The Muslim News Awards for Excellence, marking its 22nd year, returned to Central London on Monday, 6 July, bringing together distinguished guests to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of British Muslims across a diverse range of fields.
Recognising excellence in interfaith leadership, science and innovation, humanitarian service, education, media, business, the arts, and public life, the Awards continue to highlight individuals and organisations whose work exemplifies leadership, dedication, and impact.
This year’s winners reflect the very best of these values. Through their achievements, they have enriched communities, advanced their professions, and made a lasting contribution to British society.
Note: The citations presented below are abridged summaries and are not the full nomination texts reviewed by the judging panel. Images © Abdul Datoo / The Muslim News.
The following recipients were honoured at this year’s ceremony:
Winner: NAJMA KHALID MBE DL
Najma Khalid MBE DL, an Oldham-based community leader, has spent over 30 years transforming the lives of disadvantaged women and strengthening social cohesion. Drawing on her lived experience as a domestic abuse survivor, she founded Women’s CHAI Project CIC in 2011, which now supports over 200 women weekly through 10 community groups. The project addresses health inequalities with trauma-informed programmes, resulting in 99.1% reporting improved mental health and many progressing into leadership. Partnering with the British Council, she has trained over 100 women in leadership. Internationally, she supports widows in Pakistan and fundraises for Africa, representing grassroots leadership in Istanbul in 2025. She was recognised with an MBE in 2022 and appointed Deputy Lieutenant in 2025.
Winner: Sonia Sabri MBE
Sonia Sabri MBE, a Birmingham-based, internationally acclaimed Kathak dance artist and choreographer, has significantly advanced South Asian classical dance globally. In 2025, she was awarded an MBE for Services to Dance, becoming the first British-born Indian woman fully trained in Kathak in the UK to receive this recognition. Trained in classical Kathak and at LAMDA, she developed a distinctive style blending traditional technique with contemporary storytelling. Her performances span leading venues like the Royal Festival Hall and the Edinburgh Festival, and she was Associate Choreographer for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. Leading the Sonia Sabri Company as Artistic Director, her wider work includes a national Kathak-based literacy programme and global outreach initiatives, expanding access and representation in the arts.
Winner: SHAGUFTA PARVEEN ASAM MBE
Shagufta Parveen Asam MBE, based in Redbridge, has devoted over 33 years to transforming the lives of vulnerable children through exceptional foster care. Since 1991, she has provided safety and dignity to hundreds of children from diverse backgrounds. Her approach offers highly individualised support, creating a nurturing environment where newborns and teenagers alike can rebuild trust. The lifelong relationships many foster children maintain with her reflect the profound depth of her care. Beyond caregiving, Shagufta is a tireless advocate, working with social workers and solicitors to navigate complex legal processes and Home Office applications, ensuring every child’s rights are protected. She actively promotes fostering through community outreach, inspiring others to support children in need. Her extraordinary dedication was recognised with an MBE in the 2025 New Year Honours. Currently caring for three teenage boys, Shagufta continues to embody the essence of compassion and lifelong commitment to the welfare of others.
Winner: PETER OBORNE
Peter Oborne, a London-based journalist and author, is recognised for his principled challenge to the misrepresentation of Muslim communities in media and political discourse. Over several decades, he has highlighted the treatment of Muslims as a critical test of democratic integrity. His investigative work, including the Channel 4 documentary It Shouldn’t Happen to a Muslim and the co-authored book Muslims Under Siege, exposed systemic bias. He consistently challenges flawed narratives surrounding the Prevent strategy and the Trojan Horse affair. In 2015, he resigned from The Daily Telegraph protesting the suppression of reporting on HSBC cases affecting Muslim organisations. Continuing to write for platforms like Middle East Eye, his book The Fate of Abraham offers a wider critique of Western perceptions of Islam.
Winner: SALMA BI BEM
Salma Bi BEM, a Birmingham-based leader, comprehensively transforms sport, healthcare, and community development. A ten-time award winner, she aggressively champions inclusion for Muslim women and underrepresented groups. Founding ‘The Fifty’ cricket competition, she has executed over 15 national events, integrating futsal and T10 cricket. The former county cricketer also launched the All-Asian Women’s Inspirational Cricket Team and Great White Sharks Futsal Team. As Sporting Pathways CIC Director, she structurally connects athletic participation with social mobility. Concurrently serving 17 years as a Haemodialysis Sister, she founded the Al-Fazal Ambulance in Pakistan. She holds a British Empire Medal and functions as a Commonwealth Games Ambassador, formally honoured with a public mural at New Street Station.
Winner: PROFESSOR DEAN MOHAMEDALLY
Professor Dean Mohamedally, a leading Professor of Computer Science at University College London, specialises in Software Engineering with sustained real-world impact across industry and public services. Leading the UCL Industry Exchange Network, he transformed university-industry collaboration, enabling thousands of R&D projects with practical outcomes for healthcare and education. His structural focus on Assistive Technology has produced inclusive digital tools enhancing independence for disabled individuals. Annually mentoring nearly 500 students, he coordinates specialist groups in IoT, AR/VR, and user-centred design. Actively advancing widening participation in STEM for underrepresented groups, he is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and widely recognised for bridging complex research with societal impact.
