Shahid Malik

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Shahid Malik (b. 24 November 1967) is a British politician and Member of Parliament for the West Yorkshire constituency of Dewsbury. He is a campaigner on community regeneration, diversity and race. Along with fellow Labour MP Sadiq Khan he is the first British-born Muslim to be elected to the House of Commons.

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[edit] Early career

On leaving school Malik worked with the East Lancashire Training and Enterprise Council, working on business development - a career which eventually took him to the job of chief executive of Haringey Regeneration Agency in north London.

Malik was little known in Labour circles until he was elected to the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC) at his first attempt in 2000. Prominent left winger, Mark Seddon, then editor of Tribune, was defeated in the same election, and it claimed by Malik's supporters that this motivated numerous Tribune diary stories targeting Malik [citation needed].

[edit] Burnley Riots

Malik shot to national prominence in June 2001 during the riots in his hometown, Burnley in Lancashire. His father, Rafique, was Deputy Mayor of the town at the time. Whilst trying to calm the crowds of British Asian youths who had been confronting the police in anger over BNP demonstrations in the town, Malik was beaten by the police, handcuffed and arrested. The event was caught on television cameras and images of Malik, his face with blood still on it, were broadcast nationally. The British Muslim community took great offence, asking why someone attempting to intervene helpfully was treated so aggressively [1]. In December 2001, Malik publicly criticised then Home Secretary, David Blunkett, for his comments on immigrants that Malik felt could increase support for the far-right [2].

[edit] Standing for Parliament

Malik had hoped to be selected in Burnley where Peter Pike had indicated he was standing down. However, the National Executive Committee decided that this Constituency Labour Party should have an all-women shortlist [3], leading to complaints from his supporters and the Muslim community who have generally had great hopes for Malik [4]. Malik, however, responded to the decision by writing an article in the Guardian reafirrming his support for the policy of all-women shortlists. He stood for selection in Brent East after Labour lost the 2003 by-election but was controversially left off the shortlist, despite winning more nominations and votes than other candidates - indeed Malik had more votes than the sum of the votes of two male candidates (Robert Evans and Raj Jethwa) who went on to be shortlisted. Insults were traded that the selection had been 'stitched-up' for Evans, the by-election candidate; however, Yasmin Qureshi went on to win the Brent East selection but then failed to regain the safe Labour seat at the general election in May 2005.

On 30th November 2006, the New Statesman 'revealed' that Malik claims that 'Lord Ahmed'campaigned for the Tories during the Dewsbury election in 2005. Ahmed is said to have backed Sayeeda Warsi, vice-chair of the Conservative Party, a personal friend. According to the New Statesman's report, Warsi "welcomed Lord Ahmed's support".

[edit] Opposition to the War in Iraq

It was suggested that Malik had overstated his opposition to the war in Iraq in an attempt to be selected in Brent East. He complained to the Press Complaints Commission over these newspaper reports which were subsequently retracted acknowledging Malik had expressed opposition previously. Malik also began legal proceedings against fellow Labour NEC member, Mark Seddon (by then re-elected), over the same accusations in Tribune [5].

In August 2006 he was a signatory to an open letter to Tony Blair criticising the UK's foreign policy. [6]

[edit] Significant Roles

Malik was a Commissioner of the Commission for Racial Equality from 1998 to 2002 and served as the only British member of the Northern Ireland Equality Commission. He was vice chairman of UNESCO UK, and a race equality adviser to the Home Office, Prison Service and Middlesex University. He spent five years as a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee - until his election to Parliament in May 2005 meant he had to relinquish his seat - and was also a member of Gordon Brown's Economic Policy Commission.

[edit] Parliamentary Jobs

Soon after being elected to Parliament he became the only member of the new Labour intake to be appointed to the Home Affairs Select Committee. He subsequently picked up the House Magazine award for best Maiden Speech of the new parliament. In January 2006 he went on to pick up the winner's trophy in the Annie's Bar pool competition, a highlight of the parliamentary sporting calendar.

[edit] London bombings

Since the London bombings of 7 July 2005, Malik has played a prominent role as one of the public faces of Muslim leadership in the UK. He has spoken in criticism of some of the responses to the bombings, and some of the suggestions of what needs to be done. He was invited to join a national working group of key Muslim leaders seeking answers to the bombings. He has called not just for internal reform within Muslim commuities, but also for the rest of society to help tackle poverty and isolation of minority groups.

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ann Taylor		 Member of Parliament for Dewsbury
2005 – present		 Incumbent
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