Yasmin Alibhai-Brown is the Chair of bmsd, a weekly columnist on the Independent and London Evening Standard, author of several books and a broadcaster. She has worked for two think tanks as a senior fellow- the IPPR and Foreign Policy Centre where she researched on and published seminal reports on racial attitudes, multiculturalism and Britishness.

Dr. Taj Hargey, an intellectual and theologian who believes Islam is entirely compatible with modernism, Dr Hargey runs the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford. Originally from South Africa, he has been an activist to promote justice and equality all his adult life.  

• Over the past year, Dr Hargey has been either on behalf of or in collaboration with bmsd. As the founder, Imam and chairman of MECO (Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford), which has proven itself to be a prominent forward-looking Muslim organisation in Britain today? He has done this by openly inviting women scholars to lead the Friday Jumu'ah Congregational Prayers, by uniquely conducting Islamic Nikah wedding ceremonies between Muslims and non-Muslims for both men and women; by promoting grassroots Muslim theological self-empowerment; by hosting the most progressive pulpit in the land where prayers are conducted in English and where religion and politics have equal importance.
• Conducted a series of five major lectures on Islam in Britain in April and May 2008 at St Ethelwold's House, Abingdon, and Oxfordshire on behalf of both MECO and bmsd.
• Organised Britain's first week-long Muslim Film Festival which was held at the Burton Taylor Studio, Oxford Playhouse from 30th June to 6th July 2008, supported by bmsd which wishes to oppose calls by hardliners to ban music, an essential part of Muslim cultures for centuries. 
• Organised the annual MECO conference at Oxford University on Islam and Feminism which Yasmin Alibhai-Brown was invited to be a panellist and where MECO's links with bmsd were established.
• Planned the Fourth Annual Muslim Music Festival, Oxford Playhouse on 9 November 2008 in collaboration with bmsd which co-funded the events.
• Presented lecture at Oxford University Secular Society on 27 November 2008 on behalf of MECO and bmsd
• Delivered a sermon at the Unitarian Church, Harris Manchester College, Oxford.
• On behalf of MECO and bmsd Dr Hargey delivered lectures at Oxford Brookes University Religious Studies Department and the   National Defence Academy, Shrivenham.
• Several introductory presentations on Islam were made to schools in Oxford and the county on behalf of MECO and bmsd
• Numerous press reports appeared about contemporary Muslim issues in local press where bmsd and MECO are mentioned frequently.
• Broadcast interviews on BBC Radio Oxford, Fox FM and local TV, discussing  topical matters affecting British Muslims on behalf of MECO but also publicising the mission of bmsd.
• Trustee of and Chaplain to the Oxford Sea Cadets, where the work of both MECO and bmsd are promoted.
• Imam and Khatib for weekly Friday Congregational Prayers in Oxford where the activities of bmsd is advertised regularly.
• Hosted quarterly interfaith forums where bmsd's activities are regularly mentioned 15. Held monthly lectures for MECO, where speakers extolling a modern, pluralistic and democratic interpretation of Islam is actively promoted, and where the website details and home page of bmsd is distributed to attendees.
• Conducted weekly year-round Qur'an seminars for postgraduates and adults in Oxford where a modern manifestation of Islam is presented, including Muslim adherence to the principles of secular democracy and religious pluralism .

Dr Shaaz Mahboob is the bmsd Deputy Co-Chair. Over 2007 and 2008 he has worked hard to gain equal rights and representation for those liberal minded British Muslims who are still not adequately reflected in public consultations, mainstream political networks and the media. Too much credence is still given to ultra conservative Muslim groups who advocate hard-line religious practice and sectarianism.