Winner: ADAMA JULDEH MUNU
Adama Juldeh Munu, a multi-award-winning London journalist, rigorously covers global politics, Black heritage and the intersection between Islam and the African diaspora. By linking local experiences to global justice struggles, she amplifies underrepresented voices and actively challenges dominant media narratives. Her extensive reporting spans TRT World, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Eye, engaging vast international audiences. As principal producer of Across the Balkans on TRT World, she spearheaded coverage on the Gaza war and explored contemporary discussions and comparisons relating to the legacy of the Srebrenica genocide. Separately, she created and curated the Siyah Series, which explores historical African-Ottoman connections. She also became the first Black British Muslim woman to report for a Turkish public broadcaster. Her achievements include the 2023 Journalist of the Year award at the UK African and African-Caribbean Muslim Awards and a 2020 FIPP Rising Star in Media Award.
Winner: HASSAN DAMLUJI
Hassan Damluji, a London-based British-Iraqi global policy expert, comprehensively advances ethical globalisation and international cooperation. Founding the Global Nation think-tank, he works with governments and multilateral institutions to address complex challenges like inequality, pandemics, and climate change. Previously serving as Deputy Director for Global Policy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he significantly shaped international development strategy. He critically co-founded the Lives & Livelihoods Fund, a $2.5 billion multilateral initiative driving healthcare and poverty reduction across 30 African and Asian nations. Authoring The Responsible Globalist and operating as a Visiting Senior Fellow at the LSE, he also co-founded the Outstanding-rated One Degree Academy, rigorously strengthening inclusive approaches to global development.
Winner: PROFESSOR NOOR UL OWASE JEELANI MBE
Professor Noor ul Owase Jeelani MBE, a London-based paediatric neurosurgeon, has globally transformed outcomes for children with severe cranial conditions. A Great Ormond Street Hospital consultant since 2000, he executes hundreds of specialised operations annually, including the highly complex separation of craniopagus twins. Heading the neurosurgery unit until 2018, he expanded capacity to 1,100 complex operations yearly. Pioneering precision medicine, he leads UCL’s FaceValue Research Group and developed CranioXpand, an innovative AI-driven device improving international surgical outcomes. Founding Gemini Untwined, he advances global surgical knowledge through landmark twin separations. Awarded a 2025 MBE for services to global child health, he rigorously trains surgeons worldwide, seamlessly merging exceptional clinical innovation with life-saving humanitarian impact.
Winner: AYAAN SYED
Ayaan Syed, an emerging British volleyball talent, challenges underrepresentation and promotes inclusion within sport. At just 14, he became the youngest member of the England Under-16 national team, contributing to an international bronze medal finish in Denmark. Demonstrating exceptional ability, he has been selected for the England Under-18 squad to compete in the 2026 Winter World Cup, playing three years above his age group. Based in Chelmsford, Ayaan represents a visible, positive example of British Muslim identity within a historically niche sport. Through his conduct, he promotes respect and merit-based success, actively supporting grassroots development by mentoring younger players. His dedication and commitment to giving back position him as an inspiring cross-community role model.
Winner: SAFIYYAH UMAR
Safiyyah Umar, a Luton-based author and speaker, demonstrated formidable creative determination by publishing her debut novel The Heart Crusher at just 18. Concurrently studying Linguistics at the University of Leeds, she secured a Postgraduate Award in Teaching Creative Writing from Cambridge. She systematically tours national schools to dismantle the expectation that gifted students must exclusively pursue STEM, urging youth to commercialize their creative talents. In 2025, she addressed 600 delegates at the National Education Union’s Black Educators Conference in Birmingham as an expert panellist on decolonising the curriculum. Leveraging global book distribution and media visibility on BBC 3 Counties Radio, Safiyyah structurally empowers the next generation to aggressively challenge academic conformity and exploit creative pathways.
Winner: SUNNAH TRUST CIC
Sunnah Trust CIC, a volunteer-led organisation established in 2017, addresses a critical gap in soft skills and leadership development for young people within state and Islamic schools. Co-founded by London-based Shahin Ahmed, it has delivered over 100 sessions to more than 350 young people, with 20 volunteers contributing over 1,500 annual hours. Operating across South London, its flagship Servitude programme rigorously develops communication and leadership skills grounded in the prophetic example. Through workshops and team challenges, 97% of participants report improved confidence and communication. The programme broadens aspirations through educational visits, including Cambridge University. Additionally, the Trust collaborates with Nida Trust and Legacy Project to co-organise the Muslim Education Fair in London.
