Pakistani News

[A Very Informative Article by TIMES MAGAZINE, UK]

More Muslim women than ever are in leading positions in society, a fact that is at worst misrepresented and at best under-reported.

Britain’s first Muslim Women Power List aims to change all that and recognise the women who are making a difference.


There are more than 100,000 Muslim women currently working in Britain, yet many feel misunderstood and misrepresented. These women share the ambitions and challenges of all working women: to succeed at a good job and often to combine marriage and motherhood with a fulfilling career.

Yet searching for positive role models can be unrewarding work, and there has not, until now, been a professional social network for working Muslim women.

With these issues in mind, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), in association with The Times and Emel magazine, has published the first annual Muslim Women Power List, a celebration of those who are on the way to, or have already reached, the top of their chosen field. Any British Muslim over the age of 18 could apply or be nominated.

The aim was to create a network of women who could benefit from each other’s experiences in the workplace; women who have shown strong leadership and made a positive difference to their own and others’ work. Working women are a small percentage of the adult female Muslim population of 768,000, so the value of positive role models is all-important.

‘There aren’t many groups I can think of who are more stereotyped, yet less understood by the wider community, than working Muslim women,’ says Trevor Phillips, EHRC chairman. ‘I hope this list will make the rest of Britain sit up and take note as many members of the Muslim community are making a valuable economic and social contribution to our future.’

What the list also shows is that the idea of a one-size-fits- all ‘Muslim community’, or a commonality of experience, is a myth. Some women have supportive families who encouraged their aspirations; others have parents who felt strongly that they should leave school at 16 and get married. Some choose to wear a headscarf, some don’t; some attend mosque, others consider their Muslim identity to be more about the way they conduct themselves. Some talk about ‘the Muslim community’, others feel there is no such thing. And, while some remain conflicted about being lumped together as ‘Muslim women’, all agree that it’s worth it if it highlights and celebrates the fact that not all Muslim women are, as one put it, ‘oppressed, repressed and depressed’, but, rather, active and successful in business and society.


1. Farmida Bi, 41, partner, International Securities Group, Norton Rose:

I a typical Muslim woman? I suspect not. I was born in Pakistan but grew up in Oxford. The mould that was created for me was school till I was 16, then marriage to my first cousin and having six children by now. I wanted from the age of nine to break out of that.

‘I think most British Muslim women have strong personalities, but they are happy to accept some of the things that are expected of them by their families. Our families are very strong, very loving, so wanting to stay on the right side of them is a natural impulse. My family accepted that they weren’t going to be able to stop me from going to university and having a career, although they were concerned how it would be seen in the wider community.

Until September 11 and July 7, being a Muslim was just a part of who I was, not something I questioned. But now it’s become something I feel I have to be closely involved with. I have to be active in the community in a way I suspect I wouldn’t have been [before those events]. I can’t leave my community behind and go off to the joys of middle-class London life. That would feel like an abrogation of my duty. I don’t want a 14-year-old girl growing up in Britain now thinking, ‘I don’t know anyone who’s been to university or works for a living. ‘I want them to know there are people like me, and that there is an alternative future for them that is rich and fulfilling, and not in opposition to what their families want for them.’


2. Mishal Husain, 36, presenter, BBC One and BBC World News:

Most of the time the Muslim community is portrayed pretty unflatteringly. It’s not that I think Muslim women get a bad press, I just don’t think there’s much focus on the positive things.

My faith is one aspect of my identity. I’m a wife, a mother, a journalist, a British citizen, someone who loves books. I’ve thought harder about my faith since 9/11 and since becoming a mother. I’m more conscious of passing on traditions to my children, because knowing who you are is a solid base for a child.

When I lived in America, I noticed that American Muslims, whatever issues they had with the Bush administration, were really proud to be American. We don’t make such a song and dance about citizenship here. But most Muslims, especially in the past four years, have been on a tremendous journey in appreciating this country. People should be able to voice their dissent with British foreign policy, but it shouldn’t collide with your citizenship that’s the journey that we are on as a community.


