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{{short description|British actress}}
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'''Robina Qureshi''' is a ] ] campaigner. She is a notable critic of the UK's ] policies and has campaigned to close ]s for ]. '''Robina Qureshi''' is a Scottish ] campaigner. She is a critic of the ] policies of the ], and has campaigned to stop inhumane treatment and close ]s for ].<ref name=BBC1/>

== Background ==
Qureshi's parents and three older siblings came to ] as immigrants from ] in 1964. She was born in Glasgow later that year. The family lived in the southside and later moved to a suburb in the North West of the city. Her first job was as a trainee employment advice worker, soon after which she realised she wanted to work with ].<ref name=BBC1/>


== Human rights work == == Human rights work ==
Qureshi is the ] of Positive Action in Housing, a Scottish refugee and migrants homelessness and human rights ] that is involved in countering racism and discrimination, particularly in housing. She took up this role in 1995. She has publicly highlighted issues concerning racism and ethnic minorities in the print and visual press since 1990.
⚫ In September 2005, Qureshi travelled to ] on a fact-finding mission after taking up the case of the Vucaj children. The children were expelled to ] in two dawn separate raids after living in Glasgow for five years as asylum seekers. <ref name=BBC2> . ''BBC News'', ], ]. Retrieved ], ]</ref>.


In 1996, Qureshi's campaign efforts led to the quango Scottish Homes ring fencing £8 million in funding for ethnic minority housing needs in 1996, leading to the creation of new homes and sheltered housing projects in Glasgow. {{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
⚫ Subsequently, she was at the forefront of challenging dawn raids against Scotland's asylum seekers, taking part in protests at ] buildings with other high profile campaigners including ] of the ]. Qureshi described the practice of dawn raids as "inhumane and barbaric". She called on Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell to instruct Strathclyde Police not to co-operate with immigration officials who carry out dawn raids. . The police, she said, "surely must despise doing the dirty work of the Home Office and the far right". <ref name=BBC2> . ''BBC News'', ], ]. Retrieved ], ]</ref> ] MSP, Minister for Communities in the ], joined Qureshi in citicising the "heavy-handed" immigration policies, <ref name=BBC1> . ''BBC News'', ], ]. Retrieved ], ]</ref>. Chisolm described Qureshi as "a very formidable campaigner and completely dedicated to the rights of minorities." <ref name=EIN>Louis Julienne. . ''Electronic Immigration Network'', June/July, 2006. Retrieved ], ]</ref>


⚫ Between 1998 and 2000, Qureshi, together with the ] lawyer ], campaigned on behalf of the family of murdered ]n waiter Surjit Singh Chhokhar. She served on the ] Steering Group and has led campaigns to stop extreme far right groups organising or gaining a platform in Scotland.
⚫ In November 2007, Qureshi took up the case of 13 year old Meltem Avcil, a 13 year old Kurdish girl from Doncaster, who began self-harming after being detained with her mother at ] and about to be deported. Enlisting the support of the actress ], Sir Al Aynsley, Childrens Commissioner, and journalists at ''The Independent'' newspaper, including ], Qureshi ran a campaign across UK and Europe to secure Meltem and her mother's release. She said: "I believe that the trauma that the UK Government has put Meltem Avcil through will haunt her for the rest of her life. It is in the best interests of this child to be returned to her home in Doncaster, the familiarity of her school, friends and teachers, and to have access within this comfort zone to psychiatrists to assist her in returning to her former happy self." The family went onto be granted refugee status and are now living in the North of England. <ref name = Ind></ref>


In 2000, Qureshi talked to the broadcaster Catherine Deveney about her background and motivation for challenging injustice.<ref>{{Citation|last=wearestv|title=Robina Qureshi|date=2010-08-12|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieELRrxdHKk|access-date=2019-04-03}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref>
In 2003, she led a campaign to close down ], in Scotland, where families from refugee communities are incarcerated. She also called for an ] for asylum seeking families in Scotland.


