Dilwar Hussain is an independent British consultant working on social policy, Muslim identity and Islamic reform in the modern world. He formerly taught MA courses on Islam and Muslims at the Markfield Institute of Higher Education.
Biography
Hussain, a British Bangladeshi, studied at King's College London, graduating in 1993. He completed a Master of Philosophy in religious studies from the University of Wales, Lampeter in 1999. Dilwar is founding Chair of New Horizons in British Islam, a charity that works on Muslim identity, integration and reform; Research Fellow at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, University of Coventry and Lecturer at the University of Leicester. He teaches courses on Islam in contemporary society and has a number of published works in the field. He has worked in academic research, policy consultancy and training for over fifteen years, delivering contracts for private sector groups as well as various government departments. His recent research and advisory work includes: Literature Review for the Casey Report on Integration ; a report on the Somali Diaspora in Leicester for the Open Society Foundation ; a report on Muslims in Leicester for the Open Society Foundation ; Specialist Advisor to the House of Commons Inquiry on Prevent ; Consultant to the Cambridge-Azhar Imams Training Project, Cambridge University and FCO; steering group of the Contextualising Islam in Britain Project, Cambridge University. He is Vice-Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and a Trustee of the Three Faiths Forum and the Islamic Society of Britain, where he was President. He is a member of the Faiths Advisory Panel for Near Neighbours, a grant scheme managed by the Church Urban Fund. Dilwar established and headed the Policy Research Centre, at the Islamic Foundation. He was also a Commissioner at the Commission for Racial Equality . He served on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Commission on Urban Life and Faith, was Co-Chair of the BBC Standing Conference on Religion and Belief, was co-chair of Alif-Aleph UK, a Trustee of Maslaha and worked on the Preventing Extremism Together workgroups set up by the Home Office after July 7, 2005. He has been listed in the ‘Who’s Who of British Muslims’ by http://www.salaam.co.uk and the British Bangladeshi Power and Inspiration 100. He was a member of the Community, Voluntary and Local services Honours Committee, which nominates people for the Queen's Birthday and New Year's Honours.
Selected publications
“Belonging Without Believing: Religion, Atheism and Islam today”, in: A. Carroll and R. Norman, Religion and Atheism: Beyond the Divide, Routledge, Oxon, UK.
Contextualising Islam in Europe and North America: Challenges and Opportunities, with Peter Mandaville, Brookings, US, 2015.
‘ The UK’ in J.S. Nielsen et al Yearbook of Muslims in Europe Vol 6, Brill, Leiden, 2014.
Somalis in Leicester, Open Society Foundation, 2014.
‘Can Muslims Think Universally? Human Rights as a Challenge for Reform’, Amos International Journal.
'Social Policy, Cultural Integration and Faith: A Muslim Perspective’, Journal of Social Policy and Society.
‘How did the Muslim Community Come to be Where it is Today?’ in: Tony Bayfield, Alan Race and Ataullah Siddiqui Beyond the Dysfunctional Family: Jews, Christians and Muslims in Dialogue With Each Other and With Britain.
Chapter on ‘The Holy Grail of Muslims in Western Europe: Representation and Relationship with the State’, in Esposito and Burgat, Modernizing Islam: Religion in the Public Sphere in Europe and the Middle East. Hurst & Co., London, 2003.