A Human Being First

Staff Report, "Imam is honoured" - Manchester Evening News - Manchester, England, UK
Wednesday, December 31, 2008

A Muslim Imam from Rochdale has received the MBE for services to the muslim community in his home town, where he has been actively involved in community and religious affairs for a number of years.

Father of three Muhammad Chishti, 35, has been an Imam at Forest Bank Prison for eight years, and has served in the same role at Buckley Hall Prison for the past two years.

His work involves planning and delivering weekly sermons to Muslim inmates, and he has been particularly effective in helping them make plans for resuming life when they have completed their sentences.

He has also made a significant contribution at both prisons by advising prison officers and management on Islamic issues.

He represents the Muslim community speaking at churches and temples and is also a presenter, on Crescent Radio, a local community station which broadcasts from Rochdale, addressing social issues faced by all sections of the community.

He was one of the founder members, and the Director of Citizenship, of the Sufi Muslim Council, an organisation that has successfully been able to project moderate British Islam and organises and promotes presentations from the Jewish and Christian communities to pupils in his local mosque.

He said of his award: "I feel genuinely honoured, though I had to ask myself what I had really done to merit the award. To me, I just do what I do."

He said: "My prison work is something that I have found particularly rewarding, and I have been humbled when inmates have told me that had they had an Imam like me, they might never have ended up inside in the first place.

"Similarly my multi-faith work is something that I believe is both very important, and again rewarding. I have been involved in numerous sermon exchanges with other faiths and it is essential that we inter-react and learn to respect each other.

"I think it is all a matter of being approachable. I consider myself a human being first, and a Muslim second. It takes a great deal of time to build relationships, but it can be done."

[Picture: HM Prison Forest Bank. Photo: http://tinyurl.com/7epu7t ]

Visit the Sufi Muslim Council http://tinyurl.com/7epu7t