from a wide cross-section of MCB Member organisations.

They meet at least every 3 months and are responsible for reviewing the activities and direction of the organisation, as well as holding MCB Office Bearers to account in line with the best interests of MCB member organisations and the wider Muslim communities in Britain.

There are five constitutionally mandated committees that must be chaired by a member of the National Council. Together with the Executive Committee, they drive the work of the Muslim Council of Britain.

  • Media and Public Affairs – Ms Zara Mohammed
  • Finance and General Purpose – Lamine Kanote
  • Legal Affairs – Mr Ahmed Fulat
  • Research and Documentation – Mr Mansur Safder
  • Membership – Asim Uddin
  • Education Affairs – Ms Muhidah Mebude
  • Mosques & Inter Faith – Dr Shahzad Amin
  • Proudly Muslim & Black – Ms Rashidat Hassan
  • International Affairs – Mr Ufuk Secgin

Additional teams and working groups also exist. For further information about any team or committee, feel free to get in touch here.

In addition, MCB Projects have their own committees to support with planning, delivery and close-out. You can learn more about current MCB projects here.

Former MCB Secretary Generals are:

  • Mr Harun Khan – 2016-2020
  • Dr Shuja Shafi – 2014-2016
  • Mr Farooq Murad – 2010-2014
  • Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE – 2006-2010
  • Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE – 2002-2006
  • Mr Yousuf Bhailok – 2000-2002
  • Sir Iqbal Sacranie OBE – 1998-2000

2024

2023

2022

2021

Frequently Asked Questions About MCB's Leadership

The Muslim Council of Britain has never claimed to speak for or represent all Muslims in Britain. The MCB only ever claims to speak on behalf of its members, who by virtue of being members, grant MCB the legitimacy to represent their concerns and interests. The MCB tries its utmost to ensure that it’s members, through their number, diversity and geographic spread across the UK, represent a large cross section of British Muslim communities. More myths about MCB and representation can be found here.
Enshrined in the MCB’s constitution is recognition of the diversity of Islam and Muslims and the desire to come together on matters of common concern. It is a cross-sectarian body working for the common good without assuming any judgmental attitude toward the variety of expressions of Islamic belief and conduct except that which falls outside Islam. It is a broad-based, representative organisation of Muslims in Britain, accommodating and reflecting the variety of social and cultural backgrounds and outlooks of Muslim communities. Practically it does this through lively discussion at all decision making levels and through an obligation placed on the leadership to reflect the diversity of British Muslim communities and foster an atmosphere of dialogue and collaboration.
The MCB’s Constitution demands an organisation that will base its policies and decisions on consensus of its members and the largest practicable measure of common agreement. The final decision-making and ruling body of the MCB is its General Assembly that must meet at least once a year. The Assembly is comprised of delegates from MCB member organisations. The other organisational units within the MCB are the National Council, various specialist committees and task groups, and the office bearers. See more on MCB governance structure here.
The MCB’s core administrative expenses are funded entirely by affiliation fees from members, as well as donations from individuals and grant-giving organisations. Donations are also received by the MCB Charitable Foundation (MCBCF), an independent entity registered with the Charity Commission. It’s aim it to build a capital fund through which activities of the MCB that are exclusively charitable can be supported. The MCB also runs projects to raise the capability of British Muslim communities and to widen good practice. All MCB projects self-fundraise through sponsorship, donations or grants, and MCB does not have a central ‘pot’ of money to fund internal or externally-led projects.
As set out in its Constitution, the decision-making and ruling body of the Muslim Council of Britain is its General Assembly, comprising of delegates representing MCB member organisations, who meet once a year. Every two-years the General Assembly elects the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, as well as the National Council. Based on these, the Office Bearers and Executive Committee are appointed to run the organisation. Further information about our Governance Structure can be found here. Further information about our current Office Bearers can be found here. The chief spokesperson of the MCB is the Secretary General. Office Bearers cannot serve in the same position for more than two consecutive terms or four years. All Office Bearers carry out their role in a voluntary capacity. The MCB’s Constitution and the Standing Orders place a duty upon the office bearers and the National Council to appoint an independent and impartial person as election commissioner six months in advance of any election AGM. The commissioner is empowered to act wholly independently of the National Council and the office bearers in the implementation and supervision of election procedures. The office bearers, past or present, have no involvement with the election process, to ensure this process remains independent.
Following the crises in the Balkans and the first Gulf War in the 1990s, there was a growing sense of apprehension amongst Muslims in Britain that Muslim communities lacked unity and coordination. In April 1994, approximately fifty community bodies and networks convened in Birmingham to form the NICMU – the National Interim Committee for Muslim Unity. This body was mandated to conduct a consultation exercise within the community to establish the need for an umbrella body and seek views on its priorities and structure. NICMU met at regular intervals and in various UK cities, including Markfield, Birmingham and Leicester. A working group was established to carry out a process of countrywide consultations, and a postal questionnaire was prepared and circulated to Muslim organisations, Mosques, Islamic centres and institutions. Translations were also done in community languages such as Urdu and Bengali to ensure a comprehensive reach. The findings of the consultations were presented to NICMU in July, 1995 and indicated that the majority of British Muslims were very concerned with the lack of unity, coordination and representation and supported the establishment of an umbrella body. NICMU then formed a sub-group to prepare a draft Constitution, which reported back its recommendations. The final meeting of NICMU took place on 25th May 1996 in Bradford, at which time the name “The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)” was chosen for the new organisation. The inauguration of the Muslim Council of Britain was held at Brent Town Hall in London on 23rd November 1997.
The Muslim Council of Britain is an independent body that conducts its affairs with openness and transparency and in accordance with a written constitution. Further information about our Governance Structure can be found here.
The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK’s largest and most diverse national representative Muslim umbrella body with over 500 member organisations, including mosques, charities, schools and professional networks. The MCB is pledged to work for the common good of society as a whole; encouraging individual Muslims and Muslim organisations to play a full and participatory role in public life. It’s vision statement is “empowering Muslim communities to achieving a just, cohesive and successful British society.”

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