Council for Arab-British Understanding

Caabu is chaired by Rt Hon David Jones MP,[7]

Other members of its executive committee include:[7]

John Austin, former Labour MP and a founder of the Labour Middle East Committee.

Dr Maha Azzam, a former associate fellow at Chatham House.

John McHugo international lawyer and author of ‘A concise history of the Arabs’.

Carolyn Perry, Head of Philanthropy at the MBI Al Jaber Foundation.

Vyvyan Kinross, PR and communications advisor, management consultant UNOPS.

Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP, Chief Whip for the Liberal Democrat Party as well as the party’s spokesperson on Northern Ireland.

Andy Love, former Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Edmonton.

Paula Sherriff MP, MP for Dewsbury and Shadow Women and Equalities Minister.

Middle East expert Chris Doyle has been director of Caabu since 2002.[8] Doyle has spoken at national and international conferences, at Chatham House, RUSI, the Dubai Press Club, the Al Arabiya Forum and the annual Doha Forum on Free Trade and Democratisation in Qatar. In 2003 he observed the elections to the Kuwait National Assembly and in January 2013, he appeared as an expert witness in front of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee in Parliament discussing UK relations with Arab states in the Persian Gulf region.[8]

Doyle was Visiting Lecturer at St Mary’s College, University of Surrey, former Chair of Friends of Birzeit University, former trustee of Medical Aid for Palestinians and the Coordinator of the Joint Committee for Palestine.[8]

In 2001 Chris received a Special Tribute award from the Arab Screen Independent Film Festival for his work with the media.[8]

Doyle was awarded the Annemarie Schimmel award for Championing a Muslim Cause at The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015.[9]

Caabu works to improve Arab-British relations in Parliament with ministers, senior civil servants, MPs and Lords from across the political spectrum.[10] It raises key issues with leading politicians and civil servants, including democratic reform in the Middle East and North Africa, the arms trade, Universal Jurisdiction, the siege of Gaza and settlements.

Caabu also writes reports and briefings on critical issues affecting the Arab world for politicians and the general public

Caabu takes delegations of politicians out to the Middle East, to give them a better understanding of the region and its key issues.[11] Between 1997 and 2017 Caabu has taken over 60 delegations to a variety of Arab countries, including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt and Libya, involving over 200 MPs and Lords.[11] The majority Caabu’s delegations visit Gaza and the West Bank, where delegates meet both Palestinian and Israeli officials, activists and businessmen.

Since the General Election on 8 June 2017, Caabu has taken two parliamentary delegations to the West Bank. The delegations have included former Labour Minister for Education and Minister for the Arts, Baroness Tessa Blackstone, Labour's Shadow Minister for Early Years, Tracy Brabin, and former Secretary of State for Scotland, former Government Deputy Chief Whip and Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, Alistair Carmichael.[12]

Caabu runs a programme of private and public events. The organisation hosts expert speakers at the House of Commons, party conferences, the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce and universities. Caabu also organises round-table seminars for journalists, academics and NGO workers at the Arab British Centre. In the past Caabu has organised a speaking tour to the UK for Tawakkul Karman, the Yemeni co-winner of the Novel Peace Prize, and contributed to the 2013 conference Supporting Open Economies, Inclusive Growth - Women's Role in Arab Countries, as part of the G8 Deauville Partnership with Arab Countries in Transition.

Caabu monitors the British media for misrepresentations of the Arab world for the purpose of objective reporting. A daily digest of news coverage on the Middle East in the major broadsheets is sent to members of the organisation. The organisation also provides expert comment for television, radio and print on issues affecting the Middle East. Director Chris Doyle gave conducted over 200 interviews on the Arab world in the since 2012.[5]

Caabu runs an education programme that reaches out to 5-10,000 school children every year.[13] The education programme was designed to give UK school children the opportunity to learn about the Arab world.[13] It works to improve understanding of the history and culture of the Middle East and counter negative and misleading images. Topics included a genrrla introduction to the Arab World, its people and culture; the Israel-Palestine conflict; the Arab Uprisings, Arab stereotypes and perceptions of Muslims in the UK.[14] Caabu continues to give educational talks for schools upon request.

Caabu launched a Syria programme in 2011, working to highlight events in Syria and raise issues on human rights, international law and the humanitarian situation.[15] Caabu has also run seven workshops inside Syria with civil society activists focusing on citizenship, leadership and media training.[15]