3. Sabina Iqbal, 33, chair/founder Deaf Parenting UK:

Being Muslim and deaf makes me a unique role model for other Asian deaf women.. Many Muslim people are very ignorant about deafness; it is like a taboo. But my family and my husband’s family helped me a lot. I went to a school for the deaf where the support was fine, but when I went to college it was appalling. I almost had a breakdown. But I always had to prove wrong those patronising people who thought, “Ah, you’re deaf, you can’t do this.” My parents treated me and my brothers equally; they were great.

Being Muslim is part of my identity, the same as being deaf and being a woman. What I wear is about individual choice. I don’t wear a headscarf, but I make sure that I look respectable. I don’t wear anything too revealing. You never really see deaf women in the Muslim community working their way up the ladder, so for me to say, “Yes, I’m deaf and I’m a Muslim, and is very empowering.”


4. Imtaz Khaliq, 44, bespoke tailor:

I was brought up in Bradford, in quite a closed Muslim community. I always wanted to be a tailor, but the traditional route [for girls like me] was to get married at an early age. I had to really scream and shout to get [my parents’ agreement] for my course in Leeds, but once they saw my work on TV.

Is being a Muslim compatible with having a public profile? Yeah, it hasn’t really held me back. People are going to stereotype you anyway, so you might as well own your own identity. My family have been so supportive, and that pushes me on.

I think women in the Muslim community probably have to fight a little bit harder than women elsewhere, especially if you’re involved in the creative arts.


5. Baroness Warsi, 37, Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action:

I do prefer to work in a world where we didn’t have to single out Muslim women for their achievements in order to make a point. Having said that, I’m honoured to be on this list, because the man in the street simply doesn’t think of Muslim women as high achievers.

Of course I’ve encountered prejudice as a woman, and as a Muslim woman. One of the most specific forms of prejudice is journalists who ask, “Are you a Muslim first or British first?”, as if to say the two can’t be reconciled.

I think that Islam is a hugely liberating religion for women. If Islam is interpreted properly, it is a religion that respects, supports and reveres women. Unfortunately, I don’t necessarily think that’s always the way that the Muslim community interprets it.


6. Professor Farida Fortune, in her forties, dean of dentistry professor of medicine in relation to oral health, Queen Mary’s, London University:

Until [9/11 and 7/7], I would never stand out from the crowd as being a Muslim. But then my son said he was scared of anyone finding out he was a Muslim at school and we had to say, “Never be ashamed of who you are.”

Being on the dental faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons, I’m on the podium when people get their diplomas, and one girl said to me, “When I heard you were voted on, I knew I could do it too.” I don’t think I encountered any prejudice in my career until two years ago, when there was a discussion within the university about dress code and Muslim sensitivities. I had to say, “Excuse me, being the only Muslim woman here”, and they looked shocked.

I aspire to support all my staff and students and many from diverse backgrounds. I don’t want to be seen to be supporting or representing a particular group or that my achievements or failures have been because I am a Muslim.


7. Bushra Nasir, 56, first Muslim state-school head teacher:

Being Muslim is my core being. It’s guided me in my way of working and thinking. I came to Britain when I was 8, so I went through the education system here. My life chances were changed by teachers who nurtured me.

I haven’t encountered prejudice in the workplace, but I have found that people weigh me up to see if I’ve got the capabilities to do the job. I don’t think it’s prejudice, I think it’s naivety, and it makes me want to do my job even better.

The stereotype of Muslim women hidden away in burkas doesn’t annoy me, but I do see images that are not necessarily the most positive role models. I think it’s important to be proud to be a Muslim woman, and I feel in a very privileged position as a British Muslim.


