The Muslim Council of Britain highlights the dozens British Muslims recognised in the 2026 New Years Honours List.
The honours system recognises people who have committed themselves to serving and helping Britain, and who have made achievements in public life.
Maswood Ahmed, Deputy Secretary General of the MCB, said, “From volunteering at Glasgow Central Mosque to FinTech pioneers, from services to cricket to supporting transport services to the funeral of the late Queen – Muslims are an integral part of making Britain better.”
Full list of individuals with Muslim background named this year:
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- Omar Ali. Global Financial Services Leader, Ernst and Young. For services to the Financial Services Industry. (London, Greater London)
- Shazia HUSSAIN. Director of Children’s Social Care, Department for Education. For services to Children and Families. (London, Greater London)
Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- Shah Ruhul AMIN. Co-Founder and Chief Architect, Onfido. For services to Fintech and Artificial Intelligence. (London, Greater London)
- Professor Syed Saeed ASHRAF. Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Morriston Hospital, Swansea. For services to Cardiac Surgery, the Provision of Training Surgeons from Abroad, and Academic Contribution. (Swansea, West Glamorgan)
- Abby GHAFOOR. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Arc Management Consulting. For services to Business and to Diversity and Inclusion. (London, Greater London)
- Dr Bassam HALLIS. Deputy Director, Vaccine Development, Evaluation and Preparedness, Health Security Agency. For services to Vaccine Development, Pandemic Preparedness and Overall Resilience. (Salisbury, Wiltshire)
- Mohamed ISAP. Chief Executive, IN4 Group. For services to Education. (Blackburn, Lancashire)
- Rukshana KAPASI. Director of Health, Barnardo’s.For services to Transforming Care, to Health Equity and to the Patient Voice. (St Albans, Hertfordshire)
- Nadia SHEHZI FALL. Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director, Young Vic Theatre and lately Chief Executive Officer and Artistic Director, Theatre Royal Stratford East. For services to Theatre. (London, Greater London)
Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- Shamsul ABDIN. Head, H&K Cycle Club. For services to Charitable Fundraising. (London, Greater London)
- Dr Nazee AKBARI. Chief Executive Officer, New Citizens’ Gateway. For services to Refugees and Asylum Seekers. (London, Greater London)
- Harith Sadiq ALI. Fundraiser. For Charitable Service. (Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh)
- Monwara ALI. Chief Executive Officer, Waltham Forest Community Hub. For services to the community in Waltham Forest. (London, Greater London)
- Safaraz ALI. Chief Executive Officer, Pathway Group. For services to Diversity and Inclusion in Business. (Birmingham, West Midlands)
- Fatima BENZBIR. Regional Manager Airports and Festival and Events, National Express. For services to the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. (Horley, Surrey)
- Hassan CHAABANE. Team Leader, Ministry of Defence. For services to Defence. (London, Greater London)
- Ishtiaq Ahmed DIN. Playwright and Screenwriter. For services to the Arts and Young People in the North East. (Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire)
- Shanaz Begum GULZAR. Creative Director, Bradford Culture Company. For services to Culture in Bradford. (Keighley, West Yorkshire)
- Hazrat ISLAM. Senior Manager, Regions and Providers Directorate, Department for Education. For services to Further Education. (Birmingham, West Midlands)
- Rokia KHAIR. For services to Heritage and to Charity in Derbyshire. (Saltash, Cornwall)
- Dr Nasser KURDY. For services to Community Interfaith Reconciliation. (Altrincham, Greater Manchester)
- Funmi Aishah LAWAL. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Clip-Knix. For services to Disability, Entrepreneurship and to Volunteering
- Babar Ali QURESHI. Co-Founder, The Research Club and i-view London. For services to Business, to Charity and to Cricket. (London, Greater London)
- Kambiz RAMZAN ALI. For services to the Sport of Taekwondo and the community in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. (Harrogate, North Yorkshire)
- Sajda Khatoon SHAH. Strategy and Transformation Lead, Sajda Shah Consultancy. For services to Community Development (London, Greater London)
- Mohammed SHAUKAT. Volunteer, Glasgow Central Mosque. For services to the community in Glasgow. (Glasgow, City of Glasgow)
- Abu TAHER. Co-Founder, Shanghati Literary Society. For services to the Bangladeshi Community. (London, Greater London)
- Sajid Ebrahim VARDA. Founder and Chief Executive Officer, UK Muslim Film and Muslim International Film Festival. For services to Diversity and Inclusion in the Film and Television Industry. (London, Greater London)
Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM)
- Fatima AHMAD. Foster Carer, Kirklees Council. For services to Foster Care. (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire)
- Amila BEGUMAHMED (Amila Ahmed). Teaching Assistant, Cyril Jackson Primary, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. For services to Education. (London, Greater London)
- Asma Reyaz HAQ. Founder, Marks Gate Relief Project. For services to the communities in the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge. (London, Greater London)
- Shaeera Fatima SAHI. For services to Young People. (London, Greater London)