In 2002, she established the UK's first refugee hosting network (Room for Refugees). The programme started in Glasgow when a small number of Iraqi refugees were left destitute without recourse to any form of state support. Room or Refugees went viral in 2015 with the Syrian refugee crisis. It currently has over 20,000 members in response to the growing number of homeless refugees in need of shelter. The network went on to house hundreds of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Afghanistan, providing a safety net for unaccompanied asylum seekers, women with children, and potential victims of trafficking. {{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}
⚫ Qureshi has been a vocal critic of UK policies on ], comparing the ]'s attitude towards the threat of homegrown terrorism and the subsequent impact on the ] community to the experience of the Irish in 1970s and 1980s Britain. She stated that, "it has been made very clear that the Muslim community should expect to be singled out as potential terrorists. People feel they are being targeted, just like the Irish were by the British in the 1970s and innocent people went to jail. The difference is this time round the names will be Muslim, rather than Irish." <ref name=AL-AHRAM>Lucy Bannerman. . ''Al-Ahram Weekly'', ], ]. Retrieved ], ]</ref>


⚫ Between 2005 and 2007, Qureshi was a leading voice and activist in the fight against dawn raids on asylum seekers' Glasgow homes between 2005. {{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} In September 2005, Qureshi travelled to Albania on a fact-finding mission after taking up the case of a family who were expelled to ] in two separate ]s after living in Glasgow for five years as asylum seekers.<ref name="BBC2">. ''BBC News'', 10 October 2005. Retrieved 20 February 2018</ref>
⚫ Between 1998 and 2000, Qureshi, together with the prominent human rights lawyer, ], helped to campaign on behalf of the family of murdered Indian waiter Surjit Singh Chhokhar. They forged for changes within the Crown Office, working with the then Solicitor General ], now Lord Davidson, ]. Qureshi also served on the ] Steering Group. She has led campaigns to stop extreme far right groups organising or gaining a platform in Scotland. <ref name=IRR>Tina Smith. . ''Institute of Race Relations'', ], ]. Retrieved ], ]</ref>


⚫ Subsequently, she was at the forefront of challenging dawn raids against Scotland's asylum seekers. She called on ] ] to instruct ] not to cooperate with immigration officials who carry out dawn raids. The police, she said, "surely must despise doing the dirty work of the ] and the far right".<ref name="BBC2" /><ref name="BBC3">. ''BBC News'', 2 November 2005. Retrieved 20 February 2018</ref> ] ], ] in the ], joined Qureshi in criticising the "heavy-handed" immigration policies,.<ref name="BBC1">. ''BBC News'', 27 November 2005. Retrieved 20 February 2018</ref> Chisholm described Qureshi as "a very formidable campaigner and completely dedicated to the rights of minorities."
In January 2009, following a decision by the BBC not to air an emergency appeal for Gaza, Qureshi joined protesters who occupied the lobby of the Glasgow building at Pacific Quay, Glasgow. She called on the public to donate their license fee to the Disasters Emergency Committee's work in Gaza. She said: "The DEC consists of the most respected and reputable charities in the UK, calling for urgent aid NOW which they believe they can deliver on the ground in Gaza NOW. So who is the BBC to tell these charities whether or not they can do their job on the ground?" {{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}


⚫ In November 2007, Qureshi took up the case of 13-year-old Meltem Avcil, a 13-year-old ] girl from ], who began ] after being detained with her mother at ] and about to be deported. Enlisting the support of the actress ], Sir Al Aynsley, ], and journalists at '']'' newspaper, including ], Qureshi ran a campaign across the UK and Europe to secure Meltem and her mother's release.<ref name="Ind"> Independent (UK newspaper), Published 21 November 2007, Retrieved 20 February 2018</ref>
== Controversy ==
In November 2005, ] politician ] MP, criticised Qureshi's charity, Positive Action in Housing, for their stance on dawn raids, claiming the charity went too far in urging direct action to stop failed asylum seekers being removed. Qureshi robustly defended the charity's campaign, claiming they acted "extremely responsibly ... to end dawn raids". <ref name=BBC1/>