8. Dr. Gulnar Aybet, 44, lecturer in international relations, political scientist and principal investigator of a British Academy project on Nato and EU state-building in Bosnia:

In a predominantly male-dominated career like mine, women are constantly up against challenges. Being a Muslim woman makes it three times as hard. It creates barriers in the workplace in terms of recognition and promotion. I have experienced both. I’m the only Muslim woman that I know of in my field.

My religion has been very important to me. I don’t find any contradictions between my faith and having a high-flying career.I come from Istanbul and a family embedded in European culture. I came here when I was 3. I don’t think there is a cohesive Muslim community [here] as yet. I don’t think in Britain it’s centred so much on religion as the culture of the country from which you originate.

I was always encouraged to achieve and succeed and I do a lot of mentoring for young women, Muslim or otherwise. I think for Muslim women it’s much more pressing, because I do feel they’re under-represented.

But it is wrong to generalise that most Muslim women are disadvantaged. I strongly believe that being European or Western and being of the Muslim faith are not mutually exclusive. One can have multiple identities.


9. Mehmuda Mian, 46, BBC trustee, qualified solicitor and commissioner of the Independent Police Complaints Commission:

My father and grandfather were university-educated . I had three siblings and we were all expected to go to university. In fact, it would have been a big deal if we hadn’t.

Being a Muslim is the bedrock of my existence. Islam is about peace and justice, though unfortunately some of those precepts have been taken over and there are some very odd views as to what Islam means.

There was racism when I was growing up in the Seventies but professionally it’s never really been an issue. I work on the Lokahi Foundation [an organisation that promotes harmony in society], and meet Muslims from right across the country. Some of their experiences bring it home to me that I’ve been very privileged. I went to a pretty awful estate in East London and a shaven-headed guy just started shouting abuse at some Bengali women.

This list is great because it’s portraying a positive image of Muslim women, but it is still a label. I don’t particularly like labels.


10. Reedah N. El-Saie, 38, founder and director, Islamic Art and Design:

My father died when I was 13, and this has always made me strive to be the best I can be. I read law at LSE, did a masters at UCL, qualified as a barrister and worked as a management consultant. Then I opened a club in Clerkenwell promoting Islamic art and culture.

I have two sons and my husband is Egyptian, so we have had a few stares and stops at the airport, which has made me aware that my sons are growing up in a climate of fear and mistrust. I think the media perpetuates the myth by using words like ‘Islamic terrorists’, so there’s a link in the average person’s mind between Islam and terrorism. Pre 9/11, there wasn’t that link.

I’m running a national art competition, ArRum, to explore what it means to be a British Muslim. There is a responsibility on our community to step forward more, and a project like the Muslim Women Power List, which highlights and celebrates the contributions that Muslim women are making, is definitely a great thing.


11. Salma Yaqoob, 37, leader of the Respect political party and elected member of Birmingham City Council:

9/11 was a turning point for me. I felt like I was being associated with it because it was called ‘Islamic terrorism’. In the playground people would shun me, on the bus I would hear people saying they wanted to stab Muslims.. I was spat upon. I was waiting to hear someone speak up, but nobody did, so I did it myself.

Muslim women are most definitely stereotyped: that we’re all oppressed, repressed, depressed! I think there’s a seed of truth in that we have issues within our own community; there’s a lot of rhetoric about equality and the Holy Quran and the Prophet, but the practice is definitely far from the theory. I saw many of my own cousins coming under pressure [to get married straight from school]. My sister and I were the first to go to university. Now it’s the norm. I remember going to my father and showing him the verses [in the Holy Quran] and saying, ‘Well, you say you believe this stuff, but actually we do have a right [to study].’

I saw how the faith was being used well, misused to deprive women of rights, and I found that I could assert my rights through going back to the faith. I hope that’s made it easier for other women.


12. Rimla Akhtar, 26, chairwoman of the Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation:

I think there’s a lot of work to be done in terms of understanding the Muslim community. All the people here today are working to get the message across that we’re basically the same as anyone else. We have a faith that defines us, but that doesn’t make us different. We’re doing positive things for the whole of the UK. I’ve been playing sport for a long time, and I haven’t encountered any prejudice at all.

