Sara Khan

Biography

The Home Office has agreed an extension to the term of appointment for the Lead Commissioner for Countering Extremism, Sara Khan.

Sara was appointed as the Commissioner on 25 January 2018 for a three year period. Sara’s appointment has been extended up to 31 March 2021.

Sara Khan was appointed by the Home Secretary to lead the Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) in January 2018.

The CCE was established as an independent body in March 2018 and its mission is to help everyone do more to challenge all forms of extremism. In its first year, the Commission has engaged widely and openly to gain a better understanding of the picture of extremism across England and Wales and society’s response to it. This has been achieved through visits to 15 towns and cities, the launch of the first ever public consultation on extremism, and the commissioning of 29 academics to write papers across the spectrum of extremism. All the evidence will contribute to a landmark report with recommendations for the Home Secretary, which will be published in 2019.

Before being appointed, Sara was director of Inspire, an organisation she co-founded in 2008 to challenge gender inequality and Islamist extremism; and in 2016 she co-authored the book ‘The Battle for British Islam: Reclaiming Muslim Identity from Extremism’.

Sara graduated from the University of Manchester with a Master’s degree in Pharmacy and went on to complete her MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London.

Previous roles in government

  • Interim Lead Commissioner for Countering Extremism
    • 2018 to 2021