Tharik Hussain
Tharik Hussain (; born 1979) is a Bangladeshi-born, British-Muslim author, travel writer, journalist and broadcaster, specialising in Muslim heritage and Muslim travel. Early life. Hussain was born in Golapganj Upazila, Sylhet District, Bangladesh, and grew up in Tower Hamlets, London, England. Education. Hussain attended Raine's Foundation School and Newham Sixth Form College, before graduating from Middlesex University with a bachelor's degree in Media and Cultural Studies with Journalism. He trained as a Lecturer of Further Education with Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills at the University of Greenwich and holds a Master of Arts in Islamic  Studies from Birkbeck, University of London. Media career. Hussain began his media career as a news reporter, before developing his specialism through his travels exploring Europe's forgotten Muslim heritage. Between 2001 and 2006, Hussain held the roles of journalist at "Eastern Eye", chief editor at bilingual local newspaper "Stepney Voice" and copyeditor at "Saudi Gazette". Since 2014, he has been freelancing as a journalist, travel writer and broadcaster. In January 2016, Hussain became a destination guide writer for "Lonely Planet" after working on the first-ever Hajj Guide in the fifth edition of the "Oman, UAE and Arabian Peninsula  travel guide. Shortly after, Hussain left for America to record his two part radio documentary for the BBC World Service called America's Mosques, a story of integration", which tells the story of Islam in America through some of its mosques, both old and new. During his travels, Hussain visited two of the country's oldest mosques and spent time with the American-Bangladeshi community. In July 2016, an exhibition of Hussain's travel photography called "Don't Forget About Us: a Journey Through Europe's Muslim Heritage" at the London Muslim Centre was London's first on Europe's  Muslim heritage. Hussain is a regular contributor to travel platforms like Lonely Planet and Culture Trip. In January 2018, he returned to the USA to record "Muslims in Trump's America", also for the BBC World Service. This time he looked at life for Muslim Americans in states like Iowa and West Virginia a year into the Donald Trump presidency. Books. In 2018, he travelled to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to research and write the travel guides in the sixth edition of Lonely Planet's "Oman, UAE and Arabian Peninsula". His debut travel narrative book "Minarets in the Mountains: A  Journey into Muslim Europe" is about a road trip Hussain and his family took in the summer of 2016 through the Western Balkans in search of Europe’s indigenous Muslim communities, history and heritage. In the book, he also traces the footsteps of the Ottoman traveller Evliya Celebi. Heritage Work. In 2019, Hussain created "Britain’s Muslim Heritage Trails" in Surrey, England for the Everyday Muslim Heritage and Archive Project, Britain's first self-guided trails dedicated to Islamic heritage. The two trails he created are called "The Woking Trail" and "The Muslim Cemetery Walk." These were launched in July  2019 by Sir Laurie Magnus, the Chairman of Historic England. "The Woking Trail" links three of Britain’s most important Muslim sites: the country’s first purpose-built mosque and only Grade I listed mosque, the Shah Jahan Mosque, and the country’s only Muslim military burial ground, The Woking Muslim War Cemetery (now known as the Peace Garden) in the town of Woking, and Britain’s first Muslim burial site, The Muhammadan Cemetery (now known as the Muslim Burial Ground) in Brookwood Cemetery. "The Muslim Cemetery Walk" takes visitors to some of the most important graves in The Muslim  Burial Ground. This includes the grave of the founder of the Muhammadan Cemetery and the Shah Jahan Mosque, Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner, convert Qur’an translator, Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, convert founder of the Woking Muslim Mission, Lord Headley, Sufi leader, Idries Shah, one of the last Ottoman princesses, Dürrüşehvar Sultan, and the celebrated architect, Dame Zaha Hadid. The trail also includes the forgotten grave of a Meccan princess and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, HRH Musbah Haidar, whose father was the last Sherif of Mecca and whose mother was a British-Irish woman. Hussain personally rediscovered the grave during his research  for the trails. The maps for both trails are available free online or at the trail sites. At the launch of "The Muslim Cemetery Walk", Hussain along with the Everyday Muslim team also unveiled a blue plaque to recognise the historic Muhammadan Cemetery as Britain’s first Muslim burial site and the oldest Muslim ‘space’ in the country. Hussain is a Fellow at the Centre of Religion and Heritage at the University of Groningen. Teaching. During his teaching career, Hussain has taught English in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Sociology and Media Studies in London and the Sydney Russell School in  Essex, England. Awards and nominations. In June 2016, Hussain's documentary "America's Mosques" won an award for the "World's Best Religious Program" at the New York Festivals (NYFF) Radio Programs Awards. In November, it was also shortlisted for the "Radio Creative Feature" award at the Association for International Broadcasters Awards. In 2020, Hussain’s guide to Saudi Arabia for Lonely Planet’s "Oman, UAE and Arabian Peninsula" travel guidebook was a finalist in the Best Guide, Book, Online and App category at the Travel Media Awards. In 2021, Hussain's book "Minarets in the Mountains: A Journey into  Muslim Europe" was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. Personal life. Hussain lives with his wife Tamara and three daughters in London, England.