Sayeeda Warsi
Encyclopedia
Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi is a British lawyer and politician. She is the co-Chairman of the Conservative Party
(with Andrew Feldman).
A Life Peer
ess, she is also a Minister without Portfolio
in David Cameron's Cabinet
, and although she is the third Minister to be a Muslim
, following Shahid Malik
and Sadiq Khan
, she is the first unelected Muslim, and the first female Muslim, to serve as a minister in the UK.
, West Riding of Yorkshire
, in 1971, to Pakistan
i immigrants from Bewal
, Gujar Khan
, the second of five daughters. Her father, Safdar Hussain, operates a bed manufacturing company, which has a turnover of £2million a year, after starting life as a mill worker. She has said that her father's success led her to adopting Conservative principles.
In 1990, Warsi married and had one daughter. She and her first husband divorced in December 2007 after 17 years of marriage. On 20 August 2009 Warsi married Iftikhar Azam in a simple Nikah
ceremony at her parents’ house in Dewsbury followed by a wedding celebration attended by close family.
, Dewsbury College, and the University of Leeds
, where she read Law (LLB
). She attended the College of Law York
to complete her legal practice training and thereafter with both the Crown Prosecution Service
and the Home Office Immigration Department. She has been elected a Fellow
of the Royal Society of Arts
.
– the last Conservative Member of Parliament for Dewsbury – at Whitfield Hallam Goodall Solicitors. She then set up her own specialist practice in Dewsbury. She has also worked overseas for the Ministry of Law in Pakistan and in Kashmir
as chairman of the Savayra Foundation, a women's empowerment charity.
for Dewsbury
at the 2005 general election
, becoming the first Muslim woman to be selected by the Conservatives. During the election campaign she was criticised for producing election literature which was described as "homophobic" by the gay rights group Stonewall. Warsi was defeated by 4615 votes; in achieving a lower share of the vote than in 2001, she defied the national swing towards the Conservative party. She has served as a special adviser to Michael Howard
on community relations and was appointed by David Cameron
as vice chairman of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for cities.
In its December 2006 edition, the New Statesman
revealed that Warsi received support for her general election campaign from Lord Ahmed
, a Labour
peer
. According to the New Statesman's report, Warsi "welcomed Lord Ahmed's support".
and a working peer. Her peerage was conferred as Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury
in the County of West Yorkshire
on 11 October 2007 and gazetted on 26 October 2007. On joining the House of Lords
, she became its youngest member.
On 1 December 2007, Baroness Warsi travelled to Khartoum
, with the Labour peer Lord Ahmed
, to mediate in the Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case
: a British citizen teaching at Unity High School
had been prosecuted and jailed for insulting Islam
, after allowing her class to name a teddy bear
Mohammed. Although the peers' meeting with the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
did not lead directly to Gillian Gibbons being pardoned, it is acknowledged that, along with the enormous efforts made by her family, friends, and others, it may have been an indirect and helpful contribution to her release.
as chairman of the Conservative Party. Her appointment makes Warsi the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet.
She was sworn of the Privy Council
on 13 May 2010.
, as well as several Labour politicians, questioned her suitability for a high-profile Conservative Party role owing to leaflets issued during her 2005 election campaign which contained views which they claimed were homophobic. Some of her 2005 campaign leaflets claimed that Labour's lowering of the homosexual age of consent
from 18 to 16 (under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
) was "allowing schoolchildren to be propositioned for homosexual relationships", and that homosexuality was being peddled to children as young as seven in schools. On the subject, Baroness Warsi said that "I look back at lots of my election leaflets and think, 'God - why did I phrase it like that? What was I on?" adding "There was a whole team that was involved in my election leaflets. Looking back on it, maybe I could have used much better language than that", while adding her belief that sex education
should be "out of the school system, initially".
Warsi went on record saying that people who back the British National Party
(BNP) may have a point. "They have some very legitimate views. People who say 'we are concerned about crime and justice in our communities – we are concerned about immigration in our communities'". On 22 October 2009 Baroness Warsi represented the Conservatives on a controversial edition of Question Time
marking the first ever appearance of Nick Griffin
, leader of the BNP. During that broadcast she strongly criticised the BNP, and when directly asked whether she was in favour of civil partnerships, replied "I think that people who want to be in a relationship together, in the form of a civil partnership, absolutely have the right to do that."
