Daud Abdullah
Encyclopedia
Daud A. Abdullah is the current Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
.
where he received his early education. He obtained his first degree from the University of Guyana
in 1981 and was awarded a scholarship to study Arabic language at King Saud University
in Saudi Arabia
. In 1984 he joined the University of Khartoum
, Sudan
to pursue postgraduate studies and was awarded his doctorate in 1989. His last posting in Saudi Arabia was as editor and translator at the Abul Qasim Publishing House in Jeddah
.
He then lectured in history at the University of Maiduguri
in Nigeria
. Since moving to the United Kingdom
with his family in the mid 1990s Abdullah has been senior researcher at the Palestinian Return Centre, London
. He has been a regular contributor to Impact International and the Palestine Times. He is editor of The Israeli Law of Return & its Impact on the Struggle in Palestine.
Abdullah comments on Palestinian
affairs in the British and Arab media.
Since July 1996 Dr. Abdullah has been senior researcher at the London-based Palestinian Return Centre and editor of the Return Review, which has recently been replaced with the Journal of Palestinian Refugees Studies.
Dr. Abdullah was Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
from 2003-2006. He chaired the European and international Affairs Committee during the period 2004-06 and represented the MCB in several delegations abroad. He has been a spokesperson for the MCB both in the British and international media. He is currently both their Deputy Secretary General and their Chair of Europe & International Affairs Committee.
Abdullah formerly lectured in 'Introduction to Islam' module of the Islamic Studies CertHE at Birkbeck Stratford
.
He is chairman and khateeb of Masjid Annoor in Acton, west London and has been a guest lecturer on Islamic and Palestinian affairs at many universities in the UK including Queen’s University in Belfast.
Abdullah is a trustee of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism.
Islamic Political Radicalization – A European Perspective, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2007
A History of Palestinian Resistance, Al Aqsa Publishers, Leicester, 2005
The Israeli Law of Return & its Impact on the Struggle in Palestine, Palestinian Return Centre, London, 2004.
) in January of that year. This was in relation to opposition to Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military action in Gaza of December 2008 and January 2009.
In an open letter from the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears
wrote to the MCB saying Abdullah should be asked to "resign his post" for signing the statement which supported Hamas and celebrated its "victory" against "this malicious Jewish Zionist war over Gaza".
In her letter, dated 13 March, Blears wrote: "In light of the MCB's unequivocal stance on violence, it would seem that Dr Abdullah's position as the deputy secretary general would be incompatible with his recent actions." The deadline set by Blears for Abdullah's dismissal passed, with MCB leaders deciding to stand by him.
In a response, also published in the Guardian newspaper, Dr. Abdullah called her remarks a "misguided and ill-advised attempt to exercise control" stated his intention to remain in position. Subsequently, he announced his intention to sue Hazel Blears
, in respect of her office, should she not retract her letter and issue an apology by 15 April 2009.
A letter from the Treasury Solicitors, acting on behalf of Hazel Blears and HM Government, to Dr. Abdullah's solicitors revealed their willingness to continue with such a course of action . It closed with the statement, "It follows, of course, that your offer of settlement is rejected". No further reports of attempts to pursue a libel case by Adbullah or the MCB have been heard.
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
.
Life and career
Daud Abdullah was born in St. David's GrenadaGrenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
where he received his early education. He obtained his first degree from the University of Guyana
University of Guyana
The University of Guyana, in Georgetown, Guyana is a public university established in 1963 by the Guyanese government.-History:Cheddi Jagan, then Premier of British Guiana considered that the University of the West Indies, to which his government had contributed since 1948, was not meeting the...
in 1981 and was awarded a scholarship to study Arabic language at King Saud University
King Saud University
King Saud University is a public university located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1957 by King Saud bin Abdul Aziz as Riyadh University, as the first university in the kingdom not dedicated to religious subjects. The university was created to meet the shortage of skilled workers in...
in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. In 1984 he joined the University of Khartoum
University of Khartoum
The University of Khartoum ia a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Khartoum. It is the largest and oldest university in Sudan. UofK was founded as Gordon Memorial College in 1902 and established in 1956 when Sudan gained independence...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
to pursue postgraduate studies and was awarded his doctorate in 1989. His last posting in Saudi Arabia was as editor and translator at the Abul Qasim Publishing House in Jeddah
Jeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
.
