Wednesday 9th November 2005
PROGRAMME
OF SPEAKERS
Professor Bill Bowring - Welcome
and Introduction
Professor Bill Bowring is a practicing Barrister, Professor of Human Rights & International Law and Director of the Human Rights & Social Justice Research Institute at London Metropolitan University. He is also the founder and academic coordinator for the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre (EHRAC), which has assisted in cases before the European Court of Human Rights in respect of human rights abuses in Chechnya
Sir Iqbal Sacranie - Muslims in Britain
Sir Iqbal Sacranie is the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, an umbrella organisation working to unite a range of Muslim organisations and individuals and improve community relations. In 1997, he was made an OBE and in 2005, was knighted, in recognition of his service to Muslims in Britain and his work for race relations.
Clare Short MP - UK
Government, Human Rights and Communities
Clare
Short is the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood since 1983 and former
Secretary of State for International Development from May 1997 until her
resignation in 2003. She has worked to promote racial equality in Birmingham and
has been Chair of the All-Party Group on Race Relations.
Ahmed Versi - Anti-terror laws and the Muslim community
Ahmed
Versi is editor of The Muslim News, the widest read national newspaper for news
and views of Muslims in Britain. The newspaper has been running for 15 years and
emerged as a platform of identity for Muslims in the UK, pioneering activities
such as the annual Awards of Excellence and monitoring the effect of laws on
Muslims in Britain.
Phil Shiner - Human Rights
Test Cases
Phil Shiner is a solicitor at Public Interest Lawyers, which specialises in human rights law. He was awarded Human Rights Lawyer of the Year in 2004 and has taken test cases on behalf of Iraqi civilians killed or tortured in post-occupation Iraq and won ex-Gurkha soldiers, held as prisoners of war, equal compensation as their British counterparts. He is also an honorary professor at London Metropolitan University and visiting fellow at LSE.
ABOUT
THE Centre
The British Muslim Human Rights Centre aims to
protect and promote the human rights of Muslims in Britain through mounting
legal challenges to existing laws and policies.
It will consist of legal practitioners and
academics to tackle issues affecting British Muslims through:
·
Human rights advice and representation for individuals, campaign groups
and organisations;
·
Research to identify human rights issues affecting Muslims;
·
Test cases challenging laws or policies;
·
Interventions in cases affecting the Muslim community;
·
Obtaining opinions from leading human rights barristers to raise
awareness;
·
Holding conferences and other public events, in conjunction with other
organisations;
·
Providing human rights training and guidance;
The BMHRC is an independent centre based at the
Human Rights & Social Justice Research Institute at LondonMet University,
and linked to Public Interest Lawyers, and the Centre for the Study of Human
Rights at the LSE.
PDF version of
this invitation also available
Contact Details
British Muslim Human Rights Centre
London Metropolitan University
Ladbroke House, 62-66 Highbury Grove
London N5 2AD, UK
Or email: bmhrc@londonmet.ac.uk
For further information,
Please contact Nusrat Chagtai at Public Interest
Lawyers.
Tel: +44(0) 121 212 1868
Fax: +44(0) 121 212 1878
