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Shahid Rafique Malik (born 24 November 1967) is a British Labour Party politician who became the Member of Parliament (MP) 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. In 2007 he became Britain's first Muslim Minister as International Development Minister, and subsequently served as a Justice Minister, Home Office Minister and most recently as Minister for Race, Faith and Community Cohesion at the Department for Communities and Local Government. He lost his seat in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election following significant boundary changes and controversy over his expense claims.

Early life

Malik was born in Burnley, Lancashire, in 1967. His father Rafique Malik was a district councillor between 1976 and 2006 and a mayor of Burnley, having emigrated from Pakistan in the 1960s. His mother was a Justice of the Peace. He attended Barden High School and Burnley Sixth Form Centre before studying Business Studies at the South Bank Polytechnic in London and later attending Durham University. Malik is one of six siblings .

Pre-parliamentary career

Prior to Parliament, his three main areas of work have been in the urban regeneration and development field; the voluntary and community sector; and domestic and international anti-poverty, education, human rights and equalities sector.

In local/regional regeneration terms after graduating Malik initially worked with the East Lancashire Training and Enterprise Council in a business development capacity. This was followed by roles as Group Chief Executive of the Pakistan Muslim Centre (PMC), Sheffield; Head of Policy and Development at the Greater Nottingham Training and Enterprise Council; and then as Chief Executive of Haringey Regeneration Agency, managing a £150 million development programme.

He also served for three years as Chair of the Board of Directors of VONEF (voluntary organisations network for European funding in Yorkshire and the Humber); and served as National Chair of the voluntary sector body Urban Forum (1999–2002) elected annually by the 400 plus member organizations. The Forum was a respected national regeneration policy network made up of residents and community organisations, with the aim of pushing power to local people in deprived neighbourhoods.

Following the Good Friday Peace Agreement of 1998 he was appointed by then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Rt Hon Mo Mowlam MP, as an Equality Commissioner for Northern Ireland (1999–2002). The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland was born out of the 'Good Friday’ peace agreement and was charged with dealing with equalities issues between Catholics & Protestants, Unionists & Nationalists, and discrimination by race, gender, disability, sexuality and age. Malik served as the only ever person from England, Scotland or Wales (Great Britain) to have been appointed a Commissioner in Northern Ireland.

From 1998–2002 he was appointed as a Commissioner to the Commission for Racial Equality. The organization was a law enforcement agency under the Race Relations Act 1976 and worked to eliminate racial discrimination across Great Britain. It has subsequently been subsumed into the Equality and Human Rights Commission EHRC

He served for six years as an Independent Governor of Sheffield Hallam University; and for several years as a member, Queen Mary University Policy Advisory Board and as an Adviser to Middlesex University.

Internationally, Malik served Vice-Chair of United Nations body, UNESCO UK, Working to engage UK civic society in UNESCO's work in contributing to world peace, security, justice and human rights, by promoting collaboration between nations on educational, scientific, cultural and communications projects. Malik also served as an international election monitor for the Palestinian Presidential elections in 2005 (and subsequently, as an MP helped monitor the Palestinian Parliamentary elections in January 2006).

Between 2001-2005 he also worked as an adviser to Government on Community Cohesion and Neighbourhood Renewal. He has also been a Fellow of the Institute of Management (FIMgt) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).

Early politics and Burnley riots

In June 2001 Malik was arrested and allegedly beaten by police during racially motivated riots in Burnley. He said he had been trying to stop the violence and told the BBC he had been arrested by "very hyped-up" police. "The riot shields were smashed in my face, causing four to five stitches above the eye, a black eye, lacerations to the arm, bruises on the back of the head, on the body and on the legs." On leaving Burnley General Hospital Malik said: "No recriminations. This incident should not stereotype all police officers". No charges were brought by Lancashire Police and Malik was offered an apology. His peace-keeping role during the disturbances were later praised by the Chief Constable.

In April 2003 Malik won a public apology and "substantial" libel damages after being wrongly accused of throwing bricks during the riots in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph on 17 January 2002. Malik's lawyer told the High Court in London: "At the time referred to in the article, he was in fact acting as a mediator and peacemaker in a volatile situation following disturbances in Burnley."

In 2000 Malik was elected as the first non-white member to the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. He was re-elected each year until 2005 when he stood down after being elected as an MP. Malik sought selection in a number of seats including Leeds Central and Tottenham. In 2002 he had hoped to be selected in his home town of Burnley where Peter Pike had indicated he was standing down. However, the National Executive Committee decided that the Constituency Labour Party should have an all-women shortlist. He then stood for selection in Brent East after Labour lost the 2003 by-election but was left off the shortlist despite having gained the most nominations in the selection process.

Parliamentary career

In 2004 Malik was selected as the Labour candidate in Dewsbury for the 2005 general election. Labour saw a 6% drop in its vote nationally in 2005, and despite a 4.2% swing to the Conservatives in Dewsbury, Malik comfortably retained the seat for Labour with a majority of 4,615 ahead of Sayeeda Warsi, now Conservative Chair Baroness Warsi. Upon his election Malik became one of the first British born Muslim's to become an MP.

