Miqdaad Versi is director for media monitoring at the Muslim Council of Britain.[1] As well as holding the position as one of the council's active public representatives, Versi is also engaged with the media voicing concerns over the misrepresentation of Muslims.[2][3] The Guardian described him as "the UK’s one-man Islamophobia media monitor."[4]
Versi occasionally writes opinion pieces for the Guardian and the Independent.[5][6] He is a board member of Rights Watch UK.[7] Versi also runs a travel agency in north-west London full-time.[8]
Versi grew up in Harrow, London in an Indian family.[8] His father moved to the UK from east Africa in the 1970s and worked as an engineer.[8] His mother worked as a nursery teacher.[8] He read mathematics at the University of Oxford.[7]
During his university studies, in pursuit of his interest in Islamic jurisprudence, Versi spent one year in Damascus, Syria learning Arabic and Islamic law.[8] He later worked for Oliver Wyman and then for the Royal Bank of Scotland.[8]
Versi sued for defamation following Ed Husain accusing Versi of being, "pro-Hamas pro-Iran pro-gender discrimination pro-blasphemy laws pro-secretarian (sic) [and] anti-Western."[9] Versi won two preliminary trials in which the High Court found that the ordinary meaning of the words was defamatory; and that it was inappropriate to argue a partial defence in a separate pre-trial hearing, ordering Husain to pay costs.
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