Winner: ONCE UPON A DUA
Once Upon A Dua, co-founded by London entrepreneurs Ash and Jayda Zaman, is a pioneering children’s lifestyle brand redefining the retail space. Launched in 2022 as the world’s first Scandinavian-inspired Muslim faith-based children’s brand, it addresses a distinct market gap for modern Muslim families seeking meaningful products. Rapidly achieving multi-award-winning status with over 20 industry accolades, its products rigorously nurture identity and family values while maintaining premium contemporary design. Featured in publications like British Vogue, it expanded via a John Lewis Westfield pop-up. Concurrently, the brand integrates core social impact through global giving initiatives supporting poverty alleviation and clean water access, embodying values-driven entrepreneurship within a highly scalable business model.
Winner: SALMA RAVAT MBE
Salma Ravat MBE, a Leicester-based charity leader and CEO of One Roof Leicester, provides accommodation and holistic support to individuals experiencing homelessness, including migrants and asylum seekers. With over 20 years’ experience addressing social inequality, she began with the Eat’n’Meet project, establishing Leicester’s first Muslim-run homelessness drop-in service in partnership with a local church. Co-founding One Roof Leicester, she expanded operations to 15 houses providing 45 bed spaces, decisively supporting individuals with no recourse to public funds. Through these housing initiatives, over 150 people have secured permanent accommodation. In 2016, she united over 14 faith groups to establish Leicester’s first multi-faith night shelter, consistently transforming support for vulnerable communities.
Winner: ANNIYAH KHAN
Anniyah Khan, a sixteen-year-old Luton resident, executed an extraordinary fundraising journey characterized by immense personal resilience. Navigating Autism Spectrum Disorder and non-verbal communication needs, she routinely overcomes significant sensory challenges. Motivated by Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, she aggressively targeted a £10,000 goal, successfully walking the Love Luton Run Fest 5K in a highly stimulating, sensory-heavy environment. Over several months, she generated substantial capital for children in Gaza. Her highly visible efforts secured major accolades, including the Women of Inspiration Fundraiser of the Year and the People’s Choice Award. Ultimately, Anniyah proves that profound empathy transcends verbal communication, demonstrating that authentic leadership manifests through quiet, sustained, and selfless action.
Awarded to: MARY BATOOL AL-TOMA
Mary Batool Al-Toma, an Irish-born British Muslim originally from Longford, Republic of Ireland, is a pioneering leader in faith-based policy development and convert support in the UK. Raised in a large Irish Catholic farming family, she embraced Islam in the late 1970s after years of study and engagement with Muslim communities in Dublin. Her lived experience of conversion and family rupture shaped a lifelong commitment to developing structured, culturally sensitive frameworks that support new Muslims within British society.
Based in Leicester, Batool served as Director of the New Muslims Project at the Islamic Foundation from 1993 to 2018, where she helped establish one of the UK’s earliest evidence-informed models of convert care. Her work focused on embedding Islam within a British cultural context, reducing social isolation, strengthening family relationships, and supporting long-term faith retention. She developed national training programmes, authored accessible educational resources, and edited Meeting Point magazine, a key publication that informed policy discussions around conversion, prisons, and community integration.
A qualified Family and Child-Centred Mediator, Batool has contributed to research and advocacy initiatives addressing conversion, rehabilitation, and social cohesion, including partnerships with academic institutions and national reports on Muslim prison experiences. In 2019, she founded the Convert Muslim Foundation, a national umbrella body promoting standards, governance, and capacity building for organisations supporting converts.
Recognised for her strategic leadership and community insight, Batool has also acted as a media consultant, helping shape public narratives on Islam and conversion in Britain. Through decades of policy-informed practice, she has strengthened inclusive frameworks that empower converts while fostering mutual understanding across faith communities, making her a highly deserving nominee for her lasting contribution to British Muslim civic life.
Posthumously Awarded to: THE LATE DR GHAYASUDDIN SIDDIQUI
Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui arrived in Britain as a student in 1964 and spent the next six decades shaping British Muslim civic life through visionary leadership, institution-building, and principled advocacy. He co-founded the Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS), the Muslim Institute, and the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain, creating lasting platforms for Muslim participation in public life. He established the Halal Food Authority to safeguard halal standards, founded Bait al Mal al Islami to encourage zakat distribution within Britain, and developed a Model Muslim Marriage Contract grounded in Islamic sources to strengthen the rights and protections of women.
His leadership extended beyond institutions into courageous public action. When British Muslims were detained and abused in Yemen, he travelled immediately to support them. Following the attacks of 11 September 2001, he championed solidarity across communities as a founding member of the Stop the War Coalition. He also spoke openly about child abuse within faith settings when few were willing to confront the issue.
Practical, courageous, and unwavering in his commitment to justice, Dr Siddiqui consistently stood alongside the most vulnerable. It is with immense pride that The Muslim News posthumously awards the Editor’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui—thinker, activist, institution-builder, and one of the most influential architects of modern British Muslim civic life.
