Curriculum for Cohesion
SOAS

The Patrons

Curriculum for Cohesion is supported by a group of eminent Patrons who believe that a fractured world can only be healed by the systematic application of well-researched ideas.

  • Rt Hon Sadiq Khan

    Rt Hon Sadiq Khan

    The Right Honourable Sadiq Khan is Mayor of London. He was the Member of Parliament for Tooting from 2005-2016. He was the Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice from 2010-2015. As well as being the first Muslim Mayor of London, he was both the first Asian and the first Muslim to attend Cabinet. From October 2008 to June 2009, Mr. Khan was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Communities & Local Government. He had special responsibility for community cohesion, religion and belief, race and preventing violent extremism. Apart from his political duties, Mr. Khan has a keen interest in education as the Governor of two primary schools and is Patron of the Polka Theatre Company.
  • Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE

    Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE

    Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE was educated at Cambridge and Leo Baeck College and has had a life of distinguished public service. Amongst her numerous contributions, she served the South London Liberal Synagogue 1977-89 and chaired Camden & Islington Community Health Services NHS Trust from 1993–97. She became Chancellor of the University of Ulster 1994-2000 and Bloomberg Professor of Divinity at Harvard University in 2006. She became a life peer in 2004 and Chaired the Commission on the Future of Volunteering from 2006-08. She was President of Liberal Judaism until spring 2011. She was appointed Senior Rabbi of West London Synagogue in March 2011. (Photograph by Derek Tamea.)
  • Lord Harries of Pentregarth

    Lord Harries of Pentregarth

    The Right Reverend Richard Douglas Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth is a former bishop of Oxford (1987-2006) who has a background of distinguished ecclesiastical and academic public service. He is an Honorary Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Southwark and the Gresham Professor of Divinity (2008-12). Lord Harries was ordained as a priest in 1964 and served as an Army Chaplain until 1969. He was appointed Bishop of Oxford in 1987, taking a seat as a Lord Spiritual in the House of Lords in 1993. As Bishop of Oxford he became a founder member of the influential Oxford Abrahamic Group, bringing together leading Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars. He is the author of many influential works of theology.
  • HRH Princess Badiya of Jordan

    HRH Princess Badiya of Jordan

    Her Royal Highness Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan has a BA Hons. in History from Oxford University and an LLM in Public International Law from the London School of Economics. She was called to the Bar by Lincoln’s Inn in 1998. Princess Badiya has worked with a number of initiatives to further interfaith and cross cultural understanding as well as projects to promote human rights in general and, more specifically, the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. Princess Badiya‘s UK commitments include her role as Founder Chairman of Mosaic and a Prince’s Trust Ambassador. Princess Badiya is regularly invited to give lectures on Islam, interfaith matters, human rights and related issues.
  • Rt Hon Sir Simon Hughes

    Rt Hon Sir Simon Hughes

    The Right Honourable Sir Simon Hughes was the Member of Parliament for Bermondsey & Old Southwark and Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice and the Government’s Advocate for Access to Education until 2015 . Simon read law at Selwyn College, Cambridge and was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1974. He then spent a postgraduate European Studies year at the College of Europe in Bruges. Simon joined the Liberal Party in 1971 inspired by the campaigns for international justice in places such as South Africa and Palestine. He was first elected for Southwark, Bermondsey in 1983 with a still-unbeaten record for the largest swing in any British Parliamentary election (50.9%). During his time as an MP, Simon has held many significant roles within the Liberals and Liberal Democrats including Party President, Shadow Home Secretary, Shadow Attorney General, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change.
  • Sir David Calvert-Smith QC

    Sir David Calvert-Smith QC

    Sir David Calvert-Smith QC is Chairman of the Parole Board and was Director of Public Prosecutions of England and Wales from 1998 to 2003. He was called to the bar at the Middle Temple in 1969 and became a Queen’s Counsel in 1997. He was knighted in 2002 and sat as a High Court judge from 2005-12. After beginning his career both prosecuting and defending, he specialised in prosecution work from 1986, including several cases of murder, terrorism and organised crime. In October 1998, he became Director of Public Prosecutions and head of the Crown Prosecution Service, a post he held for five years.
  • Ms Baljit Ubhey OBE

    Ms Baljit Ubhey OBE

    Ms. Baljit Ubhey OBE is Chief Crown Prosecutor (CCP) for the Crown Prosecution Service in London and is the national hate crime champion within the CPS. In 1997, she took up an Advisor role in CPS Policy Directorate representing the service both nationally and internationally on changes in legislation and advice to the Law Officers, Director of Public Prosecutions and Home Office. During her tenure with the Policy Directorate, Baljit also undertook the role of Diversity Manager, developing the race equality strategy and setting up the Equality and Diversity Unit. She joined CPS London in October 2013 from Thames and Chiltern CPS, where she was also CCP and presided over the prosecution of seven men who were part of a child sexual exploitation grooming gang in Oxford. Also in 2013, she oversaw the first ever 'cash for crash' prosecution. In 2014, Baljit presided over the Operation Yewtree prosecutions of Rolf Harris and Max Clifford, both of whom were convicted of historic sexual offences.