• Dr Mahboob participated as a panellist in ARY One World panel discussion programme on ‘Aghaz’ which was telecast several times across the UK , Europe and Pakistan .
• He has also appeared as a panellist in a press TV debate called ‘Islam and Democracy in the West’ with Professor Tariq Ramadan, Cllr Salma Yaqoob and a leading member of Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
• He was invited to join a delegation on a visit to Pakistan as part of the “Projecting British Islam” campaign, which was sponsored by the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
• Throughout 2007/2008 Dr Mahboob has attended various FCO briefings on the Middle East, Iran , Iraq and Sudan along with meetings regarding anti-extremism and South Asia .
• He has been consulted by civil servants on policy development, in particular the issues of prevention of terrorism and acquiring social cohesion  
• In early 2008 Dr Mahboob was invited to a high level meeting with the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister to discuss Pakistan in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Other members who attended the meeting included Lord Nazir, four British Muslim MPs and the heads of leading charities and organisations.
• He has attended HM Government Prevent 08 Conferences and is developing a network of likeminded Muslims in key positions within the political parties and other institutions. He and bmsd have gained respect and recognition through this work. 
•  Twelve letters to editors written by Dr Mahboob on behalf of bmsd have been published in UK newspapers and he has been interviewed on numerous occasions for Sunrise Radio and BBC Radio 4.
• He went with an FCO sponsored British Muslim delegation visit to Algeria and Morocco in February 2009. This delegation was part of the Projecting British Islam programme aimed at presenting the life of British Muslims to the wider world and to share experiences in relation to the counter-radicalisation and community cohesion activities undertaken by organisations based in the UK and in those countries visited by the delegates. During the visit met senior government representatives including ministers, advisors as well as NGOs and community groups, interviewed by the media and participated in various discussion forums.
• As a follow up to the visit, he has participated in events presenting the hightlights and shared learning from the visit to the Muslim communities in Britain facilitated by FCO and Al Manaar Foundation.
• Dr Mahboob is setting up a database of all the Muslims who want to be involved or associated with our work at bmsd and has started up public meetings with young professionals to discuss our work and future plans.
• He has also been co-managing bmsd staff – previously the Director and now the admin personnel working for the organisation.  
• Dr Shaaz Mahboob has participated in a high level meeting with the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister to discuss international conflict situations. He has also attended a number of FCO briefings on Middle East , Iran , Iraq , Sudan and meetings on anti-extremism and South Asia. In addition to this Imran Ahmed attended the Parliamentary Humanist Group meeting at the House of Commons

Nasreen Rehman is the bmsd Vice-Chair and is currently doing doctoral research on popular culture at Cambridge University. She is an award winning playwright and screenplay writer, and has extensive experience of arts management.She is a Trustee of Akademi, a lead organisation for South Asian dance in Britain.As Trustee of the Runnymede Trust she served on key commissions on Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. She has spent many years campaigning for secular democracy in the UK and in India and Pakistan. bmsd was started by Nasreen and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

• Nasreen Rehman has been engaged in spreading information about the work and values of bmsd nationally and internationally. She has held informal discussions in Cambridge , Lahore , Karachi , Islamabad , Bombay , Pune and Delhi with the aim of increasing awareness and links with likeminded secular Muslims of whom there are many across the world. 
• She manages the financial side of bmsd obligations and ensures probity and compliance required by the Charity Commission.
• She has attended key meetings with potential funders, completed funding applications and ensured proper accountancy practice.
• She played a prominent role when bmsd was officially launched and made the opening speech at the launch debate held at the RSA. Chaired by Baroness Kishwar Faulkner (LibDem) we had a debate on the secular state with a representative of the MCB, Ed Hussein of the Quilliam Foundation and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Chair of bmsd. 
• Kaifi and I, her translation of the life of leading Indian theatre and screen actor, Shaukat Kaifi will be published by Zubaan Books in May 2009.The book is an important corrective to the stereotypical views about Islamic modernity and Muslim modernity.

Imran Ahmed is the author of ‘unimagined’, a book which has achieved global success. Over the past two years Imran had attended many events on behalf of bmsd. He is a sought after speaker and feels passionately that separatists have hijacked Muslim interests and that concerned Muslims have to assert themselves and retrieve the faith and practice from political and fundamentalist ideologues.  

