Unitas Communications

Unitas Communications is a cross-cultural communications agency that works with governments, corporations and NGOs in building mutual trust and understanding with the Islamic World. Unitas offers its clients specific strategies ranging from media positioning, consulting, research, polling and event management in order to improve cross cultural communication.
History
The rapid deterioration of relations on a global level between Muslim communities and the West post-September 11th and the massive media attention surrounding this phenomenon spurred partners Muddassar Ahmed and Shiraz Ahmad to found Unitas Communications in 2008. Unitas was intended to help overcome misconceptions between the Islamic world and western communities by filling a niche in facilitating communication between Muslim communities and the Islamic world on the one hand and western societies, governments, and civic communities on the other in order to foster a future of mutual understanding and cooperation.
Key people
; Muddassar Ahmed
Ahmed is Chief Executive Officer of Unitas Communications. He is Chairman of The Concordia Forum, the Hikmah Club and the European Cedar Media Group. He is also a Trustee and Director of The Adab Trust, Utopia 33 Films and The Newham Public Affairs Committee.
In 2011, Ahmed established and is Chairman of the The John Adams Society, an official Alumni Association for the US Government Exchange Programmes known as the for England and Wales. Previous alumni members have included former Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher along with leading British political, corporate and media figures.
Previously, Ahmed worked as a Freelance TV Producer and Presenter at BBC, Channel 4 and Islam Channel. He is well known for his decade-long track-record in local community engagement, most notably his management of Radio Ramadan and his involvement in the production and execution of the ‘Politics and Beyond’ show that appeared weekly on the Islam Channel. Ahmed has also served as a steering group member of Mosaic, a Muslim-led network founded by The Prince of Wales, The Interfaith Alliance in Newham and the founding General Secretary of MLM UK.
;Shiraz Ahmad
Ahmad is Chief Operating Officer for Unitas Communications. Ahmad's background focuses on policy analysis, a field in which he has spent a number of years. Amongst other roles, Ahmad previously worked as a Communications Officer with the British Chambers of Commerce Czech Republic and for central European NGO - The Prague Society. Ahmad has worked on a number of grassroots and top-down focused conflict resolution and prevention programmes in Israel and Palestine. Ahmad jointly co-ordinated leadership delegations from EU Countries to the Middle East and was at the centre core of the working team on Muslim engagement for the anti-BNP Hope-not-Hate campaign.
Ahmad is a graduate of the Oxford University Muslim Leadership Programme and is an LLB Law graduate from the University of London. He is also Director of the Newham Public Affairs Committee, Fabian Society representative within his Constituency Labour Party and co-founder of the Muslim Labour Movement UK.
Clients
Unitas Communications assists clients across a range of local, national and international settings. Notable clients include:
* Barts and The London NHS Trust
* Alliance of Civilizations
* Transitional Federal Government
* Arab League
* The World Halal Forum Europe
* Global Peace and Unity
* The Fair Knowledge Cineforum
* The Adab Trust
* El Hatef al Islami
* SciArt Met
* Muslim Youth Helpline
Publications
; Daily digest
Unitas Communications offers a specialist daily media monitoring service that focuses on stories and issues that pertain to the Islamic World. Unitas' Daily Digest covers The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, Al Jazeera English, Evening Standard, Metro, Daily Mail, and The Sun.
; Dialogue
In 2010, Unitas Communications launched its quarterly currently affairs review, Dialogue. It provides an overview of recent news stories as well as an in-depth feature of major political policy shifts. Each edition also includes an interview with a political figure, key events and a list of notable Muslims in the media. Past interviewees include Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, US Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith, Political Editor of The Daily Mirror Jason Beattie and Al Jazeera Correspondent Rageh Omaar.
Hikmah Club
First launched at Ernst and Young in July 2008, Hikmah Club is an exclusive network of thought leaders and media, politics and corporate professionals that meet regularly over dinner to discuss UK and international affairs.
The name was inspired by the House of Wisdom (Dar-ul-Hikmah) of the Islamic Golden Age in the 8th century. The Hikmah Club sets out to revive the pursuit of Hikmah in the decision making processes within the three influential sectors of politics, media and the corporate world. Hikmah stems from the Arabic noun referring to wisdom and the pursuit of a higher level of human understanding. Also used in Urdu, Turkish and Malay.

Previous speakers and guest attendees include:
* Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Alistair Burt MP
* Financial Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms MP
* Simon Hughes MP,
* Diane Abbott MP,
* Rt Hon Tony McNulty MP
* EU High Representative Baroness Cathy Ashton
* Special Representative to Muslim Communities for the US State Department Farah Pandith
* The Independent Columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
* Middle East Correspondent for Al Jazeera English Rageh Omaar
* President of YouGov Peter Kellner
* Chairman of Global Radio Charles Allen
Membership is by invitation from Unitas Communications CEO Muddassar Ahmed or by referral only.
Sponsors include Ernst & Young, HSBC, KPMG, Islam Channel, Radisson Hotels, Credit Suisse, PwC and Clifford Chance.
The club meets regularly over dinner to discuss UK and international current affairs. Each dinner event consists of a maximum of 18 guests.
The Concordia Forum
The Concordia Forum is an annual leaders’ retreat convened, organised, and managed by Unitas Communications Ltd. The Forum is dedicated to promoting greater social integration across the western world and convenes annually in southern Spain to develop and strengthen transatlantic and pan-European leadership networks. Previous Concordia Forum delegates have included British parliamentarians, senior British and European corporate leaders, senior British civil servants, media professionals from top-ten names, American State Department officials, and US Congress representatives as well as grass-roots activists, academics, and others.

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