In 2014, Qureshi raised funds and successfully gathered public support to bring an Afghan baby Sudais Asif to Glasgow for medical treatment. The little boy suffered severe burns and lost his entire family in a gas explosion in Peshawar, Pakistan.
On ], ], ] MP ] defended Qureshi in his regular column in the '']'', claiming she was subjected to the "bully boys of ]" for having "spoken out of turn". <ref name="Mail on Sunday">The Mail on Sunday, 11 December 2005</ref>


In 2015, at the height of media interest in the Syrian refugee crisis, Qureshi spoke out in a heated debate with Sarah Smith against what she described as the BBC's "doublespeak", criticising the BBC’s constant references to refugees fleeing war and persecution as migrants.<ref>{{Citation|last=Darth Small|title=Sarah Smith Interviews Robina Qureshi|date=2015-09-08|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiC32R7Uc7E|access-date=2019-04-03}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead YouTube link|date=February 2022}}</ref>
In October 2006, the personal details of Qureshi and other human rights campaigners were posted on ], a ] website that takes its name from an anti-communist ] slogan. The '']'' reported that the activists are in danger of attacks, noting that individuals associated with the site have been blamed for "the serious assault of a ] leader, accused of following campaigners and journalists to their homes, firebombing cars and intimidating other individuals using phone calls, ] and e-mail. <ref name=Herald> Neo-Nazi Extremists Issue Threats, Hate Mail Against Scottish Politicians and Racial Equality Activists. ''The Sunday Herald'', ], ].</ref>.

In 2018, Qureshi led campaigns against the eviction of asylum seekers by Serco, the home Office Asylum Housing contractor. {{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In 2019, Qureshi was awarded the Sunday Herald's Scotland’s Braveheart Award. {{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

⚫ Qureshi has been a critic of UK policies on ], comparing the ]'s attitude towards the threat of ] and the subsequent impact on the ] to the experience of the Irish in 1970s and 1980s Britain. She stated that, "it has been made very clear that the Muslim community should expect to be singled out as potential terrorists. People feel they are being targeted, just like the Irish were by the British in the 1970s and innocent people went to jail. The difference is this time round the names will be Muslim, rather than Irish."

In 2021, Qureshi won the Chartered Institute of Housing's Alan Ferguson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Housing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cih.org/news/chartered-institute-of-housing-s-scotland-housing-awards-2021-winners-announced|title = Chartered Institute of Housing's Scotland Housing Awards 2021 winners announced}}</ref>

In 2022, she led a UK wide campaign to call on the government to allow Ukrainians to enter the UK. This together with public pressure led the UK government to capitulate and allow Ukrainian refugees enter under a sponsorship scheme. Qureshi's charity went onto arrange sponsorship for hundreds of Ukrainian families, individuals and young people. {{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In March 2024, Qureshi raised over £30,000 to evacuate nine Palestinians from Gaza. Qureshi also spoke out publicly in support of the State of Palestine and called for an end of the occupation. {{Citation needed|date=November 2024}}

In June 2024, Qureshi was made “Doctor of the University” by the University of Strathclyde for her contribution to human rights. Commenting on this honour, Qureshi said: “I’m not an establishment person, so when I was asked to accept, I thought they must have got the wrong person. Billy Connolly also got it and he never went to University either. So it’s kind of special. I’ll use this to fight for others. And right now, all human rights converge on Palestine."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.paih.org/honorary-doctorate-for-our-ceo|title = Honorary doctorate for our CEO}}</ref>


