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Hashi Mohamed

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Hashi Mohamed
Mohamed speaking at the 2024 Chiswick Book Festival
BornSeptember 1983 (1983-09)
Nairobi, Kenya
Alma materUniversity of Hertfordshire
St Anthony's College, Oxford
Occupation(s)Barrister
Journalist
Author

Hashi Mohamed (English pronunciation: /'hæ.ʃi: mə'hæ.mɪd/;[1][2] born September 1983) is a British barrister and journalist. A lifetime member of The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn since 2010, he is also an author of two books, and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Times, and the Financial Times. He currently works for Landmark Chambers, as well as acting as the Chair of Coin Street's Secondary Housing Co-operative Housing Association since 2023.

Born in Kenya, Mohamed came to the United Kingdom as a refugee child. He studied at the University of Hertfordshire and the University of Oxford, before gaining his first position at No5 Chambers. His career as a journalist and broadcaster has included documentaries on BBC Radio 4, and writing for a variety of print publications. He often authors op-eds on social mobility and the housing crisis. He has written two books on these themes; People Like Us (2020) and A Home of One's Own (2022).

Early life and education

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Mohamed was born in Nairobi, Kenya in September 1983,[3][4] where he grew up as part of a Somali family.[5] His paternal grandfather, also called Hashi, was a rural goat farmer in the Italian Somaliland.[2] His mother had twelve children,[6] of which six were from a previous marriage. His father, who was a salesman, died in a car accident in 1993;[5] as a result Mohamed,[7] who was only nine at the time,[8] was sent to the United Kingdom unaccompanied as a refugee.[9] When he arrived in the United Kingdom, he only knew basic English and nothing about British customs.[2][10] He lived with his aunt and in low-rent housing before he was reunited with his mother,[5] and recalls moving house every year for a decade.[11] He was raised on state benefits,[12] and was also homeless for part of his childhood.[2]

Mohamed has described his upbringing as "remarkably unremarkable", which he cites as due to the large number of people who share the social situation he found himself in as a child.[8] Mohamed studied at Wembley High School,[13] a comprehensive school in north London. At the age of 18, he gained British citizenship which allowed him to be able to return to Kenya. There, he realised that his increased opportunities in the United Kingdom was there for him to take advantage of.[5]

After leaving school, Mohamed studied Law and French at the University of Hertfordshire.[5] He then won a full postgraduate scholarship to St Antony's College at the University of Oxford,[6][13] before gaining a position at No5 Chambers.[5] Although he experienced the benefits of social mobility as a child, he does not believe his experiences were typical,[14] and that a child in his position today would be unable to do so.[6]

Career

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Barrister

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Having completed law school in early 2010, Mohamed became a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn when he was called to the bar on 31 July 2010,[15][16] a position he keeps for his entire lifetime.[3] The society is one of London's four Inns of Court to which all barristers must belong to be able to practise.[17] He completed his training as a barrister in London in 2012;[15] he is still active in this career today, practising in London and specialising in planning and environment law.[8] In July 2023, Mohamed started working for Landmark Chambers, joining their groups on planning and the environment.[18]

He admits in People Like Us that he often takes a 'tough love' approach in his work, such as sending home an intern for arriving only four minutes late and without pen or paper and that people must either "evolve or die".[7] Between September 2018 and September 2022, Mohamed was the director of the Big Education Trust,[4] a multi-academy trust based in London.[19] In April 2023, Mohamed became the Chair of Coin Street's Secondary Housing Co-operative Housing Association,[20] which focusses on housing and maintenance within the South Bank.[21] In March 2023, Mohamed submitted written evidence to the UK Parliament's Select Committee detailing his professional views on the causes of the housing crisis in the United Kingdom.[22]

Journalist

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Hashi Mohamed presented the BBC Radio 4 documentary Adventures in Social Mobility, which was broadcast on 16 April 2017.[6] He has contributed to publications including Prospect, The Guardian, The Times,[8] and the Financial Times.[11] His main focus in his career as a journalist is the issue of social mobility, which he has called "society’s most intractable problem".[9] He has also written about the housing crisis and its impact on people's opportunities.[11]

He has also presented documentaries on BBC Radio 4, including on the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 2013.[15] In February 2022, Mohamed presented an episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme Analysis titled "Planning, Housing and Politics" where he discussed the causes and impact of the housing crisis, as well as how to fix it.[23]

Author

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In January 2020, Mohamed published his first book titled People Like Us via Profile Books,[24] which is an attempt to rethink the concept of social mobility in modern Britain.[5] In an interview, Mohamed said that the book was partly inspired by his 2017 documentary Adventures in Social Mobility, but also by his own background as a refugee.[10] The book won a Book of the Year award from the New Statesman, who described the book as a "a brilliant book that should be read and celebrated at any time".[12] The Standard referred to the book as a "victory over adversity".[14] The book was also BBC Radio Four's series Book of the Week, with Mohamed reading five extracts from his book on 19–23 October 2020.[25]

In September 2022, Mohamed published his second book titled A Home of One's Own via Profile Books.[26] The book is about the housing crisis in the United Kingdom from the perspective of both his personal and professional experiences.[27] As of September 2024, Mohamed was working on a children's book about the safety and security of the home, based around his own children's interests and experiences.[8]

Views

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Mohamed has criticised countries that welcome refugees without investing in supporting them.[3][5] In May 2023, Mohamed appeared on Question Time, where he criticised Conservative MP Kieran Mullan's support for the government's Rwanda asylum plan; he received widespread acclaim for his response to the policy as "not helping anyone".[28][29] He also encouraged the government to repeal the two-child benefit cap in September 2024, saying that it has had a "devastating impact on children".[8]

