Five Britons of Bangladeshi origin named in Queen's Birthday Honours 2017

Five British citizens of Bangladeshi origin have been named in Queen's Birthday Honours List in the UK this year.

They are Sultan Ahmed Choudhury, Abdul Jabbar, Mohammad Ajman (Tommy) Miah, Tahmina Rahman, and Asif Anwar Ahmad.

There are 554 successful women candidates, including a Bangladeshi, in the list, representing 50 percent of the recipients.

Of the 1,109 recipients of the honours, 10 percent are from minority communities.

The names were announced on Friday after Queen's visit to the West London tower block where some 30 people were killed in a devastating fire a couple of days ago. She met some of the victims' relatives and fire service personnel who responded to the disaster. Prince Williams was with the Queen.

Sultan Ahmed Choudhury

Sultan Ahmed Choudhury from Birmingham, West Midlands, has been named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the UK market for Islamic finance.

The CEO of Al Rayan Bank said it was a 'great privilege' to receive this honour from the queen, according to a media release issued by the bank.

"The last 13 years represent a tremendous, but sometimes difficult, journey to establish Islamic finance as an alternative to conventional finance in the UK," said the CEO of the bank established in 2004. He has dedicated the honour to his family and colleagues.

Choudhury, a Chartered Accountant (FCA), holds a BA (Hons) in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Nottingham and an MBA with distinction and honorary DSc from Aston University.

Abdul Jabbar

Labour Councillor Abdul Jabbar, the deputy leader of Oldham Council, has become a Member of the Order of the British Empire for political and public service. He has been a local Councillor since 1994, representing Coldhurst ward on Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. He was elected as the youngest-ever mayor of Oldham in 2004.

He moved to the UK from Bangladesh when he was 12. He attended Breeze Hill School and Oldham College. He has an MSc in Housing Management from the University of Salford and is a Fellow of the Charted Institute of Housing.

Mohammad Ajman (Tommy) Miah

Tommy Miah, chef and restauranteur from Edinburgh, has also been named Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to the hospitality industry and charity. Born in a village in Moulvibazar district, Sylhet Division, he arrived in the UK at the age of 10.

Often recognised as the Curry King in Britain, the celebrated chef has been running the International Indian Chef of the Year Competition since 1991.

Another Bangladeshi, Tahmina Rahman, has been honoured as a Member of the Order of the British Empire. The name of Rahman, regional director, ARTICLE 19, Bangladesh and South Asia, has been put under the order's Diplomatic Service and Overseas List for her services to freedom of expression and the right to information in Bangladesh.

Tahmina Rahman

She has lead projects supported by DfID, Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SIDA. She has held management and policy positions in Oxfam (GB), Water Aid and HAP International.

Previously she was the deputy director of the International Mobilisation Programme at the Secretariat of Amnesty International.

She has a Master in Laws from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. She was a McArthur Fellow at Harvard University, US. She has also worked in several countries in Asia and Africa, including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa.

Buckingham Palace has appointed Asif Ahmad, the British ambassador to the Philippines, as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Asif Anwar Ahmad

Ahmad has served as ambassador to the Philippines and Palau from July 2013. Prior to that, he was ambassador to Thailand and Laos. In August 2017, he will take up his new four-year assignment as high commissioner to Jamaica.

In response to the announcement, Ahmad said in a statement published by his embassy: "I am most grateful to Her Majesty the Queen for this honour for service. I owe this appointment to the people who have nurtured and developed me over the years."