The organization was established in 1973 to coordinate the work of Islamic centres and organizations in Europe. Its headquarters are in London. The council was formed pursuant to resolutions adopted at a conference of Muslim foreign ministers and was supported by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. Salem Azzam was a long time director.
Major J. R. Cunningham was part of the Indian Government. In 1930 J. R. Cunningham, the then Director of Public Information of Assam, issued a circular imposing a blanket ban on any anti-British and pro-swadeshi activity by students. It seems he was stationed in Jabalpur in 1939 and also visited Mashhad in the same year. The membership list of the Society for 1947 has him listed as Lieutenant-Colonel Cunningham and living in Tunbridge Wells.
J. Stuart King was an Army officer, rising to the position of Major. He served as British Agent and Vice-Consul at Zeila, Somaliland from 1884-1886, and was interested in some elements of Somali language and culture on which he wrote letters to the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society on occasion in the following years.
Professor J. Clifford Wright is an Emeritus Professor at SOAS, University of London with a specialist interest in Jaina Studies.