Paul Smith, Director of British Council USA, on British Identity and Islam

Ambassador Ahmed sat down with Paul Smith, the Director of British Council USA, in Washington, DC to discuss British identity and how to improve relations between Muslims and non-Muslims today. Paul Smith, educated at King Edward’s School Birmingham and Queens’ College Cambridge, has worked with the British Council since 1983, where he has served previously as the Country Director of the British Council for both Egypt and Afghanistan.

The British Council is a British organization specializing in international education and cultural relations, with offices in over 100 countries. It has been involved in building bridges between the West and the Muslim world, particularly through cultural-based projects such as “Our Shared Future” which aimed at promoting positive relations between Muslims and non-Muslims through supporting scholarship and cultural exchanges.