Dinner Meeting (Hurlston) 14th March (Wed 19:30)-Speaker - Zia Chaudhry MBE (Just an average Muslim)

Starter

1. Tomato & olive salad, roasted pepper dressing
2. Broccoli & smoked cheddar soup, warm roll

Main

1. Slow roasted leg of lamb, roasted potatoes, market vegetables & red wine gravy
2. Fillet of plaice, new potatoes, market vegetables, dill & white wine sauce
3. Sweet potato, pepper & mushroom goulash, tomatoes & celery

Information

Zia Chaudhry MBE is a British born Muslim whose parents originated from Pakistan. Having grown up in Liverpool, he went on to establish his legal career there as a barrister specialising in criminal law after he was called to the Bar in 1991.

Outside of his legal practice, Zia has been actively involved in interfaith work for over fifteen years, with a particular emphasis on dispelling misunderstanding about Islam and Muslims. In 2005 he became the first Muslim Chair of the Merseyside Council of Faiths. In 2006 he was one of the founding members of the North West Forum of Faiths. In 2007, with the support of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, he founded the Spirit of Cordoba, a charity seeking to rekindle the spirit of co-operation which was so evident between the Abrahamic faiths in Muslim Spain. He is also a trustee of Gladstone's Library, a legacy of former Prime Minister William Gladstone, having earlier been involved in the establishing of the House of Wisdom, the library's Islamic collection.

More recently Zia became the author of Just Your Average Muslim. This timely story of his personal journey growing up as a Muslim in the United Kingdom was originally intended to serve as a guide for his own children but quickly developed to address wider issues concerning Islam and Muslims. Intending to act as a bridge between the Muslim and non-Muslim worlds, it nevertheless embraces the self-criticism Muslims need in order to fulfil their responsibilities to the human race and occupy a position of respect on the world stage