Mr. T. Arif Ali

JIH Secretary General (Qayyim-e-Jamaat)

Scholar and social activist Mr. T. Arif Ali was born on 1st June 1961 at Mundmuzhi, Vazhakkad of the Malappuram district in Kerala. He obtained early education from Darul Uloom Arabic College Vazhakkad, later completed B.A. Arabic (Afzal-ul-Ulama) from the Ilahiya College, Tirurkaad, Malappuram, affiliated with the Calicut University. He also underwent a teachers training course from the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. 

Mr. Arif Ali joined the Islamic organisation in 1995. He has been the Kerala state president of the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO). Later, he served the JIH in different capacities from state president to the member of the central advisory council and the vice president. At present he is serving JIH as its secretary general since 2019.  

Mr. Arif Ali has chaired the Madhyamam Broadcasting Limited, a Kerala based media and entertainment company, which was founded by Madhyamam Daily. The group owns Media One TV and a journalism school, MBL Media School. Mr. Ali also headed the Ideal Publications Trust which is publishing India’s first international newspaper and the third popular paper in Kerala since 1987.  Madhyamam has nine editions in India and its Persian Gulf edition Gulf Madhyamam has nine in the Middle East.

Mr. Arif Ali has also chaired the Board of Management of the Al Jamia Al Islamiya University, Kerala and the Executive Council of Majlisu Ta’aleemil Islami, Kerala.  He was a member of the State Haj Committee, Kerala and the Kerala Waqf Board. 

Presently, Mr. Arif Ali is the vice chairman of the Human Welfare Foundation (HWF), one of India’s leading NGOs, established in 2006.  

Mr. Arif Ali is also the President the Human Welfare Trust (HWT), a leading NGO.  

He is also heading the Sahulat Microfinance Society.

He is the director of the Kerala based Alternative Investments and Credits Limited (AICL), established in 2000. 

His book ‘Nilapaadulla Prastanam’ (Movement with a stand) was published by IPH, Kerala. He attended several international conferences and visited UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Bahrain and Oman.  He knew Malayalam, English, Urdu and Arabic languages.