Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad is President of the Islamic Community of India, Founder and Chancellor of Jamia Markaz Saqafathu Sunniyya, one of the leading educational and humanitarian institutions in India, and General Secretary of the All India Sunni Jamiyyathul Ulama. He is often referred to by his epithet Abul Aytam (‘Father of Orphans’) for his service to orphans and the destitute. He advocates peaceful co-existence, social harmony and its international propagation and has set up thousands of cultural centres and educational institutes in India. Sheikh Abubakr has authored and published more than 60 books on a variety of topics in Arabic, Urdu and Malayalam. In July 2023 he was awarded the Hijra Award in Malaysia.