On 30 November 2009 she was pelted with eggs by a group of Muslims whilst on a walkabout
in Luton
. The protesters accused her of not being a proper Muslim
and of supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan
. Baroness Warsi told the BBC
that the men were "idiots who did not represent the majority of British Muslims". She later continued her walkabout with a police escort. In May 2010, British Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary
warned that she could be in physical danger if she visited Muslim communities. He said she would be attacked by eggs every time she went near a Muslim community and some protesters may take the attacks further, because he did not view her as a Muslim and could not represent Islam or any Muslim due to her support of the military involvement of the British Army
in some Muslim countries
.
In the context of the United Kingdom debate over veils
, a Tory MP tried to ban women from wearing burqa
s in public in 2010. Warsi responded that the garment does not limit women from engaging in everyday life. Amidst critics who say the burqa is divisive and has no place in British society, she argued that the choice of what to wear should be down to the individual.
In September 2010 during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI
to England and Scotland, Baroness Warsi said the Labour government appeared to have viewed religion as "essentially a rather quaint relic of our pre-industrial history. They were also too suspicious of faith's potential for contributing to society - behind every faith-based charity, they sensed the whiff of conversion and exclusivity," she said. "And because of these prejudices they didn't create policies to unleash the positive power of faith in our society."
On 30 September 2010 she was quoted by the New Statesman
as making accusations of electoral fraud
that robbed the Conservatives of an overall majority. She would not be drawn on the specific nature of the allegations or what evidence she had. Later that day she pulled out of an appearance on the BBC's Question Time
.
|-
|-
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
(with Andrew Feldman).
A Life Peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
ess, she is also a Minister without Portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
in David Cameron's Cabinet
Cameron Ministry
David Cameron is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government after the resignation as Prime Minister of Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. Leading a coalition government formed by the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, the coalition...
, and although she is the third Minister to be 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...
, following Shahid Malik
Shahid Malik
Shahid Rafique Malik is a British Labour Party politician who became the Member of Parliament for Dewsbury in 2005 after defeating Conservative Sayeeda Warsi, now Conservative Chair Baroness Warsi and remained so till 2010 when Conservative candidate Simon Reevell won Dewsbury...
and Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Aman Khan is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Tooting since 2005, succeeding Tom Cox as the Labour MP for the seat...
, she is the first unelected Muslim, and the first female Muslim, to serve as a minister in the UK.
Early life, family
Warsi was born in DewsburyDewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
, West Riding of Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
, in 1971, to 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...
i immigrants from Bewal
Bewal
Bewal is a town and Union Council in the eastern part of Gujar Khan Tehsil and to south east from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan. Bewal along with Sui Cheemian is today probably the most wealthy place anywhere in rural Pakistan, with a large proportion of its population being settled in...
, Gujar Khan
Gujar Khan Tehsil
Gujar Khan Tehsil, head-quartered at Gujar Khan, is one of the seven Tehsils of Rawalpindi District in the Punjab province of Pakistan...
, the second of five daughters. Her father, Safdar Hussain, operates a bed manufacturing company, which has a turnover of £2million a year, after starting life as a mill worker. She has said that her father's success led her to adopting Conservative principles.
In 1990, Warsi married and had one daughter. She and her first husband divorced in December 2007 after 17 years of marriage. On 20 August 2009 Warsi married Iftikhar Azam in a simple Nikah
Nikah
Marriage in Islam is an Islamic prenuptial contract between a man and woman to live as husband and wife. It is a formal, binding contract considered integral to a religiously valid Islamic marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom and bride involved in marriage proceedings...
ceremony at her parents’ house in Dewsbury followed by a wedding celebration attended by close family.
Education
Warsi was educated at Birkdale High SchoolBirkdale High School
Birkdale High School is a school in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England. The school is quite small, with just under 600 pupils at present 2006/7. The school's buildings are in two distinct phases; the older building, comprising mainly the former Wheelwright Grammar school and a newly built wing...
, Dewsbury College, and the University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
, where she read Law (LLB
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
). She attended the College of Law York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
to complete her legal practice training and thereafter with both the Crown Prosecution Service
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
and the Home Office Immigration Department. She has been elected a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
.
Early career
After qualifying as a solicitor, she worked for John WhitfieldJohn Whitfield (politician)
John Whitfield is a British Conservative Party politician.Whitfield was elected Member of Parliament for the normally Labour seat of Dewsbury in the Conservative landslide at the 1983 general election...