Mohamed has criticised businesses who hire using a diversity, equity, and inclusion framework as without actually evaluating whether those people are good enough to do the jobs they are then employed for.[8] He has also argued that people should be hired based on based on "potential rather than polish".[10] However, he has also advised people to change their native accents in professional situations in order to come across more intelligent, encouraging people not to end up "dying a martyr for a class war".[30] In response to the election of Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, he disagreed that it was a victory for progressivism because of Sunak's multimillionaire background, and what he considers ironic that Sunak's family's immigrant background would not be welcomed by policies of the Conservative Party he had been elected to lead.[31]

In his campaign for greater social mobility, saying that the idea that "if you work hard you will get on" is a myth in modern British society, and that top professions are often actually catered to people from privileged backgrounds. Moreover, he has criticised the media attention around rare cases of social mobility as a distraction from its failure to exist in the majority of cases.[6] Mohamed also believes in building more houses to solve the housing crisis in the United Kingdom, and believes that it is a key factor in the lack of social mobility, and that the planning system and green belt are partially to blame for this. He has also suggested reforms to make it easier for people to downsize their houses.[32]

Bibliography

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  • People Like Us: What it Takes to Make it in Modern Britain. Profile Books. 2020. ISBN 978-1-78816-111-4.
  • A Home of One's Own: Why the Housing Crisis Matters & What Needs to Change. Profile Books. 2022. ISBN 978-1-80081-127-0.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hashi Mohamed, British Islam Conference 2018 (video). New Horizons. 21 March 2018 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d Barton, Tom (19 November 2021). In conversation with Hashi Mohamed – From child refugee to top barrister (video). Mishcon de Reya. Retrieved 12 June 2025 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b c Ahmed, Juber (31 October 2022). "Black History Month Profile: Hashi Mohamed – Refugee to Barrister". British Muslim Magazine. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Hashi MOHAMED personal appointments". UK Government. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Anthony, Andrew (12 January 2020). "Raising the bar: Hashi Mohamed's journey from child refugee to top lawyer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e Mohamed, Hashi (14 April 2017). "Telling children 'hard work gets you to the top' is simply a lie". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b Muroki, Mercy (12 January 2020). "People Like Us: What It Takes to Make It in Modern Britain by Hashi Mohamed review — a case of 'evolve or die'". The Times. Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Smale, Rebecca (23 September 2024). "Hashi Mohamed Interview: Barrister, Broadcaster & Thought Leader". London Speaker Bureau. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  9. ^ a b "Hashi Mohamed". JLA Speakers. Archived from the original on 18 April 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  10. ^ a b c Greedy, Emma (10 March 2020). "Barrister Hashi Mohamed talks social mobility and how to make it to the top". HR Magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Mohamed, Hashi (30 September 2022). "The housing crisis sits at the centre of Britain's ills". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b Shafak, Elif (11 November 2020). "Books of the year". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  13. ^ a b Sanghera, Sathnam (4 January 2020). "Hashi Mohamed: social mobility can work". The Times. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  14. ^ a b Bentham, Martin (23 January 2020). "People Like Us: What It Takes To Make It In Modern Britain by Hashi Mohamed - review". The Standard. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  15. ^ a b c "Hashi Mohamed". Cunard Line. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  16. ^ Mohamed, Hashi (April 2020). "Hashi Mohamed: People like us – at the Bar". Counsel Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  17. ^ Roberts, Chris (2004). Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme. Granta Books. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-86207-765-2.
  18. ^ "Hashi Mohamed joins Landmark Chambers' planning group". Landmark Chambers. 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  19. ^ "Find an inspection report and registered childcare". Ofsted. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  20. ^ "Coin Street raising the bar with its new Chair" (Press release). Coin Street. 4 April 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  21. ^ "Coin Street Secondary Housing Co-operative Board (CSS)". Coin Street. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  22. ^ Mohamed, Hashi (March 2023). Written evidence submitted by Hashi Mohamed [RNP 010] (Report). UK Parliament. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  23. ^ Levinson, Hugh (21 February 2022). Analysis — Planning, Housing and Politics (Podcast). Analysis. BBC Radio 4 – via BBC Sounds.
  24. ^ Mohamed, Hashi (January 2020). People Like Us: What it Takes to Make it in Modern Britain. Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-78816-111-4.
  25. ^ "BBC Sounds - People Like Us by Hashi Mohamed - Available Episodes". BBC Sounds. 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on 12 November 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  26. ^ Mohamed, Hashi (September 2022). A Home of One's Own: Why the Housing Crisis Matters & What Needs to Change. Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-80081-127-0.
  27. ^ Cunliffe, Rachel (20 September 2022). "Inside Britain's housing crisis". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  28. ^ "Barrister praised for 'brilliant' takedown of Rwanda policy on Question Time". The National. Archived from the original on 25 April 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  29. ^ Jolly, Bradley; Marzella, Chris (23 May 2025). "BBC Question Time audience applauds as guest tells Tory MP he's 'bonkers'". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  30. ^ McKinney, C. J. (28 January 2020). "Don't risk 'dying a martyr' for your home town accent, warns barrister who rose from poverty". Legal Cheek. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  31. ^ Mohamed, Hashi (25 October 2022). "Rishi Sunak is Britain's first Asian prime minister – but it's no progressive victory". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  32. ^ Mohamed, Hashi (16 October 2022). "Fix housing and growth will follow — this is how we start". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
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