The team

 

Oliver McTernan, co-founder and director of Forward Thinking, has an established background in conflict resolution and interfaith relationships.  He was responsible for initiating the first post-conflict talks between NATO and the former Yugoslav government.  He was a Visiting Fellow of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University and is a Senior Associate Fellow of the UK Defence Academy.  His recent book Violence in God’s Name explores the role of religion in an age of conflict.

Huda Jawad, UK Programme director, was born in Iraq.  She has a masters degree in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of London School of Oriental & African Studies.  She also holds a bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology.  Before joining Forward Thinking, she was administrator of the Civility Programme at the Foreign Policy Centre.

Yusuf Desai, UK Programme regional director, was raised in South and Central Africa.  He is a retired businessman with a wide network of contacts across the Muslim communities in the UK.

Iftikhar Malik, faith adviser, is the director of the Luqman Foundation.  He has served as adviser on Muslim student affairs for London Metropolitan University and has also been the director of the Community Centre in Finsbury Park where he implemented a number of innovative programmes.  Born in Pakistan, he has devoted the major part of his life to promoting a better understanding of faith in contemporary society.

Shaykh Michael Mumisa, faith adviser, is a highly respected Muslim academic and Theologian.  He was awarded his ‘Alimiyya (Al-Azhar University graduate degree equivalent) with distinction from one of Africa’s foremost Islamic universities and seminaries in Islamic classics and classical Arabic Literature.  He is currently doing PhD research in English Literature specialising in Contemporary Literary & Critical Theory.  Hehas also been visiting lecturer in the Department of Theology at the University of Birmingham, and has taught Philosophy and Theology to MA students at other UK universities.  He is author of a number of studies including Islamic Law: Theory & Interpretation (2002).

Yaël Banaji, Middle East adviser, is based in the UK and also consults on fundraising.