At the 2005 House Magazine Awards, his was awarded the best Maiden Speech among the one hundred plus new MPs elected in 2005. In February 2006 he was runner-up in the Channel Four News awards in the 'Rising Star' category. Upon election, Malik was appointed to the Home Affairs Select Committee. He also served on the Environmental Audit Select Committee until the cabinet reshuffle of May 2006 when he was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the then Minister of State for Schools Jim Knight. He served as an international monitor for the Palestinian Presidential elections in 2005 and Parliamentary elections in January 2006. In June 2007 Malik became Britain's first Muslim Minister after Gordon Brown appointed him as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for International Development.

In October 2008, Malik was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice and in March 2009 was subsequently appointed into a dual role as a Home Office Minister. In June 2009 was appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government.

In the 2010 general election Malik lost his seat. There had been significant boundary changes in his constituency which he felt had counted against him. Malik commented that the changes "'brought in 26,000 extra Tories' from rural areas including Denby Dale and Kirkburton". In his speech on election night Malik also drew attention to the role played by an independent candidate, Khizar Iqbal. He said Iqbal had been "brought forward not to win but to make sure that I lost". Iqbal had been supported by anti-sleaze campaigner Martin Bell. Iqbal's election agent, Jonathan Scott, was also a former Conservative Councillor and had been the election agent for Baroness Warsi in her unsuccessful bid to become the Dewsbury MP in 2005.

Race / community cohesion issues

Soon after his election to the House of Commons in 2005 Malik became one of the public faces of Muslim leadership in the UK and a leading voice in the battle with Islamic extremism in Britain. In the government reshuffle of 9 June 2009 Malik was given ministerial responsibility for issues of race, faith and community cohesion. In 2008 Malik was made an honorary Doctor of the University of Bradford for his contributions as Member of Parliament and, in particular, in recognition of the distinctive role he has played in working towards community cohesion and in striving for racial harmony.

Terrorism and extremism

Just two months after Malik was elected to the House of Commons it was revealed that the leader of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, Mohammad Sidique Khan, came from his Dewsbury constituency. Malik described the bombings as "the most profound challenge yet faced by the British Muslim community". He said: "Condemnation is not enough and British Muslims must, and I believe are prepared to, confront the voices of evil head on."

Later Malik confronted the issue in an article for The Times newspaper. He wrote: "Yes, foreign policy causes anger among many British Muslims but this does not in itself cause terrorism. Unquestionably, the lethal ingredient is a twisted, perverted interpretation of Islam whereby you can legitimately kill yourself and other innocent people, and you will go to Heaven." He concluded that: "For British Muslims the fight against extremism is not just for the very soul of Islam but for the freedoms we enjoy as Britons."

Malik found controversy in February 2007 when he wrote, again in The Times, that the Muslim Council of Britain should "stop whingeing and show leadership." Referring to their decision not to play a part in Holocaust Memorial Day, Malik wrote: "Its flawed moral leadership places the MCB alongside the likes of the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, as nonattendees."

Muslim veil row

In October 2006 Malik garnered national attention when he spoke out in support of the decision to suspend, and later sack, a Muslim teaching assistant from Dewsbury for refusing to remove her veil in the classroom. Aishah Azmi, 24, was asked to remove her niqab veil after pupils found it hard to understand her during English language lessons. The school said she could wear the veil outside the classroom. Malik said: "In schools the top priority has got to be the education of our children... I believe the education authority has bent over backwards to be accommodating and has been extremely reasonable and sensible in the decision it has come to.""There is no religious obligation whatsoever for Muslim women to cover themselves up in front of primary school children."

In June 2009 Malik spoke out against comments made by Nicolas Sarkozy after the French President declared the burqa was "not welcome" in France. Sarkozy said: "The burqa is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience." Malik responded publicly by saying: "It is not the job of government to dictate what people should or should not wear in our society – that is a matter of personal choice."

"There are no laws stating what clothes or attire are acceptable and so whether one chooses to wear a veil or burqa, a miniskirt or goth outfit is entirely at the individual's discretion."

Libel claim

On 6th October 2006 Malik launched a libel claim for £100,000 damages against both The Dewsbury Press editor Danny Lockwood and former Conservative councillor Jonathan Scott over a letter by Mr Scott criticising the Labour party's tactics following his defeat at the Kirklees council elections in May 2006. Scott stated Malik's "Asian ethnic entourage behaved no better than the BNP thugs they purport to be so offended by" and Malik claimed that the contents of the letter accused him of serious criminal offences. In a trial at the High Court the jury failed to reach a majority verdict. A retrial was due to have taken place but with costs believed to have escalated beyond £300,000 the sides came to an agreement out of court and Malik dropped his claim. Scott stated he had "never intended to accuse Mr Malik of having any responsibility for the threats and acts of intimidation" and such an allegation was an "interpretation" others had placed on his writing. No costs orders were made against either side invovled.

