Meet the 13 most powerful Muslim women in Britain.. Must Read and Forward to All...

[Guest guest]

Meet the 13 most

powerful Muslim women in Britain.. Must Read and Forward to

All...

 

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 – many

members

of the Muslim community are making a valuable economic and social contribution

to our future.â€

 

 

 

 

What the list also

shows is that the idea of a one-size-fits-all “Muslim communityâ€, 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

communityâ€,

others feel there is no such thing. And, while some remain conflicted about

being lumped together as “Muslim womenâ€, 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 depressedâ€, but, rather, active and successful in

business and society.

 

 

 

Farmida Bi, 41,

partner, International Securities Group, Norton

Rose:

 

 

“Am 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.â€

 

 

 

 

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’re

on as a

community.â€

 

 

 

 

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,’ is very empowering.â€

 

 

 

 

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.â€

 

 

 

 

Baroness Warsi, 37,

Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social

Action:

 

 

“I’d 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?â€, 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.â€

 

 

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.â€

 

 

 

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.â€

 

 

Dr Gülnur 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.â€

 

 

 

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.â€

 

 

 

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’s

Egyptian, so we’ve 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 terroristsâ€, 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.â€

 

 

 

 

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.â€

 

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.â€

 

 

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. I’ve 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.â€

 

 

 

 

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 Gülnur 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

 

 

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

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

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 

 

You can view the reference for above information at below

link

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/article5918094.ece?token\

=null & offset=0 & page=1

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).

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

i really dont find these women powerful, i ve been down the list and there is

nothing powerful abt them, they highly educated, but not the most educated women

in Britain, been educated does not make one powerful, lot of them agree that if

you lived the sharia way then there is no way they would of got this far in life

 

please group controllers, ban this Hassan Ali and his mails, they are more abt

showing how great muslims and islam is, rather then vedic astrology. Enough is

enough, i come to this group abt vedic astrology and nothing else.

 

And a message to Hassan Ali, have some respect and do not post things that dont

relate to this vedic astrology group,

 

 

 

 

________________________________

Hassan Ali <shayariworld

hum-our-tum

Sunday, 22 March, 2009 8:30:25

[vedic astrology] Meet the 13 most powerful Muslim women in Britain..

Must Read and Forward to All...

 

 

Meet the 13 most

powerful Muslim women in Britain.. Must Read and Forward to

All...

 

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 – many

members

of the Muslim community are making a valuable economic and social contribution

to our future.â€

 

What the list also

shows is that the idea of a one-size-fits- all “Muslim communityâ€, 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

communityâ€,

others feel there is no such thing. And, while some remain conflicted about

being lumped together as “Muslim womenâ€, 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 depressedâ€, but, rather, active and successful in

business and society.

 

Farmida Bi, 41,

partner, International Securities Group, Norton

Rose:

 

“Am 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.â€

 

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’re

on as a

community.â€

 

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,’ is very empowering.â€

 

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.â€

 

Baroness Warsi, 37,

Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social

Action:

 

“I’d 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?â€, 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.â€

 

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.â€

 

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.â€

 

Dr Gülnur 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.â€

 

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.â€

 

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’s

Egyptian, so we’ve 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 terroristsâ€, 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.â€

 

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.â€

 

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.â€

 

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. I’ve 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.â€

 

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 Gülnur 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

 

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

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

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 

 

You can view the reference for above information at below

link

http://women. timesonline. co.uk/tol/ life_and_ style/women/ article5918094.

ece?token= null & offset= 0 & page=1

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).

 

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