– the last Conservative Member of Parliament for Dewsbury – at Whitfield Hallam Goodall Solicitors. She then set up her own specialist practice in Dewsbury. She has also worked overseas for the Ministry of Law in Pakistan and in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
as chairman of the Savayra Foundation, a women's empowerment charity.
Political career
Warsi was the Conservative parliamentary candidateProspective parliamentary candidate
Prospective parliamentary candidate is a term used in British politics to refer to candidates selected by political parties to fight individual constituencies in advance of a general election. This terminology was motivated by the strict limits on the amount of expenses incurred by an actual...
for Dewsbury
Dewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Dewsbury is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
at the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, becoming the first Muslim woman to be selected by the Conservatives. During the election campaign she was criticised for producing election literature which was described as "homophobic" by the gay rights group Stonewall. Warsi was defeated by 4615 votes; in achieving a lower share of the vote than in 2001, she defied the national swing towards the Conservative party. She has served as a special adviser to Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
on community relations and was appointed by David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
as vice chairman of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for cities.
In its December 2006 edition, the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
revealed that Warsi received support for her general election campaign from Lord Ahmed
Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed
Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed is a member of the House of Lords, having become the United Kingdom's first Muslim life peer in 1998. Many of his political activities relate to the Islamic community both in the UK and abroad, and he has often attracted controversy...
, a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
. According to the New Statesman's report, Warsi "welcomed Lord Ahmed's support".
Life Peer
Despite a swing against the Conservatives in the seat she contested in the 2005 general election, on 2 July 2007 Warsi was appointed Shadow Minister for Community CohesionCommunity cohesion
Community cohesion refers to the aspect of togetherness and bonding exhibited by members of a community, the "glue" that holds a community together...
and a working peer. Her peerage was conferred as Baroness Warsi of Dewsbury
Dewsbury
Dewsbury is a minster town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. It is to the west of Wakefield, east of Huddersfield and south of Leeds...
in the County of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
on 11 October 2007 and gazetted on 26 October 2007. On joining the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, she became its youngest member.
On 1 December 2007, Baroness Warsi travelled to Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
, with the Labour peer Lord Ahmed
Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed
Nazir Ahmed, Baron Ahmed is a member of the House of Lords, having become the United Kingdom's first Muslim life peer in 1998. Many of his political activities relate to the Islamic community both in the UK and abroad, and he has often attracted controversy...
, to mediate in the Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case
Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case
The Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case concerns the arrest, trial, conviction, imprisonment and subsequent release of British schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons working at Unity High School in Sudan in 2007.-Arrest:...
: a British citizen teaching at Unity High School
Unity High School (Sudan)
Unity High School, founded in 1902, is an independent school in Khartoum, Sudan, which uses the English language and provides a British-style education to children. In 2005, it had an enrollment of some 750 pupils which range from 4 to 18 years of age...
had been prosecuted and jailed for insulting Islam
Islam and blasphemy
Blasphemy in Islam is any irreverent behavior toward holy personages, religious artifacts, customs, and beliefs that Muslims revere. The Quran and the hadith do not speak about blasphemy. Jurists created the offence, and they made it part of Sharia. Where Sharia pertains, the penalties for...
, after allowing her class to name a teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
Mohammed. Although the peers' meeting with the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
Omar al-Bashir
Lieutenant General Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir is the current President of Sudan and the head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister...
did not lead directly to Gillian Gibbons being pardoned, it is acknowledged that, along with the enormous efforts made by her family, friends, and others, it may have been an indirect and helpful contribution to her release.
Minister without Portfolio
On 12 May 2010 David Cameron appointed Baroness Warsi Minister without Portfolio when she succeeded Eric PicklesEric Pickles
Eric Jack Pickles is a British Conservative Party politician. Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron on 12 May 2010....
as chairman of the Conservative Party. Her appointment makes Warsi the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet.
She was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
on 13 May 2010.
Political commentary
The gay rights organisation StonewallStonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
, as well as several Labour politicians, questioned her suitability for a high-profile Conservative Party role owing to leaflets issued during her 2005 election campaign which contained views which they claimed were homophobic. Some of her 2005 campaign leaflets claimed that Labour's lowering of the homosexual age of consent
Age of consent
While the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
from 18 to 16 (under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000
The Sexual Offences Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It changed the age of consent for male homosexual sexual activities from 18 to that for heterosexual and lesbian sexual activities at 16, or 17 in Northern Ireland...
