Winners of Muslim Young Leaders Award

The people recognised by the Muslim Young Leaders Award were chosen because of their achievements in working with their local communities.

Hanan Issa

Hanan works with Independent Living Services at Cardiff Council. She raised £2,000 for refugees camping in Calais and personally helped deliver the goods to mothers and children.

Salah Uddin

Salah helps at home and abroad. He organises the Bangor mosque to donate food and distribute it among the needy in Bangor area, and he is currently raising funds to bring relief to refugees in Turkey.

Nausheen Lal

Nausheen, along with her mum, founded SOBIS – the School of Basic Islamic Studies – which has tutored hundreds of students in GCSE Islamic Studies. She also uses theatre to develop the confidence of young people and started a ladies-only open mic.

Muna Ali

Muna came as a parent to a Newport event called Families and Schools Together, but she qualified and is now a facilitator, especially helping with translating so that parents who don’t speak English can connect with their children’s education.

Azizur Rahman

Azizur is a caterer in Port Talbot. He is a community leader, organising events both within the Muslim community and also festivals for everyone to enjoy, and the mosque leader calls him “a true unsung hero within our community.”

Muhammad Abid Chishti

Imam Chishti came to Newport a couple of years ago to serve the Al-Noor Mosque. Outside his professional duties, though, he works tirelessly to teach Islamic classes to Muslim children and introductions to visiting schoolchildren from across the community. He’s working with the council and Newport Communities First to foster partnerships.

Rafia Haque

Rafia is Vice President of the Islamic Society at Swansea University. She was featured on the university’s Inspiring Women 2016 page this month, and the current student union president said Rafia has been “a source of inspiration and leadership on campus all year.”

Tiger Bay Youth Development

The Tiger Bay Youth Development Volunteers come from across Cardiff – Ahmed Hassan, Hamza Osman, Mustafa Mohamed, Mustafa Essa, Abdisamad Ahmed and Ilyaas Ahmed – they have organised a football programme with 80 kids playing from U13 to U18 in the Cardiff and District Youth Leagues, with training of younger players down to U7.

Hanna Zaman

Hanna who is a Wales International cricketer and works to make sport such as cricket accessible to girls in Cardiff. So she’s helping diversity in the game and supporting the next generation of players.

Dar ul Isra’s Scout troupe, 1st Cathays Al-Huda

This troupe has been running for over a decade and was started by young people who were Scouts here in Cardiff when they were kids, in Roath. Now they have a thriving programme, and we recognise Sophie Ali, Omar Sabri, Yusuf Aboulgasem, Robyina Khan and Alaa Khundakji

Futures of Riverside

This is a youth group run by a group of young men who were high school students at Fitzalan and are now at various stages in University but keeping the programme going with positive engagement with youth and the wider community of Riverside. It’s about organising activities but also getting kids active in meeting politicians and service groups to improve Riverside. Named here are Abdiraheem Ahmed, Joel Britton, Khalifa Alale, and Omar Shazad

Assisa Yusuf and Jameela McBill

Assisa and Jameela work with youth centres around Cardiff such as Butetown, Riverside, and Grangetown, drawing out young Muslim girls to activities. According to their referees, they have girls coming out to the group who wouldn’t be there if not for the diligence and the presence of Assisa and Jameela.

Raheem Ali

Raheem runs cricket and football clubs for Muslim and non-Muslim kids, with over 50 kids registered. He gives his time, his talents, and when needed, his pocketbook.

Jenine Abdo

Jenine is a solicitor in family law. She shares her knowledge and experience so young people can think about how the law affects them and whether they might want to follow her in a career as a solicitor.

Rhia Danis

Rhia is in her last year of high school at Ysgol David Hughes in Anglesey. She is a Youth Ambassador for the group Wales for Peace. Rhia is in frequent contact with her local MP, and she worked with her school to open up a prayer space in the school where students of all faiths can go and pray. Her teacher says she’s a lovely young woman and a model for others.