  • Mr. Eoin McLennan-Murray

    Mr. Eoin McLennan-Murray

    Mr. Eoin McLennan-Murray joined the Prison Service in 1978 having graduated from Queen Mary College, London He has served in ten prison establishments, twice as Governing Governor, as well as spending four years in Prison Service Headquarters where he was Staff Officer to the Director General and then the manager responsible for development and national roll out of the accredited cognitive skills and sex offender programmes. He also spent two years on secondment to the Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit within the Department for Education and Skills, where as Head of Employer Initiatives he held responsibility for developing national strategies to improve levels of literacy and numeracy within the work force.

  • Sir Anthony Figgis KCVO CMG

    Sir Anthony Figgis KCVO CMG

    Sir Anthony Figgis KCVO CMG is a retired senior British diplomat who has been engaged for a life-time in creating inter-cultural understanding. He joined Her Majesty’s Foreign (later Diplomatic) Service in 1962 and served in Yugoslavia (twice), Bahrain, Spain (twice), Germany, and as Ambassador to Austria (1996-2000). He was appointed Her Majesty’s Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps in 2001 and served in that capacity until 2008. He has been Governor of Goodenough College for Overseas Graduates since 2004 and was Chairman of the Royal Over-Seas League from 2009-2015.
  • Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE

    Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE

    Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari MBE FRSA is Trustee of the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre (London’s first mosque) leading the institution to win the national ‘Super Model Mosque Competition’ in 2009. He is also a founding member of The East London Communities Organisation, a coalition of churches, mosques and other civil society organisations working together to promote understanding and a better governed city. He was Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain from 2006-10 and was on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic & Paralympic Games for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 2003, he was awarded an MBE for services to the community.
  • Right Reverend Dr Richard Cheetham

    Right Reverend Dr Richard Cheetham

    The Right Reverend Dr Richard Cheetham Bishop of Kingston read Physics and Philosophy at Oxford University and was ordained in 1988 after working as a teacher and an investment analyst. He became Archdeacon of St. Albans in 1999 and Bishop of Kingston in 2002. Bishop Richard is Chair of Southwark Diocesan Board of Education and former Co-Chair of the Christian Muslim Forum.
  • Mr Mohammed Amin MBE

    Mr Mohammed Amin MBE

    Mr Mohammed Amin MBE graduated in mathematics from Clare College, Cambridge and obtained a postgraduate certificate in education from Leeds University. He is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, an associate member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. He was the first Muslim in the UK to be admitted as a partner in Price Waterhouse, now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He was also an elected member of PwC’s Supervisory Board and the first Muslim in that role. Before his retirement in 2009, he was PwC’s head of Islamic finance in the UK. He is active in a number of organisations including being Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum (a grouping within the Conservative Party), Co-Chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester, and a member of the Consultative Council of the Three Faiths Forum. In 2016 he was awarded an MBE for services to community cohesion and inter-faith relations in Greater Manchester.
  • Professor Richard Pring

    Professor Richard Pring

    Professor Richard Pring was Professor of Educational Studies and the Director of the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Oxford from 1989 to 2003. From 2003 to 2009, he was also Lead Director of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education & Training. His latest book, 'The Life and Death of Secondary Education for All' was published by Routledge in 2012. Professor Pring also worked with the Aga Khan University in Karachi, helping to develop and teach the doctoral programme within the Institute for Educational Development. For his work with the University in Karachi over 15 years he received in the Aga Khan’s Award of Distinction.

  • Mr Aaqil Ahmed

    Mr Aaqil Ahmed

    Mr Aaqil Ahmed is the BBC Commissioning Editor of Religion and Head of Religion & Ethics. Aaqil has commissioned projects as diverse as ‘The Life of Muhammad’, ‘The Preston Passion’ and ‘Hitler’s Children’. He also led the BBC in-house team’s coverage of the Papal visit in 2010. In his previous role at Channel 4, Aaqil commissioned award-winning and genre-defining projects such as ‘Inside the Mind of the Suicide Bomber’, ‘Saving Africa’s Witch Children’ and ‘The Qur’an’.
  • Ms Bernadette Hunter

    Ms Bernadette Hunter

    Ms Bernadette Hunter 2013-14 President of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has worked in education for over 30 years. She has been a head teacher for 22 years in three different schools and is currently head teacher of a large primary school in Staffordshire. She joined the NAHT National Executive in 2007 where her responsibilities included Chairing the NAHT Equalities Committee.

  • Sir Trevor Chinn CVO

    Sir Trevor Chinn CVO

    Sir Trevor Chinn CVO is Senior Adviser to CVC Capital Partners. He retired in 2003 as Chairman of RAC plc (formerly Lex Service plc) after 47 years service. From 1991-2004 he served as Vice Chair on the Commission of Integrated Transport and for 11 years as Chair of the Motorists Forum. In 2000 (to 2011) Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, appointed him Chairman of the Mayor’s Fund, an independent charity addressing the large scale issues of poverty of children and young people in London. He was Vice Chair of the Wishing Well Appeal for Great Ormond Street Hospital and responsible for their fund-raising campaigns 1985-89 for which he received a knighthood in 1990. He currently sits on the Executive Committee Board of the Jewish Leadership Council and was recently invited by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to be Chair of the Mayor's Fund for London.

  • The Research & Documentation Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain

    The Research & Documentation Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain

    The Muslim Council of Britain, is a national representative Muslim umbrella body with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organisations including mosques, charities and schools. Its Research & Documentation Committee is an academic and researcher network that supports the activities of the MCB through policy briefings, survey work and supporting research of relevance to the Muslim community.

close