== Film work == == Film work ==
Qureshi appeared in several films and television dramas, including ''American Cousins'', ''Buried'', ''The Key'', ''Proof 2'', and the controversial ''Gas Attack'', for which she won a best actress award at the 2001 ] Festival of Irish & British Film. <ref name=IMDB>. ''The Internet Movie Database''. Retrieved ], ]</ref> Between 2001 and 2005, Qureshi appeared in several films and television dramas, including '']'', '']'', ''The Key'', '']'', and the controversial '']'', for which she won a best actress award at the 2001 ] ].<ref name=IMDB> Retrieved 20 February 2018</ref>

==Personal life==
Qureshi has one child with former boyfriend, Scottish actor and filmmaker ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/culture/film/interview-peter-mullan-a-hard-act-to-follow-1-3794377 | title=Interview: Peter Mullan, a hard act to follow | first=Janet |last=Christie|date=5 June 2015|publisher=The Scotsman}}</ref>


==References== ==References==
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== External links == == External links ==
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Latest revision as of 11:12, 25 November 2024

British actress

Robina Qureshi
Born (1964-12-09) 9 December 1964 (age 60)
Glasgow, Scotland
NationalityBritish
OccupationHuman rights campaigner
Known forHousing rights, human rights, migration issues, asylum issues
Children2

Robina Qureshi is a Scottish human rights campaigner. She is a critic of the asylum policies of the United Kingdom, and has campaigned to stop inhumane treatment and close detention centres for asylum seekers.

Background

Qureshi's parents and three older siblings came to Glasgow as immigrants from Pakistan in 1964. She was born in Glasgow later that year. The family lived in the southside and later moved to a suburb in the North West of the city. Her first job was as a trainee employment advice worker, soon after which she realised she wanted to work with minorities.

Human rights work

Qureshi is the chief executive officer of Positive Action in Housing, a Scottish refugee and migrants homelessness and human rights non governmental organisation that is involved in countering racism and discrimination, particularly in housing. She took up this role in 1995. She has publicly highlighted issues concerning racism and ethnic minorities in the print and visual press since 1990.

In 1996, Qureshi's campaign efforts led to the quango Scottish Homes ring fencing £8 million in funding for ethnic minority housing needs in 1996, leading to the creation of new homes and sheltered housing projects in Glasgow.

Between 1998 and 2000, Qureshi, together with the human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar, campaigned on behalf of the family of murdered Indian waiter Surjit Singh Chhokhar. She served on the Lawrence Steering Group and has led campaigns to stop extreme far right groups organising or gaining a platform in Scotland.

In 2000, Qureshi talked to the broadcaster Catherine Deveney about her background and motivation for challenging injustice.

In 2002, she established the UK's first refugee hosting network (Room for Refugees). The programme started in Glasgow when a small number of Iraqi refugees were left destitute without recourse to any form of state support. Room or Refugees went viral in 2015 with the Syrian refugee crisis. It currently has over 20,000 members in response to the growing number of homeless refugees in need of shelter. The network went on to house hundreds of refugees from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, and Afghanistan, providing a safety net for unaccompanied asylum seekers, women with children, and potential victims of trafficking.

Between 2005 and 2007, Qureshi was a leading voice and activist in the fight against dawn raids on asylum seekers' Glasgow homes between 2005. In September 2005, Qureshi travelled to Albania on a fact-finding mission after taking up the case of a family who were expelled to Kosovo in two separate dawn raids after living in Glasgow for five years as asylum seekers.

Subsequently, she was at the forefront of challenging dawn raids against Scotland's asylum seekers. She called on Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell to instruct Strathclyde Police not to cooperate with immigration officials who carry out dawn raids. The police, she said, "surely must despise doing the dirty work of the Home Office and the far right". Malcolm Chisholm MSP, Minister for Communities in the Scottish Executive, joined Qureshi in criticising the "heavy-handed" immigration policies,. Chisholm described Qureshi as "a very formidable campaigner and completely dedicated to the rights of minorities."

