Saera Khan

Saera Khan in Oslo, 2007. Photo: Harry Wad

Saera Tithi Khan (born 23 April 1979 in Oslo) is a Bangladeshi-Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.

She was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Oslo in 2005. She had previously served as a deputy representative during the term 2001–2005. She was the only member of the parliament of immigrant background, until October 2007 when Akhtar Chaudhry took another of the Oslo seats. She did not seek reelection in 2009.

On the local level she was a member of Oslo city council from 1999 to 2005.

A Norwegian by birth Saera Khan is the first person of Bangladeshi descent to have become a Member of Parliament in Norway. Khan achieved the milestone at the age of 22 when she was elected an MP in 2001. Though born and brought up in Norway she has not forgotten her roots in the soil of Bangladesh. She is proud of Bangladeshi culture and social values, which she owns by birth. She is now in Bangladesh on an unofficial visit, mainly to meet her relatives, most of who live in Dhaka.^{[citation needed]} However, she will take the opportunity to visit some of the Norway-funded projects such as children shelter homes, vaccination programmes and a few others that deal with street children.

Saera's political career began quite early. She joined Labour Youth, a front organisation of Social Democratic Labour Party at 16 and became a member of the City Council. It was perhaps the family environment, which imbued in her a natural interest in politics. Saera's father, Kamaluddin Khan, had been a leader of the Foreign Workers Union, an organisation for establishing the rights of foreign workers in Norway. Kamaluddin helped Justice Abu Sayeed Chowdhury who later became the first president of independent Bangladesh to arrange news conferences in Norway through which Sayeed informed of the liberation struggle of Bangladesh to the Norwegians as well as the rest of the world. Abu Sayeed stayed in his flat during his stay in Norway. Saera knew these things and was greatly inspired by her father's emotional attachment and strong feeling for his motherland. These inspired Saera immensely.

Saera was a full-time politician. The prestigious office of the lawmaker brought with it much responsibility. "Being an MP means much more than just enjoying free cars and foreign tours as we see it in Bangladesh. It is a full-time job that requires hard work, dedication and professionalism," Saera noted. However, what made Saera's job doubly daunting and a challenging one is that through her election she has been entrusted with huge expectations of the minority community whom she represents. The overwhelming support of thousands of immigrants from Asia and Africa that won Saera a berth in the national Parliament. It was her moral obligation to take up the contentious issue of the rights of the minority and racial discrimination that the minority community are often subjected to. Saera was very much aware of the huge challenge ahead of her and expresses her firm commitment to live up to the expectations of her electorates.

Only one year into the parliament Saera had made her mark. One of the areas where minorities are discriminated against is when they apply for jobs. Some employers throw away job applications when they come across names that seem non-Norwegian.^{[citation needed]} Saera came up with a proposal that says provision should be made so that application forms no longer carry the name of the applicants. The proposal was greatly appreciated and was expected to come up for debates in the House. Saera related another incident concerning minority community. In Norway learning to swim is mandatory for all children in school. A small organisation of Muslim people pleaded with her to do something regarding swimming lessons because they don't want their girl children swimming in the same pool with the boy children. Saera took up the issue with the concerned authority and arranged different schedules for boys and girls.

She did not seek reelection in 2009 after she was cited for calling fortune tellers from her office phone.^[1]

Personal

Khan was born to an educated family. Her father Kamaluddin Khan went to England to study law before he settled in Norway about 35 years ago. The eldest child of the family, Saera has two younger brothers. Saera is doing her MA in Social Economics and Politics. Her mother teaches at a school for disabled children in Norway.

Saera, a famous name in Norway, is a role model for the minority community. Saera speaks five languages, i.e., French, English, Norwegian, Urdu and Bangla, and traveled extensively to Brussels, London, Copenhagen, and Berlin where she represented Norway in delegations at meetings in the European Union. Young, smart, educated and well-versed in political affairs, Saera's achievement is certainly a great inspiration for girls among the minority community.

Saera has also made Bangladesh proud. Saera's relation with Bangladesh has been more than just a linkage through her parent's homeland. She grew up in an environment that has been essentially Bangladeshi in culture. She has great admiration for the culture and social values of Bangladesh — family relations, respect towards seniors and hospitality being some of them. She is a great fan of Bangladeshi food: korola bhaji, hilsa fish, biryani, and futchka are among her favourites.

Notes

References

• "Saera Khan" (in Norwegian). Stortinget.no.