Sheikh Mohammed Aboulkhair Zaki Badawi
KBE, GCFO (; 14 January 1922 – 24 January 2006) The college became a postgraduate school for the training of imams and Muslim teachers in the West. The curriculum includes the study of both Islam and Western society and emphasizes interfaith dialogue. Badawi co-edited Encounter Magazine with news on interfaith meetings, and edited the Islamic Quarterly for four years. He often contributed to daily newspapers, and he published and lectured on a wide range of issues, including various conflicts, Islam in Britain, female genital cutting, democracy, the rights of the fetus, and human rights.
Badawi also chaired The Arabic Forum, the Islamic Religious Council and the National Council for the Welfare of Muslim Prisoners, established in 2001. He was a co-founder of the Three Faiths Forum, vice chairman of the World Congress of Faiths and director/trustee of the Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR).
Badawi was a well-known voice for religious moderation and tolerance, and was the first prominent Muslim to criticize imams in the UK who did not teach in English. According to Professor Shk. Ali Hamid, Badawi advocated that Salman Rushdie should simply be ignored, and not given any attention.
In July 2005, soon after the London bombings, on 7 July, Badawi was refused entry into the US, upon arrival, having already been issued a visa. The US Customs and Border Protection office said Badawi had been refused entry to the country based on information indicating that he was "inadmissible". He accepted an apology from the United States government for his denial of entry into the country, at a time when he was scheduled to speak at a conference in the US.
Badawi died in London on 24 January 2006.