In November 2007, Qureshi took up the case of 13-year-old Meltem Avcil, a 13-year-old Kurdish girl from Doncaster, who began self-harming after being detained with her mother at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre and about to be deported. Enlisting the support of the actress Juliet Stevenson, Sir Al Aynsley, Children's Commissioner, and journalists at The Independent newspaper, including Natasha Walter, Qureshi ran a campaign across the UK and Europe to secure Meltem and her mother's release.

In 2014, Qureshi raised funds and successfully gathered public support to bring an Afghan baby Sudais Asif to Glasgow for medical treatment. The little boy suffered severe burns and lost his entire family in a gas explosion in Peshawar, Pakistan.1

In 2015, at the height of media interest in the Syrian refugee crisis, Qureshi spoke out in a heated debate with Sarah Smith against what she described as the BBC's "doublespeak", criticising the BBC’s constant references to refugees fleeing war and persecution as migrants.

In 2018, Qureshi led campaigns against the eviction of asylum seekers by Serco, the home Office Asylum Housing contractor.

In 2019, Qureshi was awarded the Sunday Herald's Scotland’s Braveheart Award.

Qureshi has been a critic of UK policies on civil liberties, comparing the British Government's attitude towards the threat of homegrown terrorism and the subsequent impact on the Muslim community to the experience of the Irish in 1970s and 1980s Britain. She stated that, "it has been made very clear that the Muslim community should expect to be singled out as potential terrorists. People feel they are being targeted, just like the Irish were by the British in the 1970s and innocent people went to jail. The difference is this time round the names will be Muslim, rather than Irish."

In 2021, Qureshi won the Chartered Institute of Housing's Alan Ferguson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Housing.

In 2022, she led a UK wide campaign to call on the government to allow Ukrainians to enter the UK. This together with public pressure led the UK government to capitulate and allow Ukrainian refugees enter under a sponsorship scheme. Qureshi's charity went onto arrange sponsorship for hundreds of Ukrainian families, individuals and young people.

In March 2024, Qureshi raised over £30,000 to evacuate nine Palestinians from Gaza. Qureshi also spoke out publicly in support of the State of Palestine and called for an end of the occupation.

In June 2024, Qureshi was made “Doctor of the University” by the University of Strathclyde for her contribution to human rights. Commenting on this honour, Qureshi said: “I’m not an establishment person, so when I was asked to accept, I thought they must have got the wrong person. Billy Connolly also got it and he never went to University either. So it’s kind of special. I’ll use this to fight for others. And right now, all human rights converge on Palestine."

Film work

Between 2001 and 2005, Qureshi appeared in several films and television dramas, including American Cousins, Buried, The Key, Proof, and the controversial Gas Attack, for which she won a best actress award at the 2001 Cherbourg-Octeville Festival of Irish & British Film.

Personal life

Qureshi has one child with former boyfriend, Scottish actor and filmmaker Peter Mullan.

References

  1. ^ Exchange over asylum row tactics. BBC News, 27 November 2005. Retrieved 20 February 2018
  2. wearestv (12 August 2010), Robina Qureshi, retrieved 3 April 2019
  3. ^ Supporters visit deported family. BBC News, 10 October 2005. Retrieved 20 February 2018
  4. Protesters in 'asylum raid' demo. BBC News, 2 November 2005. Retrieved 20 February 2018
  5. Independent (UK newspaper), Published 21 November 2007, Retrieved 20 February 2018
  6. Darth Small (8 September 2015), Sarah Smith Interviews Robina Qureshi, retrieved 3 April 2019
  7. "Chartered Institute of Housing's Scotland Housing Awards 2021 winners announced".
  8. "Honorary doctorate for our CEO".
  9. Robina Qureshi in film Gas Attack (2001) on IMDb website Retrieved 20 February 2018
  10. Christie, Janet (5 June 2015). "Interview: Peter Mullan, a hard act to follow". The Scotsman.

External links

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