From the GP who transformed cancer screening to the domestic abuse pioneer: 21 Muslims recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours

Home Affairs Correspondent

Twenty-one British Muslims have been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours for work spanning three decades of frontline medicine, maternity care, domestic abuse services, education and community service.

They are a diabetes pioneer who advises the World Health Organisation, a GP who dragged bowel cancer screening rates from 35 per cent to over 80 per cent, and a foster mother who has spent two decades giving vulnerable children a loving home, and who is baffled to find herself being honoured at all.

Now all three are among a group of 21 British Muslims whose extraordinary achievements span medicine, the classroom, the boardroom, community service and social justice.

The recipients, who include one Dame, one CBE, five OBEs, eleven MBEs and three BEMs, have been praised for “transforming lives” and “addressing inequalities” the length and breadth of the UK.

Professor Mohamed Wasim Hanif, who has spent three decades at University Hospitals Birmingham, has been awarded an OBE for services to diabetes and health inequalities.

A national authority on diabetes, obesity and ethnic health, he serves as Clinical Advisor to Diabetes UK, Non-Executive Director of the BMJ, Chair of the Association for the Study of Obesity UK, Trustee of the South Asian Health Foundation, and President-Elect of the British Medical Association. He has also held advisory roles with the World Health Organisation, the European Union and the UK Parliament.

In a statement to The Muslim News Professor Hanif said, “I am deeply honoured to receive this award”. Adding, “Throughout my career, I have been driven by a desire to improve the lives of people living with diabetes and to address the inequalities that continue to affect health outcomes across our society. This recognition reflects the dedication and support of the many colleagues, students, researchers and healthcare professionals I have had the privilege to work alongside. While this is a tremendous personal honour, it is also recognition of the importance of continuing our efforts to deliver fairer, more inclusive healthcare.”

Dr Azhar Mahmood Chaudhry, a GP Partner, Trainer and Educator at Thistlemoor Medical Centre in Peterborough, has been awarded an MBE after almost a decade working to transform health outcomes for South Asian communities.

His most striking achievement: bowel cancer screening uptake among South Asian patients at his practice has rocketed from just 35 % in 2018 to more than 80 % by 2025. He also founded the Mosque Health Champions Network in Peterborough, bringing together healthcare professionals, faith leaders and community organisations to promote health awareness across the city. He has delivered health awareness programmes in partnership with Peterborough City Council, Public Health teams, local mosques, schools and community organisations through the British Islamic Medical Association.

His commitment to medical education has been recognised through multiple awards — including being named Trainer of the Year three times in the past five years and receiving two national Educator of the Year awards.

It is a remarkable journey for a man who arrived in Britain with no job and no GMC registration. “With perseverance, hard work and the support of many wonderful people, I went on to achieve MRCGP, become a GP Trainer and GP Partner, receive Fellowship of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and be recognised through several awards,” he said. “To now be honoured with an MBE is something I could never have envisaged.”

He was at pains to share the credit, telling The Muslim News, “This recognition is not mine alone. It reflects the collective efforts of countless colleagues, volunteers, community leaders, organisations, friends and family members who have supported, encouraged and worked alongside me throughout this journey.”

And far from resting on his laurels, Dr Chaudhry struck a defiant note about the work still to come. “Rather than marking an end point, this honour strengthens my commitment to continue serving communities and addressing health inequalities. There is still much work to be done. Together with my team, I am determined to build on this work and redouble our efforts to improve health awareness and community engagement locally, nationally and internationally.”

Three founders and directors of the Association of South Asian Midwives have been awarded MBEs for their collective work improving maternity outcomes for Black and South Asian women — a cause that has taken on particular urgency amid mounting evidence of stark racial disparities in maternal and neonatal deaths.

Nafiza Aktar Anwar, a Nurse Midwife and public health leader with over 40 years of experience, has been honoured for her role as Co-Founder and Director of the organisation. She has contributed to national maternity policy, served on MBRRACE-UK confidential enquiry panels, advised national equality and diversity groups, and championed initiatives to reduce disparities in maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Her work has extended internationally through public health and reproductive health programmes in South Asia and Bangladesh, where she has supported healthcare workforce development and service improvement. She is also undertaking a fully funded PhD focused on improving healthcare experiences and outcomes through research, innovation and workforce wellbeing.

“I am deeply humbled and honoured to receive an MBE for services to charity and healthcare,” she told The Muslim News. “As the daughter of an immigrant doctor who dedicated more than 40 years of service to the NHS, I grew up understanding the importance of service, compassion, and giving back to society. His example has shaped my values and continues to inspire me every day. While I am immensely grateful for this recognition, I see it not as the culmination of the journey, but as encouragement to continue the work. The challenges facing many women and families remain significant, and our commitment to addressing inequalities, amplifying underrepresented voices, and creating lasting change is stronger than ever.”

Co-Founders and fellow Directors Benash Nazmeen and Sundas Khalid have also each been awarded MBEs. Their collective work has made ASAM a nationally recognised organisation influencing policy, supporting the maternity workforce, and advocating for improved outcomes for ethnically diverse communities.

Perhaps the most quietly moving story in this year’s Muslim honours belongs to Tahira Ali, a foster carer with Birmingham Children’s Trust’s Fostering Agency, who has been awarded an MBE after 20 years opening her home to vulnerable children.
She adopted the very first child she ever fostered and has supported them through complex surgeries and ongoing health challenges, tirelessly fighting for their needs to be met at every stage.