• In 2007 he and Dr Shaaz Mahboob attended the Holocaust Memorial Day. The Muslim Council of Britain boycott of this event had created an impression of Muslim antipathy that bmsd wanted to redress. Marking the murder of millions of Jews in Europe is a human duty. Criticism of the policies pursued by Israel should not be linked to the remembrance. That is the view promoted by Ahmed and the bmsd.
• Imran Ahmed attended number of meetings with HM Government Prevent 2008 conference for combating extremism with Dr Shaaz Mahboob.
• Imran has appeared on BBC Asian Network and BBC Radio 5 on various occasions to represent bmsd.
• He has addressed the Cambridge Union and Oxford Secular Society on behalf of bmsd, arguing the need for Muslims to think of themselves as active citizens with common democratic values which should link them to other citizens across all divides.   
• Imran Ahmed has also participated in a number of conferences including the ‘Muslims in Europe’ conference at the British Embassy in Berlin, ‘Islam in the Modern World’ conference in Cambridge and the ‘Prevent’ conference for combating extremism.
• In 2008 he took part in a discussion on ‘Terror and Liberalism’ at the House of Commons.
• Furthermore Imran has also appeared on ‘Al-Arabiya Television News’ regarding the new ‘Stop and Search Laws’ on Sky television news. His comments have previously been quoted on the New York Times.
• He is currently on a lecture tour in the US, promoting bmsd and our belief that western Muslims should be active citizens and find common ground with other citizens and values.

Dr Ghayassuddin Siddiqui is one of the leading and increasingly respected Muslim voices in Britain. As leader of The Muslim Parliament of Great Britain and director of one of the oldest Muslim think tank; ‘The Muslim Institute’, he has promoted dialogue across all social, cultural and political barriers. He is known for opposing Wahabi Islam and for his criticisms of practices within Muslim families and mosques that violate human rights.  

• On 18th of June 2008, Dr Siddiqui represented the Muslim Parliament and bmsd at a seminar on Child Protection in Faith-based environments at the University of Cardiff, as part of his campaign against child abuse within faith-based environment. This was followed by visits to the National Muslim Supplementary School Conference at Regents Park Mosque along with Wisdom; a Muslim faith school in Haringay.
• In July 2008 he spoke in a seminar on ‘Violence Against Children’ at the Abbey Centre in Westminster , organised by ‘Children Are Untreatable’.
• Dr Siddiqui is one of the first Muslim leaders to have championed women's causes, against forced marriage, domestic violence and murder in the name of honour. Last year, together with some senior clerics, he launched the Muslim Marriage Contract to protect the rights of women.
• He attended the Awaaz Anti-Fundamentalists Alliance meeting, Jewish-Muslim Theatre and Christian-Muslim dialogue meetings.
• In July 2008 he was interviewed on BBC TV interview on ‘Freedom of Speech’ at the University Women’s Club in London and also organised a highly effective demonstration outside High Court in Strand, supporting Southall Black Sisters Case against Ealing Council which is withdrawing vital funding from that organisation. 
• He attended a committee meeting on the Model ‘Muslim Marriage Contract’ at Ibis Hotel Euston, which was launched at the City-Circle in London on the 8th of August 2008.
• Committed to women’s rights, he also spoke about ‘Women under Islamic Law’ at the Gender Equality seminar held by Social Vision; the LSE Alumni Network. 
• Dr Siddiqui attended Chesham Muslim Community Cultural Events and participated in public discussions on ‘Shariah Arbitration Court ’ at Temple Church . He has been consulted on The Charity Commission and the registration of mosques and madrasas in Britain and joined a Christian-Muslim dialogue group meeting at New Bucks University in late 2008.
• Dr Siddique has, with the Chair, conducted workshops on Democratic engagement in East London with Muslims in their twenties and thirties, who have migrated to Britain and feel they need to understand the underpinning values of this society. Debate is encouraged as is critical thinking.
• With Dr. Taj Hargey, another bmsd trustee, Dr Siddique has drafted an advice booklet on frequently raised issues by Muslim parents to be used in schools by teachers. These are being tested and piloted in three areas around the country.

Andy Gregg joined bmsd as a trustee this year. He is a convert to Islam and has several years’ experience of working within the voluntary and NGO sectors.

• Andy Gregg has taken charge of some key operational matters at the bmsd and succeeded in getting some new funding from the organisation from the City Parochial Foundation.
• He delivered a talk about bmsd at the EPIC Conference in Madrid. (EPIC is La Escuela Profesionales de Immigraciony Cooperacion – a course at Madrid University for professionals in refugee and migrant “integration).
• He is Chair of Migrants Resource Centre and a Board member of Refugee Action and disseminates news and information on bmsd on these Boards.