CMF Executive member, Zaid Belbagi, gives a talk at the launch of the Equality Review’s Islamophobia Index at the House of Commons. Between 2021/22 42% of hate crimes were targeted towards the Muslim community…@TellMamaUK
Our Chairman recently highlighted this stark figure which led to the launch of his campaign EliminHate to raise awareness around the issue and to encourage bystander intervention.
Congratulations to CMF Executive Board Member Suzy Webb for being presented with an Unsung Heroes Award by the London Conservatives…
Last month our Chairman laid a wreath to remember all those that lost their lives in the World Wars. Our founder, Lord Sheikh, would have been immensely proud of last month’s memorial to commemorate the service and sacrifice of Muslims in Britain’s Armed Forces. Every detail he planned meticulously… @nmwmt @PoppyLegion #wewillrememberthem
Last week, our Chairman as the pioneer of the party’s first ever interfaith reception organised another reception this year in Birmingham alongside our lovely partners at the Conservative Christian Fellowship. Thank you to Jake Berry MP (party chairman), Paul Scully MP and Pam Gosal MSP for speaking at the reception and sharing their experiences about faith in politics.
Many thanks to our kind sponsors CAP UK & the Edward Cadbury Centre in Birmingham.
Last week, the CMF organised a dinner at conference in Birmingham which was led by our regional branch chair, Najma Begum. Special thanks to our Patron Anthea McIntyre CBE, Ken Taylor (Tory Heartlands chair) & Rupert Matthews (Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner)
The event was oversubscribed.
Mohamed Iltaf Sheikh was born in Kenya on June 13, 1941, the son of Mohamed Abdullah Sheikh and Kalsum Ara Sheikh; the family originated from the Punjab, India. His father dealt in coffee and cotton.
He was brought up in Uganda, where his father also built a property portfolio. Moving to London aged 20, he joined Sun Alliance as a trainee broker, taking his qualifications at Holborn and City of London colleges. He moved to Household & General Insurance in 1966, and in 1969 to Guardian Royal Exchange, before joining Camberford Law.
Of his family’s arrival from Uganda in the clothes they stood up in, he recalled: “Idi Amin took everything from us, except what we had in our minds. Because we were doing very well in Uganda, we came here and we were prepared to work hard. What we did in this country was perhaps what we had learned in Uganda, and that is to use our brains, to use our initiative, and we have done very well.”
As well as driving the success of Camberford Law, Sheikh became the chairman of several property companies and a director of other businesses.
In 2021, he was added to the Indiaspora Government Leaders List, which recognises 200 public figures of Indian heritage in countries around the world.
Sheikh was the author of An Indian in The House: The lives and times of the four trailblazers who first brought India to the British Parliament (2019) and Emperor of the Five Rivers: The life and times of Maharajah Ranjit Singh (2021). At the time of his death, he had nearly completed a historical novel.
He chaired the Sheikh Abdullah Foundation and was a patron of Orphans in Need.
He was elevated to the House of Lords in 2006 and was an active Peer regularly speaking in the House of Lords on a variety of subjects. His work included participation in various All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) including the APPG for Islamic and Ethical Finance in British Parliament.
Lord Sheikh was a patron of several Muslim and non-Muslim organisations and was actively involved in strengthening relationships between various racial and religious groups. His Coat of Arms signified the values of education and gives a message that Islam is a religion of peace.
A much-loved asset to the Conservative Party, Lord Sheikh was first Muslim Conservative Peer and he will always be remembered for the tremendous role he played in strengthening relations between the Party and the British Muslim community. Having set up the Conservative Muslim Forum, Lord Sheikh was a pioneer in helping the Party engage with British Muslims.
In recent years, Lord Sheikh’s expertise and guidance was instrumental in supporting the Party to tackle accusations of Islamophobia. He was always an advocate for promoting the Party’s shared values with the Muslim community of family, hard work, compassion, sacrifice and opportunity. Thanks to his help, the Party was able to host its first ever Iftar reception at CCHQ this year, reflecting the sheer strides we have made in our engagement with the community. Given the success of the Iftar reception, I hope it will be made an annual event, which will be a fitting tribute to Lord Sheikh’s memory.
Lord Sheikh, a businessman, academic, philanthropist and writer. His loss will be felt by those of us in the House of Lords and the many lives he touched through his work in business, academia, philanthropy and through his writing.
Lord Mohamed Sheikh, born June 13 1941, died September 22 2022.
(This post was taken from Lord Dolar Popat’s comments in the Asian Voice on the passing of Lord Sheikh), link below.
Lord Sheikh, the Conservative Party’s first Muslim peer and a champion of Musl… (asian-voice.com)
CMF Chairman, Hashim Bhatti commented that the CMF was the only friends’ group to hold a celebration to honour her in this way. He said, ‘the Queen’s achievements are remarkable having served on the throne for 70 years as a calm, consistent and reliable head of state, who has outlasted 14 Prime Ministers and granted Royal Assent to over 4,000 pieces of legislation she is already Elizabeth the Great’.
Lord Sheikh also spoke on the evening as the President of CMF and gave awards to Suleman Raza (Spice Village) and to Amrit Maan (Punjab restaurant) for their work in feeding NHS staff throughout the pandemic.
The evening started and closed with Quran recitations from Squadron Leader Imam Ali Omar of the Armed Forces.