Raficq Abdulla
Encyclopedia
Raficq Abdulla is a writer, poet, public speaker, and broadcaster on a number of topics. He has been trustee of the Poetry Society and Planet Poetry and is a trustee of English PEN
. He is also currently an Associate Non-Executive Director of South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust. In 1999, Raficq was awarded an MBE
for his interfaith work between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. He has published two books of poetry based on the Muslim mystics Rumi and Attar
.
for BBC World Service
radio, including The Four Caliphs; Rumi; The Conference of the Birds (a new interpretation of the allegorical poem by the 12th-century mystic poet Fariduddin Attar), a series on the life of The Prophet Muhammad. He has contributed to live current affairs programmes such as News Hour
on the World Service. As a writer, he has published Words of Paradise, a collection of his interpretations of Jalaluddin Rumi’s poetry, and a fresh interpretation of the allegorical poem by the medieval poet and mystic, Farid al-Din Attar, Conference of the Birds. He has been a regular reviewer of books on Islam and has published articles on a number of topics including issues concerning identity, Islamophobia
, and the aftermath of the Salman Rushdie affair. He has written on Ruskin
, Islamic Art
, poetry
and on topics dealing with Muslims in the contemporary world as well as screenplays for Channel 4
including the award-winning films Blood of Hussein and Born of Fire.
As a public speaker, Raficq has addressed a wide variety of national and international audiences in the UK, Canada
, the USA, Spain
and Dubai
on issues concerning Islam, Muslims, Islamic Law
, Islamic finance, Art
, Identity
, Poetry and Spirituality
. He has spoken on the 13th century Muslim mystic poet Rumi and the 20th century German poet, Rilke during 2007 in this venue at St. Ethelburgas, and in early April 2008 he narrated his interpretation of parts of a poem by the 15th Century Persian mystic poet, Jami, also at St. Ethelburgas. In May 2008 he was the narrator at a concert in memory of the German/Jewish composer Victor Ullmann who was killed at Auschwitz in 1945. He has presented his own poetry including his interpretations of Rumi and Attar at several poetry festivals including Dartington
, London
and Ledbury
He was a trustee of the Poetry Society and a director of Planet Poetry until November 2008 when his term expired. He is presently a board member of English PEN.
In 1999, he was awarded an MBE for his interfaith work between Muslims, Jews, and Christians.
Since he has retired from Kingston University
as its University Secretary, Raficq has embarked on a new career in mentoring and coaching which he began whilst at Kingston University as part of its mentoring and coaching scheme, and he has set up a consultancy to advise on Sharia Finance and also a management consultancy partnership to advise both businesses and institutions in the public and third sector. He is currently a partner of Silverdale Consulting http://www.silverdaleconsulting.co.uk/ - a management consultancy business.
Legal Adviser to:
Muslim College, London
Imams & Mosques Council, London
Shari'ah (Muslim Law) Council of the UK
Former Chairman of:
The Festival of Muslim Cultures
[Words of Paradise/http://www.amazon.com/dp/071121509X] on Amazon
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
. He is also currently an Associate Non-Executive Director of South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust. In 1999, Raficq was awarded an MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
for his interfaith work between Muslims, Jews, and Christians. He has published two books of poetry based on the Muslim mystics Rumi and Attar
Attar
Abū Hamīd bin Abū Bakr Ibrāhīm , better known by his pen-names Farīd ud-Dīn and ‘Attār , was a Persian Muslim poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nīshāpūr who had an abiding influence on Persian poetry and Sufism.-Biography:Information about Attar's life is rare...
.
Written Work and Public Appearances
Raficq has written and presented a large number of programmes on IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
for BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
radio, including The Four Caliphs; Rumi; The Conference of the Birds (a new interpretation of the allegorical poem by the 12th-century mystic poet Fariduddin Attar), a series on the life of The Prophet Muhammad. He has contributed to live current affairs programmes such as News Hour
News Hour
The title News Hour may refer to:* Newshour, the BBC World Service radio flagship programme* News Hour , a now ended news programme on British breakfast television GMT...
on the World Service. As a writer, he has published Words of Paradise, a collection of his interpretations of Jalaluddin Rumi’s poetry, and a fresh interpretation of the allegorical poem by the medieval poet and mystic, Farid al-Din Attar, Conference of the Birds. He has been a regular reviewer of books on Islam and has published articles on a number of topics including issues concerning identity, Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
, and the aftermath of the Salman Rushdie affair. He has written on Ruskin
Ruskin
- Surname :*John Ruskin , an English author, poet and artist, most famous for his work as art critic and social critic, and for his writing on the architecture of Venice....
, Islamic Art
Islamic art
Islamic art encompasses the visual arts produced from the 7th century onwards by people who lived within the territory that was inhabited by or ruled by culturally Islamic populations...
, poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and on topics dealing with Muslims in the contemporary world as well as screenplays for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
including the award-winning films Blood of Hussein and Born of Fire.
As a public speaker, Raficq has addressed a wide variety of national and international audiences in the UK, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the USA, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
on issues concerning Islam, Muslims, Islamic Law
Islamic law
Islamic law can refer to:*Sharia: The code of conduct enjoined upon Muslims in the Quran*Fiqh: Muslim jurisprudence...
, Islamic finance, Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, Identity
Identity (social science)
Identity is a term used to describe a person's conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations . The term is used more specifically in psychology and sociology, and is given a great deal of attention in social psychology...
, Poetry and Spirituality
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
. He has spoken on the 13th century Muslim mystic poet Rumi and the 20th century German poet, Rilke during 2007 in this venue at St. Ethelburgas, and in early April 2008 he narrated his interpretation of parts of a poem by the 15th Century Persian mystic poet, Jami, also at St. Ethelburgas. In May 2008 he was the narrator at a concert in memory of the German/Jewish composer Victor Ullmann who was killed at Auschwitz in 1945. He has presented his own poetry including his interpretations of Rumi and Attar at several poetry festivals including Dartington
Dartington
Dartington is a village in Devon, England. Its population is 1,917. It is located west of the River Dart, south of Dartington Hall and about two miles from Totnes...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Ledbury
Ledbury
Ledbury is a town in Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills.Today, Ledbury is a thriving market town in rural England. The town has a large number of timber framed buildings, in particular along Church Lane and High Street. One of Ledbury's most outstanding...
Further Activities
He is an Associate Director of the South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust where his particular remit is governance and equality.He was a trustee of the Poetry Society and a director of Planet Poetry until November 2008 when his term expired. He is presently a board member of English PEN.
In 1999, he was awarded an MBE for his interfaith work between Muslims, Jews, and Christians.
Since he has retired from Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
as its University Secretary, Raficq has embarked on a new career in mentoring and coaching which he began whilst at Kingston University as part of its mentoring and coaching scheme, and he has set up a consultancy to advise on Sharia Finance and also a management consultancy partnership to advise both businesses and institutions in the public and third sector. He is currently a partner of Silverdale Consulting http://www.silverdaleconsulting.co.uk/ - a management consultancy business.
Legal Adviser to:
Muslim College, London
Imams & Mosques Council, London
Shari'ah (Muslim Law) Council of the UK
Former Chairman of:
The Festival of Muslim Cultures
Festival of Muslim Cultures
The Festival of Muslim Cultures, a national celebration of Muslim cultures held in the United Kingdom, began in January 2006 and ended July 2007...
External links
[The Conference of the Birds]http://www.amazon.com/Conference-Birds-Selected-Poetry-Ud-Din/dp/1566564808/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238440139&sr=1-7 on AmazonAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
[Words of Paradise/http://www.amazon.com/dp/071121509X] on Amazon