Shabana Mahmood

Shabana Mahmood
Member of Parliament
for Birmingham Ladywood
Incumbent
Assumed office
6 May 2010
Preceded by Clare Short
Majority 10,105 (28.2%)
Personal details
Born 17 September 1980
Small Heath, West Midlands, England[1]
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater Lincoln College, Oxford
Religion Islam
Website shabanamahmood.org

Shabana Mahmood (17 September 1980)[2] is a British Labour Party politician and barrister,[3][4] who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham, Ladywood since the May 2010 general election.[5]

Early life

Mahmood was born and raised in Birmingham[3][4] and is the daughter of the Birmingham Labour Party's chairman.[3] Her family roots are from Mirpur, Azad Kashmir as stated on her own personal webpage.[6] She graduated from Lincoln College, Oxford, where she studied law and was the president of the Junior Common Room.[7]

Parliamentary career

Mahmood, Rushanara Ali and Yasmin Qureshi, elected at the same time, are the United Kingdom's first female Muslim MPs.[3]

In 2010 Shabana became the Shadow Minister (Home Affairs) and from 2011 to 2013 she was the Shadow Minister (Business, innovation and skills). Shabana is the current Shadow Minister (Treasury). [8]

She supported a revocation of the ban on the wearing of niqabs at Birmingham Metropolitan College.[9][10]

Boycott of Israel

In August 2014, Mahmood was accused of promoting "mob rule" after she boasted on YouTube that she had recently participated in protest calling for the boycotting of Israeli goods that temporary forced a supermarket to close. Simon Johnson, CEO of the Jewish Leadership Council sharply criticized Mahmood, arguing that "It is completely inappropriate for a Member of Parliament to promote public disorder" while Conservative MP Mike Freer stated that "For any Parliamentarian to encourage mob rule as a way of protesting is shameful." A spokesperson for Labour party leader Ed Miliband later stated that "Ed Miliband has been clear that Labour does not support boycotts of Israel and we resolutely oppose the isolation of Israel...Having spoken to her, Shabana has made clear that she does not support calls for a boycott of Israel but supports the proper labelling of goods from the region."[11][12][13][14][15]

However, on 21 August 2014, Mahmood announced that she would continue to support boycotts of products from Israeli settlements, despite earlier statements made by Labour party officials which seemed to suggest otherwise. In explaining her decision to defy Ed Miliband, Mahmood stated she has "a difference of view with my party." In justifying her position, Mahmood stated that "We all agree that Israeli settlements on the West Bank are illegal under international law and they are not part of Israel. As such, they are an obstacle to a two state solution and a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine." However, Mahmood denied that she supported a boycott of products from Israel proper, stating that "There is no disagreement that a more general boycott of Israel would not contribute towards a lasting peace in the region."[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Who's Who". Ukwhoswho.com. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  2. ↑ "About Shabana Mahmood".
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Adetunji, Jo; Tran, Mark (7 May 2010). "General election 2010: first female Muslim MPs elected". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Shabana Mahmood MP". Retrieved 7 May 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2011
  5. ↑ General Election 2010 Birmingham City Council
  6. ↑ "Shabana Mahmood MP speaks out against human rights abuses in Kashmir | Shabana Mahmood MP Getting things done in Aston, Ladywood, Nechells and Soho". Shabanamahmood.org. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  7. ↑ "Feisty Asians in UK poll fray". Kolkata Telegraph. 7 April 2010.
  8. ↑ Parliament http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/commons/shabana-mahmood/3914. Retrieved 23 February 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ Hallam, Katy (11 September 2013). "Birmingham MP attacks city college veil ban". Birmingham Mail (Trinity Mirror). Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  10. ↑ Hallam, Katy (12 September 2013). "Birmingham Metropolitan College drops controversial Muslim face veil ban". Birmingham Mail (Trinity Mirror). Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  11. ↑ Muslim Labour frontbencher accused of encouraging 'mob rule' after joining anti-Israel protest which forced supermarket to close... then demanding goods boycott by Jack Doyle, Daily Mail, 19 August 2014.
  12. ↑ Watch: Birmingham MP Shabana Mahmood hauled in by Labour bosses after this video of Sainsbury's Gaza protest by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Mail, 20 August 2014.
  13. ↑ MP criticised over supermarket boycott protest by JC Reporter, Jewish Chronicle, 20 August 2014.
  14. ↑ Britain’s anti-Semitic whiff of Weimar by Douglas Murray, The Spectator, 18 August 2014.
  15. ↑ In UK, supermarkets the frontline to check out BDS by Liam Hoare, The Times of Israel, 20 August 2014.
  16. ↑ Birmingham MP Shabana Mahmood defies Ed Miliband and insists she still backs Israeli settlement boycott by Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Post, 21 August 2014.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Clare Short		 Member of Parliament for Birmingham, Ladywood
2010–present 		Incumbent