Ruzwana Bashir
Encyclopedia
Ruzwana Bashir was the first British-born Asian woman to become President of the Oxford Union
and is a Fulbright Scholar.
, in North Yorkshire
. She then went up to New College, Oxford
, to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
debating society. Her first election came in November 2003, when she beat Georgina Costa, daughter of Ken Costa (Chairman of Lazard
), by 790 votes to 601. However she was subsequently disqualified for an infringement of the electoral process, following a complaint made by Ambrose Faulks, a former President. The Guardian
commented that "Frivolous complaints have become the raison d'être of the Oxford Union", and subsequently the electoral rules of the Union were changed, so that others would not fall foul of the same problem. She was elected a second time in March 2004, this time beating James Forsyth. She faced a tribunal
, accused of irregular canvassing, in the shape of courting votes in her college on polling day. Friends of Bashir commented that the opposition to her was really "because of the colour of her skin and because she is a Muslim
". The tribunal took nearly twenty hours to make a finding and heard counter-accusations of dirty tricks and racism
. Forsyth was found guilty of electoral malpractice. The Mail on Sunday
called the battle "one of the dirtiest political scraps the hallowed quadrangles of Oxford University have ever witnessed" and asked "Will this Asian girl be the next Maggie?"
During her tenure as President, Bashir's guest speakers included Senator John McCain
, Michael Heseltine
, Norman Lamont, Kenneth Clarke
, John Redwood
, David Trimble
, Tom Ford
, Hans Blix
and José María Aznar
.
While she was at Oxford, the Daily Times of Pakistan
described Bashir as "a gorgeous northern lass studying at Oxford", revealing that her vice was Diet Coke
, that she loved Japanese cuisine
, and that she was known to her friends as 'Ruz'.
In 2004, Bashir was nominated for the Woman of the Year Award by publishing house Minerva
.
While at Oxford, Bashir spent a summer vacation helping to build a rural primary school in Tanzania
, after which she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro
.
representing the Blackstone Group
. In February 2009, she was reported to be working for a private equity company.
In 2010, Bashir gained the degree of MBA
at the Harvard Business School
, where she was a Fulbright Scholar.
. In an interview with the Evening Standard
, Kebbell said he thought she was "stunningly gorgeous" and had been a "fantastic influence" on him. Bashir and Kebbell met at a Christmas party given by the journalist Andrew Neil
. They have been pictured together in the Daily Mirror and in February 2009 attended the 62nd British Academy Film Awards
event together.
Oxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
and is a Fulbright Scholar.
Early life
Bashir was educated at Skipton Girls' High SchoolSkipton Girls' High School
Skipton Girls' High School, founded in 1886 by the Petyt Trust, is an all girls selective grammar school situated in Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. The school recently became a foundation school. Around 800 girls aged 11 to 18 are educated at the school, of which 190 are in the sixth form. The...
, in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
. She then went up to New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
, to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Oxford career
Bashir was twice elected as President of the university's Oxford UnionOxford Union
The Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
debating society. Her first election came in November 2003, when she beat Georgina Costa, daughter of Ken Costa (Chairman of Lazard
Lazard
Lazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...
), by 790 votes to 601. However she was subsequently disqualified for an infringement of the electoral process, following a complaint made by Ambrose Faulks, a former President. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
commented that "Frivolous complaints have become the raison d'être of the Oxford Union", and subsequently the electoral rules of the Union were changed, so that others would not fall foul of the same problem. She was elected a second time in March 2004, this time beating James Forsyth. She faced a tribunal
Tribunal
A tribunal in the general sense is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title....
, accused of irregular canvassing, in the shape of courting votes in her college on polling day. Friends of Bashir commented that the opposition to her was really "because of the colour of her skin and because she is a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
". The tribunal took nearly twenty hours to make a finding and heard counter-accusations of dirty tricks and racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. Forsyth was found guilty of electoral malpractice. The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
called the battle "one of the dirtiest political scraps the hallowed quadrangles of Oxford University have ever witnessed" and asked "Will this Asian girl be the next Maggie?"
During her tenure as President, Bashir's guest speakers included Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, Michael Heseltine
Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH, PC is a British businessman, Conservative politician and patron of the Tory Reform Group. He was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001 and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major...
, Norman Lamont, Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Clarke
Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of...
, John Redwood
John Redwood
John Alan Redwood is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament for Wokingham. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales in Prime Minister John Major's Cabinet and was an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 1995...
, David Trimble
David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party...
, Tom Ford
Tom Ford
Thomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford is an American fashion designer and film director. He gained international fame for his turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of the Tom Ford label before directing the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man.-Early life :Tom Ford was born August 27, 1961 in...
, Hans Blix
Hans Blix
is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs . Blix was also the head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission from March 2000 to June 2003, when he was succeeded by Dimitris Perrikos...
and José María Aznar
José María Aznar
José María Alfredo Aznar López served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...
.
While she was at Oxford, the Daily Times of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
described Bashir as "a gorgeous northern lass studying at Oxford", revealing that her vice was Diet Coke
Diet Coke
Diet Coke is a sugar-free soft drink produced and distributed by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first introduced in the United States on August 9, 1982, as the first new brand since 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark...
, that she loved Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
, and that she was known to her friends as 'Ruz'.
In 2004, Bashir was nominated for the Woman of the Year Award by publishing house Minerva
Minerva
Minerva was the Roman goddess whom Romans from the 2nd century BC onwards equated with the Greek goddess Athena. She was the virgin goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic...
.
While at Oxford, Bashir spent a summer vacation helping to build a rural primary school in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, after which she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa at above sea level .-Geology:...
.
Later career
In June 2008, Bashir attended the London Student Housing Conference as an analystAnalyst
Analyst generally is a term for an individual of whom or which the primary function is a deep examination of a specific, limited area and may mean:* Accounting analyst, an accounting analyst evaluates and interprets public company financial statements...
representing the Blackstone Group
Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,...
. In February 2009, she was reported to be working for a private equity company.
In 2010, Bashir gained the degree of MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
at the Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, where she was a Fulbright Scholar.
Personal life
Bashir was reported in 2009 to be the girlfriend of BAFTA-nominated actor Toby KebbellToby Kebbell
Tobias Alistair P. "Toby" Kebbell is a British actor.-Life and career:Kebbell, the fourth of five children, was born in South Elmsall, on the A638 between Doncaster and Wakefield, Yorkshire, but grew up in Nottinghamshire...
. In an interview with the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
, Kebbell said he thought she was "stunningly gorgeous" and had been a "fantastic influence" on him. Bashir and Kebbell met at a Christmas party given by the journalist Andrew Neil
Andrew Neil
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
. They have been pictured together in the Daily Mirror and in February 2009 attended the 62nd British Academy Film Awards
62nd British Academy Film Awards
The 62nd British Academy Film Awards, hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, took place on 8 February 2009, and honoured the best films of 2008.-Best Actor:Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler*Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon...
event together.