Co-host of Rabbi and Imam podcast awarded MBE for building Jewish-Muslim ties

Imam Nasser Kurdy, an orthopaedic surgeon who co-hosts The Rabbi, The Imam and The Power of Dialogue podcast alongside Rabbi Dovid Lewis, has been awarded an MBE for services to community interfaith reconciliation.

Kurdy received the honour from Princess Anne during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

The Manchester-based imam has spent years working with Lewis to strengthen relations between Jewish and Muslim communities through school visits, community projects and public discussions. The pair, who have been friends for more than a decade, launched their podcast in 2025 to encourage respectful dialogue at a time of heightened tensions between the two communities.

Speaking after receiving the honour, in comments reported by ITV News, Kurdy said the award was both uplifting and a reminder of the work still to be done.

“It’s amazing, and it’s also sad in a way. I don’t like to be recognised for trying to get people together because you’d like people to have never been apart,” he said.

“I suppose it’s inevitable people will fall out with each other, but when it’s on such a grand scale and when the narrative on both sides is so entrenched and negative, you just can’t see any glimmer of light shining through, and that’s been the difficult part of it.”

Kurdy said recent attacks affecting both Jewish and Muslim communities had reinforced the importance of continuing their efforts.

“It’s not just the (Heaton Park) synagogue attack, there was the madman in Golders Green and Bondi Beach, where Rabbi Dovid’s cousin was killed, so it’s never far away from you,” he said.

“They cause anxiety and entrench divisions.

“But you can’t allow for that, and there should be no division in our society.”

Reflecting on the impact of extremism, he added: “It’s amazing that 5 percent of darkness can actually overshadow 95 percent of light.

“That is scary, and for Rabbi Dovid, and for me, we’ve decided we really have to just knuckle down and tell people that Muslims and Jews are brothers, they have to be there together.

“The response has been amazing.”

Kurdy also revealed that Lewis had been quick to congratulate him on the honour.

“He sent me a message this morning saying ‘enjoy your day’ – he’s been having congregants saying congratulations to him, but he didn’t get one, I’ve been teasing him!”

The MBE recognises Kurdy’s contribution to fostering understanding between communities at a time when both Jews and Muslims have faced rising tensions and hostility.