Being Muslim totally defines me as a person. It’s about being a good human being. Do unto others that’s the only motto I live by. I don’t think Islam would ever stop a woman doing anything as long as it doesn’t contradict her faith.


13. Zahida Manzoor CBE, 50, legal services complaints commissioner and legal services ombudsman for England and Wales:

Having a supportive family is very important to my success. My father encouraged me to do as well as I could at a time when Muslim girls didn’t leave home to go to university.

There is evidence that ethnic-minority women feel discrimination on three fronts: as women, as a minority and as Muslims. Ive not encountered it, but the reality is there are still not that many Muslim women in public life, [although] there is a greater acceptance in the [Muslim] community that women are going out to work.

I would like to think the stereotype of subservient women is changing. For women generally we talk about the glass ceiling, but for ethnic minority women, particularly Muslim women, we’re talking about breaking the concrete skirting board. It is that difficult. There needs to be more family support and community support. I have two daughters. One just qualified as a lawyer and I’m hopeful that some of the barriers I’ve faced in my life won’t even be issues for her.


THE LONG LIST:

Baroness Afshar Professor of politics and women’s studies

Zareen Ahmed Chief executive, the Lightbox Consultancy

Rimla Akhtar Chairwoman of Muslim Women’s Sport Foundation

Rushanara Ali Associate director, the Young Foundation

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Columnist

Naheed Arshad-Mather Various community activities, magistrate

Dr. Gulnur Aybet Lecturer in political science, University of Kent

Farmida Bi Banking partner, Norton Rose LLP

Riazat Butt Religious affairs correspondent, The Guardian

Dr Reefat Drabu Various chairs/committee work within Muslim Council of Britain

Prof. Farida Fortune Dean of dentistry and oral health, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine

Shaista Gohir Director of Muslim Voice UK, exec director of Muslim Women’s Network UK

Shahbaz Hamid Principal and actuary, client relationship director Scotland, Aon Consulting

Prof. Roszaini Haniffa School of Management, University of Bradford

Dr Fatima Husain Consultant in obstetrics and gynaecology, Heatherwood and Wrexham Park NHS Trust

Mishal Husain Journalist and presenter

Razia Iqbal Arts correspondent, BBC News

Sabina Iqbal Chairwoman and founder of Deaf Parenting UK

Shelina Janmohamed Writer and commentator

Wasfi Kani Chief executive, Grange Park Opera

Haifa Al Kaylani Board director and founder chairman of Arab International Women’s Forum

Sara Khan Community development specialist

Hawa Bibi Laher Head teacher, Spring Grove JI&N School

Pinky Lilani Entrepreneur, diversity specialist and cookery writer

Nahid Majid Deputy director/head of area initiatives and communities, DWP

Adeeba Malik Deputy chief executive, QED-UK

Aiysha Malik Vice president, employee relations, Deutsche Bank

Naseem Malik IPCC commissioner and judge of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal

Dr Zahida Manzoor Legal services complaints commissioner and legal services ombudsman for England and Wales

Shazia Mirza Comedian and columnist

Dr Shehla Mohammed Consultant clinical geneticist

Dr Yasmin Naqushbandi Medical director, Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust

Bushra Nasir Head teacher, Plashet Comprehensive School

Ifath Nawaz Lawyer/President of the Association of Muslim Lawyers (UK)

Yvonne Ridley Journalist, broadcaster and author

Fatiha Serour Director, Commonwealth Youth Programme

Dr Robina Shah Chairwoman of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Julie Siddiqui Various community activities

Dr Elneil Sohier Consultant urogynaecologist, UCH

Cllr Salma Yaqoob Birmingham City Council

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The Muslim Women Power List 2009 will be launched at an awards ceremony in Manchester on March 24, when the three outstanding nominees will be announced (www.thelist2009. com).