Revision as of 21:35, 18 April 2013

Bio

Bio claims:
"Mohammed is a public speaker, visiting university lecturer and appears regularly on television and radio. He runs a private consulting practice, is a community organiser^[1] and on outspoken civil rights activist. An experienced diversity expert and legal advocate, he is also involved in interfaith and education."
Only one reference is given for the above claims; that of community organiser, while the link to his private consulting practice is no longer active.
Contemporary Anarchist 18:34, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

Visiting University Lecturer

The original wikipedia profile stated that Ansar was a "visiting university lecturer" but in the discussion about the deletion of the wikipedia article, no reference was provided to support this claim^[2] Ansar's wix profile states: "visiting lecturer on Islamophobia, Islam in contemporary Britain and Theology". The evidence will now be examined below.
There is no evidence on the University of Winchester's website that Ansar was a visiting university lecturer ^[3]. To be a visiting lecturer, the minimum required qualification is "a degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant discipline and a post graduate qualification is desirable"^[4].
In January 2013, Ansar was one of four guest speakers participating in a debate organised by University College London Union's Debating Society, entitled This house believes that religion does more harm than good^[5].
In February 2013, Ansar delivered a "talk"^[6] for York Islamic Society entitled Islam and Britain and the Muslim Civil Rights Crisis ^[7].
In April 2013, Ansar announced that he'd been "invited to give this year's Lovell Lecture which will be held at Winchester Cathedral in October."^[8]. This refers to the annual Lovell Interfaith Lecture^[9] organised jointly by Winchester University and Winchester Cathedral and the Lovell Family, not the annual Lovell Lecture held at Jodrell Bank in honour of Sir Bernard Lovell^[10]. Contemporary Anarchist 19:53, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

Private consulting practice

As discussed above, the link given to Ansar's private consulting practice, Ansar Consulting, is no longer active. A google search shows that it exists as an entity in social media: on twitter as @AnsarConsulting, and; on facebook as Ansar Consulting. A search in companies records shows that Ansar Consulting Ltd was struck off and dissolved on 26th February 2013^[11] and had never submitted documentation since its incorporation on 15 July 2011^[12]. Additionally, a previous limited company, also named Ansar Consulting Ltd^[13] was incorporated 18 August 2008, and struck off and dissolved 26 March 2010^[14]. This earlier incarnation had also failed to submit the required documentation^[15].
Ansar has held, in total, three directorships^[16] since July 2008: two incarnations of Ansar Consulting Ltd, and; his first with a company named Securum Ltd^[17], which he co-directed with Mr Shahid Zeeb^[18] and Mr Jabraan Azlam^[19].
Securum Ltd was struck off and dissolved on 2 March 2010 and had never filed the required documents^[20]. Ansar's co-director Shahid Zeeb had, for two days in March 2008, been a co-director of Hanson Leisure Ltd, a retailer of "alcoholic & other beverages"^[21]. Ansar's other co-director Jabraan Azlam^[22], was one of the six Khan Line drug gang members arrested on 6 June 2011^[23]. On 26 March 2012, Azlam was sentenced to four years^[24] for his involvement in the Khan Line drug gang^[25].
Contemporary Anarchist 18:34, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

Community Organiser

The reference to support claim that Mohammed Ansar is a community organiser leads to a different Mohammed Ansar who lives in Oldham, not the Mohammed Ansar originating from Watford and now living in Hampshire. The Oldham-based Mohammed Ansar was more recently quoted in the following reference^[26]. The original claim to be a community organiser, along with the misleading reference, has thus been removed.
Contemporary Anarchist 17:38, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

Southampton Flood Relief Campaign

In September 2010, Ansar is listed in the Southampton Echo as an organiser for the Southampton Flood Relief Campaign"The Southampton Flood Relief Campaign which began with a few families in Chandler’s Ford, has spawned a Southampton and Hampshire-wide scheme that organiser Mohammed Ansar hopes will involve everyone from schools to the Women’s Institute."^[27]

Diversity

Hampshire Independent Equality Forum (HIEF)

In May 2010, Ansar was selected to be the Chair of the Hampshire Independent Equality Forum Steering Group^[28]. Claims made in the original wikipedia entry, which was copied over to anarchopedia, that Ansar "was a founder and former chairman of the Hampshire Independent Equality Forum, a leading cross-sectoral UK equalities platform."
. Ansar was a former chair of HIEF's Steering Group, but it is unclear as to when he ceased being the steering group's chair as no mention of him exists after December 2010^[29]. There is no firm indication to support the claim that Ansar was a founder of HIEF:
"The need to create such a Forum was identified during research carried out by the Diversity Network Project 2006-2008, a project led by Community Action Hampshire on behalf of the Hampshire Voluntary Sector Consortium. The Forum's development has also been supported through partner work over the last few years with other voluntary and community sector partners and Hampshire County Council."^[30][31] The HIEF was launched on 24th November 2010^[32]
Contemporary Anarchist 21:24, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

Other Diversity work

In October 2010, Ansar was one of the keynote speakers at a £25-per-head diversity event, organised by Business Southampton, entitled Equality & Diversity Conference 2010 - How to deliver on diversity and workforce cohesion^[33].
Contemporary Anarchist 21:24, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

References