Syed Faisal Ali

An award-winning journalist-turned politician, Syed Faisal Ali, is a senior leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), a party championing the cause of downtrodden and minorities, headed by Lalu Prasad Yadav. He contested the 2019 parliamentary elections from Sheohar in Bihar as a Grand Alliance candidate on RJD ticket, but despite getting huge number of votes, he lost.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/surprise-rjd-ticket-to-scribe-makes-news/article26926530.ece

https://newsd.in/lok-sabha-elections-2019-who-is-syed-faisal-ali-rjd-candidate-for-sheohar-bihar/

http://www.uniindia.com/~/rjd-again-rejects-tej-pratap-s-proposal/States/news/1554608.html

https://www.bhaskar.com/bihar/patna/news/syed-faisal-ali-to-contest-election-on-ticket-of-rjd-from-shivhar-01515531.html

A journalist with illustrious 25 years of experience in Print and TV both, Syed Faisal Ali, is a widely travelled person. He is M.A. in English literature, M.B.A. (PMIR) and LL.B. He has worked for about eight years as Group Editor in Sahara News Network. In 2018 March, when pressure mounted on him to tow a particular editorial line, he resigned from Sahara to protect his rights as a professional and commitment to impartial and free journalism.

Earlier, he worked for over 15 years as Editor, Arab News, Saudi Arabia’s largest-selling and most respected English daily, owned by the present King, Salman Bin Abdulaziz. He has extensively reported/written on Indo-Pak issues and Middle Eastern (West Asia) Affairs from Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Iraq War, Syria, Egypt, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Yemen to Spain, France, Turkey, Pakistan to Sri Lanka etc.

A widely quoted journalist, he was associated with BBC World Service for 12 years as an independent analyst on Saudi Arabia, Middle East, Iraq war, Palestine conflict, Pakistan and terrorism. Also, he has reported important international events/developments for many Indian and international newspapers and news channels like France 24, Czech TV, Dawn TV, Geo TV, CNN-IBN, Star News, NDTV, CNN-IBN, India TV and Tehelka fortnightly, before joining Sahara News Network as Group Editor.

He has also covered Haj for 18 years in a row and is being widely quoted by world media on Haj, its socio-economic and other aspects as well. A moderate and sensible voice, he is a considerably respected journalist whose weekly column in Roznama Rashtriya Sahara Urdu daily was hugely popular among Muslims.

He has written hundreds of stories and articles on different socio-political issues of India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, West Asia, Gulf and terrorism. He is one of the few Indian journalists who have reported from many conflict zones including Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine and Arab spring movement. He was invited by the US government for its prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and also to world’s largest warship USS Theodore Roosevelt.

He has attended many national and international seminars and conferences and is a recipient of over two dozen prestigious awards like 15thRajiv Gandhi Annual Global Excellence Award, 2013 for outstanding contribution to journalism, Adab-e-Sahafat Award, Mohabbat Award 2015, Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Award and Mohsin-e-Sahafat Award 2012 etc.

In early part of his career, he was lecturer for 5 years in the Department of Business Studies, in Gaya College, Gaya, under Magadh University, Bodh-Gaya. He was taking up classes of post-graduate students pursuing MBA courses.

Personal Details:

• Date of Birth :29:12.1967

• Place of  Birth: Patna, Bihar

• Married to Atika Ahmad Farooqui, with two kids

• Family: Belongs to a reputed nationalist family of Bihar. Grandfather Maulana Syed Riyasat Ali Nadwi, was a renowned Islamic scholar and author of over 20 widely acclaimed books on Islamic and world history. He was closely associated with Nadwatul Uloom, Lucknow, and Darul Musanaffeen, Shibli Manzil, Azamgarh. Later, he took over as principal of the renowned Madrasa Shamsul Hoda, Patna. He was closely associated with the Indian freedom movement and was close friend of Keshav Deo Malviya, Pandit Algu Rai Shastri, Dr. Zakir Hussain, Abul Kalam Azad and Lal Bahadur Shastri. He was member of the UPCC along with Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, Pandit Govind Vallabh Pant and Rafi Ahmad Kidwai.

• Father: Late Syed Ashahad Ali, was a senior lawyer at Patna High Court. He was also member of syndicate of several universities of Bihar. He was a member of Bihar State Minorities Commission and was founder-member of several colleges and schools in Bihar. He died on 26.03.2018.