Problems at US airports

On 25 October 2007, while on Government business, Malik was stopped and searched by United States airport security staff at Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. Malik said of the incident: "The abusive attitude I endured last November I forgot about and I forgave, but I really do believe that British ministers and parliamentarians should be afforded the same respect and dignity at USA airports that we would bestow upon our colleagues in the Senate and Congress. Obviously, there was no malice involved but it has to be said that the USA system does not inspire confidence."

Cleared of breaching the Ministerial Code

On 15 May 2009, Malik stepped down as Justice Minister and Home Office Minister in order to allow the Prime Minister's independent adviser on Ministerial interests, Sir Philip Mawer, to investigate accusations in The Daily Telegraph that he had breached the Ministerial Code by accepting preferential rent on his office and home. However, the inquiry concluded that he was in fact paying the market rent and Sir Philip cleared him of any breach. On 9 June, Malik rejoined the government as Communities and Local Government Minister.

MPs' expenses

Malik claimed £185,421 in parliamentary expenses for 2006, the highest amount claimed by any MP. His claims included £2,600 for a home cinema system, half of which was allowed by the Parliamentary fees office; £66,827 over three years (the maximum allowed) for his second home, a £671 fire place, and a £730 massage chair. It also emerged that Malik regularly claimed the maximum £400 a month allowance for food. Many of Malik's claims were blocked by the fees office, including claims for a portable DVD player, an iPod. He also twice attempted to claim for Remembrance Sunday wreaths.

The Parliamentary Standards and Privileges Committee investigated a complaint by Jonathan Scott, a Conservative, about Malik's expenses. The investigation found Malik was in breach of Parliamentary rules and that he should repay an extra insurance premium of £235 which he had claimed for insurance of his wife's £8,000 diamond engagement ring. Malik had already repaid the sum when the investigation concluded. The investigation ordered that Malik apologise in writing to the House "for breaching the rules of the House when he was a Member of Parliament and for his failure while still a member to respond sufficiently promptly to the Commissioner's investigation". It noted Malik had failed "to recognise his personal responsibility" to respond thus making the situation "more serious." A spokesman for Malik said the claim had previously been "approved twice by the Parliamentary authorities and subsequently audited as eligible."

Racist hate mail

Malik and his staff regularly had to intercept abusive and racist communications sent to his offices in Westminster and Dewsbury. In June 2008 Malik acted against YouTube after supporters of the far-right posted a 39-second video clip warning him not to "mess with the big boys", cutting from a still of the BNP leader, Nick Griffin, to a shot of Malik covered in blood. The video was removed from the site following a further complaint from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

In December 2009, a 55 year old man from Woodley, Berkshire pled guilty under the Malicious Communications Act of 1988, of sending racist hate mail to Malik and was fined £200. According to local media, the man admitted calling him and other Muslim ministers "black b******s" and urging them to "f*** off back to ragheadland” .

Anthrax terror alert

In December 2009 an envelope containing suspicious white powder was sent to Malik's office at the House of Commons, triggering an anti-terrorist investigation. Comments written on the envelope suggested it had been sent by a supporter of the far-right. The substance was later found to be harmless.

Personal life and family

Malik married Sundus Sheikh in 2008. He lives in Peckham, South London where he owns a property and he also rents a house in Dewsbury. Malik is the only MP to have employed his father in his office.

Malik won the Parliamentary pool championship for three years running between 2006 and 2008, becoming the only MP to have ever retained the trophy. Prize money for the championship must be donated to charity and Malik donated his winnings, £4,500, to organisations in his constituency. After his 2008 victory he withdrew from the competition, saying: "A good champion knows when to hang up his cue and I honestly am starting to feel a bit guilty about winning all the time."

References

1. http://www.parliament.uk/documents/foi/foi-resettlement-grant-MP-names-F10-325.pdf
2. Now expenses are in spotlight, MPs manage to get by on £2m less | Mail Online
3. Former Burnley mayor in 'lucky escape' after crash (From This Is Lancashire)
4. University of Central Lancashire - News & Events
5. Lancashire Telegraph Accessed 2010
6. Shahid Malik - Parliamentary candidates - Telegraph
7. ^ 'He's a crafty b******', says elderly council tenant who lived in flat Shahid Malik snapped up for 'next to nothing' | Mail Online
8. ^ Labour MPs | Shahid Malik, | The Labour Party
9. WPR - Shahid Malik (Ex-MP)
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32. The Press Newspaper - The Intelligent Weekly
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External links

• Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Shahid Malik MP
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Shahid Malik MP
• Transcript of maiden speech to the House of Commons

Template:Persondata

• Use dmy dates from August 2010
• 1967 births
• Living people
• British politicians of South Asian descent
• Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
• Commissioners for Racial Equality
• Labour Party (UK) MPs
• English Muslims
• English people of Pakistani descent
• UK MPs 2005–2010
• People from Burnley