Zara Mohammed (born c.1991) is a Scottish faith leader currently serving as Secretary General of the
Muslim Council of Britain since 2021. She is the first woman to lead the organisation in its history.
Biography
Mohammed's grandparents immigrated to Britain from
Multan
Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab.
Multan is one of the List ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. She was born in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, Scotland, and studied at the
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...
where she graduated with an
LLB
Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the China, People's Republic ...
in Human Rights Law. In 2016, she became the first woman to lead the
Federation of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS).
Mohammed previously served as the Assistant Secretary General for the
Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), and was elected Secretary General of the organisation in 2021 after receiving the majority of affiliate votes over her competitor,
Ajmal Masroor
Ajmal Masroor ( bn, আজমল মসরূর; born 19 October 1971) is a Bangladeshi-born British imam, broadcaster and politician. He is well known for being a television presenter on political discussions and on Muslim channels.
Early lif ...
. This was the first time a woman had held the position; Mohammed was additionally the youngest, as well as the first Scottish, person to serve in the role.
On 19 February 2021, Mohammed met with the
Paymaster General