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Profile – Toaha Qureshi MBE, Founder Chairman

Toaha B.Z. Qureshi, MBE

Toaha Qureshi is a Member of the Order of The British Empire after being conferred an MBE by Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II for his services rendered to the community. He is a British national  and is CEO of School of Economics and Law (SOEL, formerly known as LCBMIT), and Chairman of the Forum for International Relations Development (FIRD)-a UK based conflict resolution think tank. He is also Chairman of a leading social housing association in London with 250 properties under management. He is a philanthropist and has supported numerous humanitarian and charitable organisations to help displaced persons, orphans, prisoners, ex-offenders, and marginalised members of the community (e.g. Pakistan Flood Victims, Philippines Typhoon).

He is headhunted for positions in other organisations many of which are voluntary (and at one point was board member for 25 local, regional and national organisations) in order to provide them expert advice and raise their profile, particularly in fields of education, interfaith harmony, housing, poverty, counter radicalisation, employment, counter extremism, counter terrorism and quality management. He has provided training and capacity building programmes for numerous institutions including public and private sector organisations such as Metropolitan Police, National Offender Management Services. He authored many papers for international conferences (e.g. National Legal Education Conference), magazines and journals (e.g. The Bow Group, International Centre for Counter Terrorism Hague, SAFMA, SZABUL, etc).

He specialises in community relations, conflict management, and counter radicalisation/extremism. He has designed and delivered numerous capacity building, preventative and diversionary programmes to address the trend of extremism and its root causes before 9/11 and 7/7 with partners such as the Home Office (Office for Security & Counter Terrorism), Metropolitan Police, London Probation, European Union (EU), local authorities, multi-faith organisations, parliamentarians and universities in the UK and abroad. He successfully designed and implemented two unique models in 1999 which formed the fundamental basis of counter radicalisation and deradicalisation work carried out. His project to tackle extremism has had a 100% success rate saving the mainstream services and authorities thousands in taxpayer’s money.

In addition, Mr. Qureshi MBE has successful academic expertise, leading two private academic institutions, educating over 5,000 students since inception, where SOEL has a social welfare ethos and has granted scholarships worth well over £1.5m to support the brightest students from deprived backgrounds, particularly from Pakistan. SOEL achieved the highest rating from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), attaining the commendable status. He has successfully linked British universities with several universities in Pakistan for quality enhancement, twinning and exchange programmes. He has pioneered a unique master of law programme in International Commercial Law, the first of its kind in the UK, in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University, being rolled out across the UK and overseas.

Mr. Qureshi MBE is regularly invited to deliver lectures at British and Pakistani institutions alongside world leaders, celebrities and academicians, on a range of topical issues including at the International Centre for Counter Terrorism in the Hague, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Buckinghamshire New University, University of the Punjab, SZAB University of Law, FC College, University of Peshawar and others.

Key Skills:

Specific Achievements:

Corporate Strategy and Policy

Leadership and Management

Teaching and Learning

Corporate Resource Management

External Relations

 

Community Services:

The Founder/Chairman of:

 

  1. A. Conferences/Seminars on dialogue, community cohesion, deradicalisation & extremism:

 

Organised and/or spoke at international conferences with British/EU/International partners where speakers of international standing also attended:
1. International Conference on Legal Education 2015 (SZAB University of Law, Karachi, 2015)

2. Pakistan: Opportunity in Crisis (in partnership with St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, London/Oxford, 2014)

3. International Conference on Legal Education 2013 (SZAB University of Law, Karachi, 2014)

4. State, Religion and Democracy (tri-city conference – Forman Christian College, Lahore, 2013; Centre for Research and Security Studies, Islamabad, 2013; and Peshawar University, Peshawar, 2013)

5. Leaders First Finale, Entrepreneurs 2012 Conference (London, 2012)

6. Future of Pakistan Conference: Revolving Paradigms (London, 2012)

7. EU Projects – Transnational Partnership Meeting/Seminar; Towards Preventing Violent Radicalisation (TPVR) (Madrid, 2010)

8. EU Project – Transnational Conference; Towards Preventing Violent Radicalisation (TPVR) (Berlin, 2010)

9. Reducing Influences that Radicalise Prisoners; Conference on “Radicalisation   in Prison and Probation” Three day conference (Segovia, January 2010)

10. Engaging with Violent Extremist Offenders in Prison and on  Probation; Three day conference (London, 2010)

11. Education, Extremism & Rehabilitation (in partnership with Baha-ud-Din Zakariya University, Multan, 2010)

12. Education & Rehabilitation (Islamabad, 2010)

13. The Role of Education in Addressing Extremism (in partnership with Baha-ud-Din Zakariya University, Metropolitan Police and London Probation Trust London, Multan, 2009)

14. The Role of Communities in Addressing Extremism (in partnership with Metropolitan Police, London, 2007)

15. Dialogue Among Civilisations (in partnership with Baha-ud-Din Zakariya University and Metropolitan Police, Multan, 2006)

16. Solidarity Conference (in partnership with Metropolitan Police, London, 2005)

17. The Self-Aware Youth (in partnership with Metropolitan Police, London, 2004)

18. Educating Youth (in partnership with Metropolitan Police, London, 2003)

19. The Role of Religion in Diminishing Terrorism (in partnership with Metropolitan Police, London, 2002)

20. The Role of Mosques in the Development of Local Communities (in partnership with Metropolitan Police, London, 2000)

 

  1. B. Research & Publications

Authored a book in Urdu “Mera Jihad” in 2014. Its English version “My Jihad” is ready for publishing. The following articles in international press have been published:

1)    ‘The Wailing Wall’The News International/Express Tribune, May 2012.

2) ‘In Search of Rehabilitation Paradigm’South Asian Journal – South Asian Free Media Association, July 2011.

3)    ‘Midwifing the Crises; American and Western intrusion in Afghanistan’Cross    Bow – Bow Group (A Journal of Conservative Party’s Think-Tank), September 2010

4) ‘Countering Violent Extremist Narratives’International Centre for Counter Terrorism, Hague’s Publication, 2010.

 

  1. C. Awards & Honours

Mr. Toaha Qureshi, MBE has been honoured with many awards including the

following:

1)       British Community Honours Awards presented by Dominic Grieve QC MP (House of Lords, 2010)

2)       Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) presented by Her Majesty the Queen, Elizabeth II (Buckingham Palace, 2009)

3)       Star of Pakistan Award presented by HE High Commissioner of Pakistan to the UK, Wajid Shams ul Hasan (London, 2009)

4)       Lambeth Civic Award presented by the Mayor of Lambeth (London, 2008)

5)       Metropolitan Police Commendation Award presented by Borough Commander (London, 2005)


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