Two community workers have spoken of their honour at meeting King Charles in the Palace of Holyrood House -  the King’s official residence in Scotland.

The King and Camilla, the Queen consort, hosted the event in recognition of contributions made to British society by South Asians including in the NHS, the media, education, business and the armed forces.

Amin Babor Chowdhury from Oldham and Muhammad Habeebullah from Prestwich were among those at the gathering.

Muhammad Habibullah, OBE, a governor at the Manchester Metropolitan University said the event was ‘electric’ and ‘fabulous’. It was his fourth meeting with King Charles. He met him for the first time in 1985. He says the King remembered the meeting.

He said: “I was invited as a representative of the South Asian community as someone who has contributed nationally towards education.

“The palace has a lot of paintings and the food was halal. The King was sensitive to the needs of the guests who were from the Hindu, Bhuddist and Muslim communities.

“The King is very sensitive towards Islam. He is on record saying he is a defender of faiths not just the Christian faith. He is very proactive and sensitive to the needs of his subjects. Particularly people from a South Asian background. He wants to be seen as sensitive towards their needs.

“The Queen consort, Camilla also spent time talking to people individually.” He said.
Muhammad has worked in the public and NGO sectors for 29 years. He is passionate about enacting change through education. The early part of his career was in accountancy and finance.

He established the £5,000 Al-Habeeb scholarship at the Manchester Metropolitan University to encourage students to champion issues black and ethnic minority communities face in the UK.

Amin helped to launch Probash Bangla, one of the few English-Bengali publications in the UK. He established the Education Awards and is also heavily involved in fundraising for charities such as Dr Kershaw’s Hospice and Kingfisher Special School.

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Amin said about the Palace: “The building was huge and in the style of neo-classical architecture. The food we were served was delicious. There were 300 hundred guests, all from South Asian backgrounds including the high commissioners of India and Pakistan and businessmen a such as Aneel Mussarat  from Manchester.

“I was so excited to speak to the King, I shook hands with him and said, ‘On behalf of the Muslim community I congratulate you and I pray to the Almighty that your reign is long. I also wish you the very best.’ 

“Then he smiled at me, I know that the king has a soft spot for the Muslim community and has made many positive remarks about Islam in the past. I was recognised for my work in the media, education and community relations. "