Her response to being honoured? Characteristic modesty. “I’m so honoured,” she told The Muslim News. “In my eyes I don’t think I’m doing anything out of the ordinary.”

James Thomas, Chief Executive of Birmingham Children’s Trust, was having none of it. “For two decades, she has provided exceptional care, stability and love to children who have experienced significant challenges in their lives,” he said. “Tahira’s commitment to helping children thrive, her determination to advocate for them and her willingness to go above and beyond every day make her truly deserving of this honour. She embodies the very best of fostering and the positive difference foster carers make to children and young people across Birmingham.”

Two headteachers and education chiefs have also been recognised for their work raising the aspirations of thousands of children.
Ashfaq Ahmed Rahman, Chief Executive of Nova Education Trust in Nottingham, has been awarded an OBE for services to education. Since becoming CEO, he has led the organisation — which serves thousands of pupils across primary, secondary and post-16 settings — through significant growth, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, belonging, high expectations and community engagement.

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this recognition,” he told The Muslim News. “Whilst the award bears my name, it reflects the work, dedication and commitment of countless people who have shaped my career and who continue to make a difference to the lives of children and young people every day. At Nova, we often talk about transformational education. Every day, I see colleagues helping young people to build confidence, develop resilience, raise their aspirations and realise their potential. It remains the greatest privilege of my professional life to serve children, families, colleagues and communities through education.”

Margaret Monckton, Chair of Trustees at Nova Education Trust, said: “Throughout his career, Ash has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the life chances of children and young people. He combines strong leadership with genuine humility, integrity and compassion, always placing the needs of children and colleagues at the centre of his decision-making.”

Asif Jahangir Bhatti, Headteacher of Town Farm Primary School and Nursery in Staines, Surrey, has also been awarded an OBE for services to education.

Yasmin Akhtar Khan, Chief Executive of the Halo Project, has been awarded a CBE for services to ending domestic abuse and violence against women.

Khan founded the charity in 2011 to support victims and survivors of forced marriage, honour-based abuse and female genital mutilation. Under her leadership, it has grown into one of the UK’s leading organisations in the field, helping to shape national policy while training police forces, local authorities, schools and NHS bodies.

The honour recognises more than two decades of campaigning, policy reform and frontline support. Among her achievements, Khan established the UK’s first Forced Marriage and Honour-Based Violence Case Scrutiny Group in 2017 and the first dedicated refuge for Black and minority ethnic women in the Tees Valley.

From 2018 to 2025, she served as the Welsh Government’s National Adviser on Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence. In 2020, she authored the first police super-complaint on behalf of the Tees Valley Inclusion Project, exposing failures in the investigation of sexual abuse across England and Wales and helping drive national policing reforms.

Reacting to the award, Khan said she was “deeply humbled” and accepted the honour on behalf of survivors, campaigners, volunteers and colleagues who had supported her work over the past 25 years.

“This recognition does not belong to me alone,” she told The Muslim News. “It belongs to the women and girls whose voices have so often been silenced, and to the communities that have refused to look away.”

Thanking her husband Yusuf, children Larayb and Ameer, and grandson Raees, Khan said there was still “much work to be done”, citing honour-based abuse, forced marriage and domestic abuse-related suicides as hidden harms that continue to require urgent action.

A resident of Middlesbrough for more than 30 years, Khan has also co-founded the Cleveland Women’s Network, volunteers at a local women’s refuge and has organised the annual EDI Awards Tees Valley for the past 16 years.

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, lately Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, has been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to engineering.

She holds a Master’s in Biochemistry from Oxford and a PhD from Cancer Research UK/UCL, and has been named one of the most influential women in both UK engineering and UK tech. She co-chairs the government’s Business Innovation Forum and previously co-chaired Sir Lewis Hamilton’s landmark commission on improving Black representation in motorsport. She also serves as a trustee of various charities and sits on the government’s Levelling Up Advisory Council and Digital Skills Council.

Ifty Nasir, Founder and Chief Executive of Vestd, has been awarded an OBE for services to share schemes and the energy sector. His journey began in a Punjabi-speaking household in Bradford, where his parents were refugees forced to flee Ferozepur in India at the time of Partition. His mother’s entrepreneurial spirit — running a corner shop and tailoring business — inspired his own drive.

After a distinguished 25-year career in the energy sector, including roles as Vice President at BP and Chief Executive of Essar Energy, Nasir founded Vestd to make employee share schemes more accessible. His platform has since helped thousands of companies create ownership opportunities for tens of thousands of employees.

“The OBE is a recognition that share schemes really matter,” he said. “Motivating employees with a real stake in the businesses they help build is one of the most powerful ideas in British business today. Most UK businesses still don’t offer share schemes to their employees, and the case for changing that has never been stronger — for productivity, for retention, and for fairness. We feel like we’re just getting started.”

This year’s Honours List saw 11.5 per cent of its 1,182 recipients drawn from ethnic minority backgrounds, a figure that reflects a rise in representation.

There was also wide recognition of minority faiths: 29 individuals of Hindu and Sikh faith were honoured, receiving awards including one GBE, one DBE, five CBEs, four OBEs, twelve MBEs and six BEMs, while among 45 Jewish recipients, honours included ten CBEs, six OBEs, twenty MBEs and nine BEMs.