GREENWICH – A Muslim lecturer was granted a role in the Royal Museums by outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron, in recognition of his studies on what it means to be a Bangladeshi Muslim growing up in London’s East End.

“I am aware of the precious role that museums play in society,” Goldsmith’s University lecturer Dr Aminul Hoque told East London Advertiser on Thursday, July 14.

“They are protectors and custodians of our history, art, science, knowledge and human stories.”

Hoque was appointed a trustee for four years from September.

The voluntary role aims to help the four museums, which include the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory, to be involved with communities in Greenwich and the Isle of Dogs.

Also a Visiting Lecturer at London Metropolitan’s Whitechapel campus, Dr Haque gained his doctorate from Goldsmith’s in 2011 with his research for his book British Islamic Identity—Third Generation Bangladeshis from East London which was published last year.

It shows how Muslim teenagers he interviewed created their own “British-Islamic identity”.

He studied how that identity helps Bengalis born in the East End manage being British, Bangladeshi and Muslim with a sense of belonging.

Dr Haque has years experience in the youth and voluntary sector involved with teachers, parents and social workers.

He has been a trainer since 2004 for Tower Hamlets Council’s Working with Bangladeshi Families course.

Awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to youth justice in east London, he developed an A-Z manual to work with disengaged and ‘hard to reach’ youths as part of a council project at Tower Hamlets College.