Five British citizens of Bangladeshi origin have been named in Queen's Birthday Honours List in the UK this year.
Published : 18 Jun 2017, 02:59 AM
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."