Biography

Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim is a graduate of the International Institute of Islamic Economics of the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He also completed his Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) and working for the completion of his Doctoral Degree in Public Administration from the Cotabato City State Polytechnic College. He also completed a two (2) short courses on Management and Leadership from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Manila.

He spearheaded the empowerment of the Muslim Religious Leaders of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and resulted to the founding of the Assembly of the Darul Ifta of the Philippines, the most authoritative group of religious scholars in the region. He was one of the lead conveners of the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines, the national network of Muslim Religious Leaders in the Philippines.

 In 2010, he was appointed as ARMM – Area Manager of a USAID funded project by University Research Company in Maryland, USA for the development of a Health Communication and Promotion project in the region.  He was also the Shari’ah Advisor of the Al Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines in 2010 to 2012.

In 2011, he was tapped by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) for the Afghanistan Technical Assistance Program, Canadian Governance Support Office as Technical Advisor/Consultant at the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs in Kabul, Afghanistan. He personally developed the Afghanistan National Hajj Strategy 2011 – 2015. He was only the Muslim Filipino given such prestigious opportunity.

Ustadz Ebrahim was also the lead facilitator in the development of ARMM’s Halal Certification Guidelines. This Halal Guidelines became the basis of the national government in the development of the National Halal Standard. He was also very instrumental for the development and promotion of Philippine Halal Industry to Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the business wing of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, thru the International Halal Integrity Alliance, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He managed the membership of Philippine Halal Accreditation Board to IHI (International Halal Integrity) Alliance in Malaysia. He had managed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between ARMM’s Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board and the Halal Industry Development Corporation of the government of Malaysia and with the Central Islamic Committee of Thailand for Halal cooperation and research.

He was the first Managing Director of the only Halal Certification Body in the ARMM and became the first Vice Chairman of the National Halal Accreditation Board of the Philippines. He also became the President of the Muslim Chamber of Commerce and Industry, based in the city of Cotabato.

Ustadz Ebrahim was one of the two Shari’ah Advisors of the Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012.

He was also a part – time Professor at the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City teaching Arabic language, Islamic Law and Islamic Economics.

In 2012, he was appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III as Commissioner, representing the Ulama (religious) Sector of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF). He is the commissioner in charge on Hajj and Halal of the commission.

At present, he is now the Executive Director of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy, an NGO dedicated to the study of Islamic and democratic thought and the search for peace, democracy and development in Muslim Mindanao.