He then lectured in history at the University of Maiduguri
University of Maiduguri
The University of Maiduguri is located in Maiduguri, a city in Borno State in northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government in 1975, with the intention of its becoming one of the country's principal higher-education institutions...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. Since moving to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with his family in the mid 1990s Abdullah has been senior researcher at the Palestinian Return Centre, 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...
. He has been a regular contributor to Impact International and the Palestine Times. He is editor of The Israeli Law of Return & its Impact on the Struggle in Palestine.
Abdullah comments on Palestinian
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
affairs in the British and Arab media.
Since July 1996 Dr. Abdullah has been senior researcher at the London-based Palestinian Return Centre and editor of the Return Review, which has recently been replaced with the Journal of Palestinian Refugees Studies.
Dr. Abdullah was Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
from 2003-2006. He chaired the European and international Affairs Committee during the period 2004-06 and represented the MCB in several delegations abroad. He has been a spokesperson for the MCB both in the British and international media. He is currently both their Deputy Secretary General and their Chair of Europe & International Affairs Committee.
Abdullah formerly lectured in 'Introduction to Islam' module of the Islamic Studies CertHE at Birkbeck Stratford
Birkbeck Stratford
Birkbeck Stratford is the name for a project to expand the provision of part-time Higher Education in east London, to be made by Birkbeck, University of London in conjunction with the University of East London...
.
He is chairman and khateeb of Masjid Annoor in Acton, west London and has been a guest lecturer on Islamic and Palestinian affairs at many universities in the UK including Queen’s University in Belfast.
Abdullah is a trustee of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism.
Books
How the Zionist Colonization of Palestine Radicalized British Muslims in T. Abbas (ed.)Islamic Political Radicalization – A European Perspective, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2007
A History of Palestinian Resistance, Al Aqsa Publishers, Leicester, 2005
The Israeli Law of Return & its Impact on the Struggle in Palestine, Palestinian Return Centre, London, 2004.
Allegations of Libel Against Hazel Blears
In March 2009, the Observer newspaper reported that individuals including Daud Abdullah, had signed what has become known as the Istanbul Declaration (not to be confused with the 2004 Istanbul summit2004 Istanbul summit
The 2004 Istanbul summit was held in Istanbul, Turkey from June 28 to June 29, 2004. It was the 17th NATO summit in which NATO's Heads of State and Governments met to make formal decisions about security topics...
) in January of that year. This was in relation to opposition to Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military action in Gaza of December 2008 and January 2009.
In an open letter from the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears
Hazel Blears
Hazel Anne Blears is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles since 2010 and was previously the MP for Salford since 1997...
wrote to the MCB saying Abdullah should be asked to "resign his post" for signing the statement which supported Hamas and celebrated its "victory" against "this malicious Jewish Zionist war over Gaza".
In her letter, dated 13 March, Blears wrote: "In light of the MCB's unequivocal stance on violence, it would seem that Dr Abdullah's position as the deputy secretary general would be incompatible with his recent actions." The deadline set by Blears for Abdullah's dismissal passed, with MCB leaders deciding to stand by him.
In a response, also published in the Guardian newspaper, Dr. Abdullah called her remarks a "misguided and ill-advised attempt to exercise control" stated his intention to remain in position. Subsequently, he announced his intention to sue Hazel Blears
Hazel Blears
Hazel Anne Blears is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Salford and Eccles since 2010 and was previously the MP for Salford since 1997...
, in respect of her office, should she not retract her letter and issue an apology by 15 April 2009.
A letter from the Treasury Solicitors, acting on behalf of Hazel Blears and HM Government, to Dr. Abdullah's solicitors revealed their willingness to continue with such a course of action . It closed with the statement, "It follows, of course, that your offer of settlement is rejected". No further reports of attempts to pursue a libel case by Adbullah or the MCB have been heard.
External links
- Staff and Trustees Centre for the Study of Terrorism
- Office Bearers Muslim Council of BritainMuslim Council of BritainThe Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
- MCB Office Bearers 2006-2008 Muslim Council of BritainMuslim Council of BritainThe Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
- Palestinian Return Centre