Ibrahim Mogra

Ibrahim Mogra is an imam from Leicester and Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Mogra was born in 1965 in Malawi into a family of Gujarati Indian origin and emigrated to the UK at the age of 18 to study and settle. He was educated at Darul Uloom Bury, Holcombe, Greater Manchester; Al-Azhar University, Cairo; and the School of Oriental and African Studies, London. He is the founder and Principal of Khazinatul-`Ilm, Madaris of Arabic and Muslim Life Studies, in Leicester.[1]

In 2000, he contributed to BBC Radio 2's Faith in The Nation examination of the afterlife amongst the main religious faiths.[2] He has been a panelist on The Big Questions, a faith and ethics television programme broadcast live on BBC One.

Mogra believes that for British Muslims "our loyalty to Britain must be unquestionable".[3]

Mogra has been a representative for Jewish-Muslim relations appreciating the similarities of communities governed by a code of law and ethics (Torah and Qur'an) and religious festivals and holy days.[4] Asked to choose a favourite film for The Clerics' Choice in The Daily Telegraph, Mogra picked The Message, "you see through the eyes of the camera, as the Messenger would have seen it".[5]

He has worked closely with Abu Eesa Niamatullah, Strategic Director of the 1st Ethical Charitable Trust.[6]

On 7 April 2013, Mogra took part in an interview on BBC Radio 4, condemning the men at the centre of the Rochdale sex trafficking scandal. He said that sexual grooming of non-Muslim girls by Muslim gangs was an abhorrent behaviour that was unacceptable regardless of race or religion. He expressed that as some of the perpetrators happened to be from a Muslim background, it was the duty of the entire Muslim community to condemn their actions. However he also cautioned that the paedophile scandal should be seen purely as criminal behaviour, warning that using labels of race and religion could "drive the problem deeper underground". Mogra also said that the Muslim Council was also working with different groups such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, police and other Muslim groups to speak out against such crimes and assist in tackling the problem.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Kabir, Nahid Afrose (2010). "Introduction: My research observations". Young British Muslims: Identity, Culture, Politics and the Media. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0748641338.
  2. ↑ Bince, Keith (21 Oct 2000). "Life, death, footie - and Phil Collins". The Observer. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Norfolk, Andrew (7 Sep 2007). "Moderates attack ‘fundamentally wrong’ approach to teaching Islam". The Times. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Cooper, Zaki (15 Sep 2007). "Fast way for Jews to meet Muslims". The Times. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Johnston, Sheila (15 Apr 2006). "The Gospel according to cinema". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Muslim Leaders Back Maternal Health Campaign". 1stEthical.com. 1st Ethical Charitable Trust. 12 Apr 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Grooming for Sex ‘Un-Islamic’: UK Muslims". OnIslam.net. 7 Apr 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.