Ustadha Khola Hasan 

(Office Director/Counsellor)

Background

• I was born in Saudi Arabia, attended primary school in Kenya, and have lived in London for most of my life.

• My writing and public speaking career began very early.  My first short book entitled “The crumbling minarets of Spain” was written at the age of 17, was later published in England, and then translated into Arabic and Urdu abroad.

• I am also a broadcaster for television and radio. A debate that I took part in 2005 with Irshad Manji for Radio 4 on “Women in Islam” later won the Sony Gold prize for Best Speech programme. I also took part in one of the renowned Doha Debates on the issue of equality for women. Sadly, I was on the losing side of the debate!

• For eight years, I worked as an Intervention Provider for the Home Office, working closely with the police, prison and social services dealing with young people being radicalized into violent extremism.

• I work at the Islamic Shariah Council, Europe’s first Shariah Council, which is based in Leyton, London.

• I contribute a blog to Imams Online.com and also have my own blog page at: Kholahasan.wordpress.com.

• I have recently enrolled into the five-year Alimiyyah programme at the As Salam Institute, which trains male and female students in the Islamic sciences, enabling them to become Imams, Islamic judges and religious leaders.

My teachers include:

• Sheikh Suhaib Hasan Abdul Ghaffar

• Dr Muhammad Abdel Haleem

• Dr Masood Baderin

• Sheikh Akram Nadwi

• Dr Salah Al Ghobashi

• Professor Lynn Welchmann

• Professor Werner Menski

• Dr Ahmad Barouni