Green Lane Mosque appoints first black CEO who wants to bridge gap between communities

One of Birmingham's most prominent mosques has appointed its first black chief executive. Dr Abdul-Haqq Baker, an academic who has worked around the world in community and charity sectors, is to run Green Lane Mosque.

He is a convert to Islam and has said he believes he is well-placed to identify with both Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Mosque leaders in the city are predominantly of south Asian heritage and the organisation said it was significant to appoint a leader reflecting a more diverse background.

The Small Heath-based mosque frequently works with the wider community tackling issues including speeding, knife crime and anti-social behaviour. It recently expressed concern over the annual Ramadan markets on Coventry Road and worked with West Midlands Police on reducing disruption.

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It said in a statement: 'We are thrilled to introduce Dr. Abdul-Haqq Baker as our new chief executive officer. Dr. Abdul-Haqq brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our organisation with a distinguished career spanning the legal, charity, and educational sectors.

'With over a decade of experience in law and leadership roles in education and community service, Dr. Abdul-Haqq's leadership is grounded in both academic rigour and practical application.

'With his robust background and visionary leadership, we are confident Dr. Abdul-Haqq will lead us towards achieving greater milestones in our core mission to inspire, educate, and serve our communities locally and internationally.'

The 58-year-old spent ten years working in the legal profession before becoming chairman of Brixton Mosque in London in 1994. He has held positions globally and worked extensively in understanding and tackling radicalisation and religious extremism.

Baker wants to open dialogue with all communities and even the far-right. He said: "I feel like I am coming home as I have familiarity with Green Lane, I went there in the 1990s.

"The big difference is how the community has progressed and advanced as far as it has done. I am a Muslim convert so I want to participate with communities we do not normally engage with.

"I want to establish task forces in black and white communities, I even want to speak to the far-right. Radicalisation has changed where the process is faster today. We need to see it as it emerges in schools and colleges, we also need to stop the knee-jerk reactions where people become scared and call Prevent straight away.

"We need to engage people who are angry then get them to stop and re-channel their anger. This goes for far-right extremists as well. We need to engage, challenge, disagree and change people. We cannot close communication."

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