My great-uncle Raficq Abdulla, who has died aged 79, could be described as a modern-day renaissance man. A lawyer, writer and poet, he was a board member of the Muslim Law (Sharia) Council in the UK, published numerous articles and books on poetry, art and spirituality, and was involved in interfaith work between Muslims, Jews and Christians. A trustee of English PEN, he was acting president of the organisation from 2013 to 2014.
Raficq worked closely with the Egyptian scholar Zaki Badawi, a co-founder of the Three Faiths Forum, advising him on legal matters. He wrote regularly for World Faith Encounters, edited by his friend the Rev Alan Race, and also worked with Rabbi Julia Neuberger, of West London Synagogue. In 1999 Raficq was made MBE for this work.
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