) was "allowing schoolchildren to be propositioned for homosexual relationships", and that homosexuality was being peddled to children as young as seven in schools. On the subject, Baroness Warsi said that "I look back at lots of my election leaflets and think, 'God - why did I phrase it like that? What was I on?" adding "There was a whole team that was involved in my election leaflets. Looking back on it, maybe I could have used much better language than that", while adding her belief that sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
should be "out of the school system, initially".
Warsi went on record saying that people who back the British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP) may have a point. "They have some very legitimate views. People who say 'we are concerned about crime and justice in our communities – we are concerned about immigration in our communities'". On 22 October 2009 Baroness Warsi represented the Conservatives on a controversial edition of Question Time
Question Time British National Party controversy
The Question Time British National Party controversy in early September 2009 followed an invitation by the British Broadcasting Corporation to Nick Griffin, leader of the far-right British National Party , to be a panellist on Question Time, one of its flagship television programmes on current...
marking the first ever appearance of Nick Griffin
Nick Griffin
Nicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
, leader of the BNP. During that broadcast she strongly criticised the BNP, and when directly asked whether she was in favour of civil partnerships, replied "I think that people who want to be in a relationship together, in the form of a civil partnership, absolutely have the right to do that."
On 30 November 2009 she was pelted with eggs by a group of Muslims whilst on a walkabout
Walkabout
The walkabout is a purported Australian aboriginal ritual of manhood.Walkabout may also refer to:- Art :*Walkabout , a 1959 book written by James Vance Marshall, set in the Australian outback...
in Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
. The protesters accused her of not being a proper 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...
and of supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
. Baroness Warsi told the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
that the men were "idiots who did not represent the majority of British Muslims". She later continued her walkabout with a police escort. In May 2010, British Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary is a British former solicitor, and, before it was proscribed, spokesman for the Islamist group Islam4UK. He is married, has four children, and lives in Ilford, London....
warned that she could be in physical danger if she visited Muslim communities. He said she would be attacked by eggs every time she went near a Muslim community and some protesters may take the attacks further, because he did not view her as a Muslim and could not represent Islam or any Muslim due to her support of the military involvement of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in some Muslim countries
Ummah
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning "community" or "nation." It is commonly used to mean either the collective nation of states, or the whole Arab world...
.
In the context of the United Kingdom debate over veils
United Kingdom debate over veils
The British debate over veils began in October 2006 when the MP and government minister Jack Straw wrote in his local newspaper, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, that, while he did not want to be "prescriptive", he preferred talking to women who did not wear a niqab as he could see their face,...
, a Tory MP tried to ban women from wearing burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
s in public in 2010. Warsi responded that the garment does not limit women from engaging in everyday life. Amidst critics who say the burqa is divisive and has no place in British society, she argued that the choice of what to wear should be down to the individual.
In September 2010 during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
to England and Scotland, Baroness Warsi said the Labour government appeared to have viewed religion as "essentially a rather quaint relic of our pre-industrial history. They were also too suspicious of faith's potential for contributing to society - behind every faith-based charity, they sensed the whiff of conversion and exclusivity," she said. "And because of these prejudices they didn't create policies to unleash the positive power of faith in our society."
On 30 September 2010 she was quoted by the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
as making accusations of electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
that robbed the Conservatives of an overall majority. She would not be drawn on the specific nature of the allegations or what evidence she had. Later that day she pulled out of an appearance on the BBC's Question Time
Question Time
Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers , which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances...
.
Styles
- Miss Sayeeda Warsi (1971–2007)
- The Rt Hon. The Baroness Warsi (2007–2010)
- The Rt Hon. The Baroness Warsi, PC (2010–)
External links
- Sayeeda Warsi official website
- Profile at the Cabinet Office
- Profile at the Conservative Party
- Profile: Sayeeda Warsi, BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, 2 July 2007 - Sayeeda Warsi: Cameron's secret weapon, The Sunday TimesThe Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, 3 Oct 2009 - Britain's first Asian Cabinet Minister, BBC World ServiceBBC World ServiceThe BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
, 3 June 2010 (26 minute audio interview) - Debrett's People of Today
|-
|-