New British government includes first Muslim woman minister

[shuraimfan4lyf]

(CNN) -- Chalk up another "first" for the new British government. Not only does it have the youngest prime minister in almost 200 years and the first peacetime coalition government in nearly 70, it has the first Muslim woman to be a full member of the Cabinet.

She's Sayeeda Warsi, a Conservative who was named minister without portfolio.

It's not immediately clear what her responsibilities will be, a spokesman for the government said.

In opposition, she was the Conservatives' point person on "community cohesion and social action."

UK Cabinet agrees pay cut

Not yet 40 years old, she's also just been appointed chairman of the Conservative Party.
Video: Britain's new government
RELATED TOPICS

* Conservative Party (UK)
* David Cameron

Warsi was also the politician the party put forward to take on far-right politician Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party, last year.

She clashed with Griffin and mainstream politicians on "Question Time," the BBC's flagship political discussion program, in October.

She blasted him as a "thoroughly, thoroughly deceptive man" who "demonizes Islam, just as he demonizes Christianity."

"Mr. Griffin here preaches extremism in the name of Christianity and brings that faith into disrepute as well," she said.

Having stood up to the white far right in London, she came under attack a month later by protesters who threw eggs at her in the town of Luton, north of London.

Press reports at the time said the protesters accused her of not being a proper Muslim and of supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan.

She was hit by two eggs but not hurt, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

On her Web site, she names her proudest political achievement as securing the release of a British teacher from jail in Sudan when the woman was accused of insulting religion.

Gillian Gibbons had been accused of allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." Warsi and Lord Nazir Ahmed flew in to negotiate her release.

A trained lawyer from Dewsbury in northeast England, Warsi also lists herself as a campaigner on racial justice, forced marriages and prison conditions.

She did not immediately respond to attempts to contact her.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe...ex.html?hpt=T2

[Life_Is_Short]

Will she be able to do something about issues affecting muslims specifically?

[marwen]

Is she a good muslim to represent islam ? I don't know, but she seems a little bit "loose". She didn't even wear her minimum hijab.

[Supreme]

Will she be able to do something about issues affecting muslims specifically?

Probably not. Even though she's the first Muslim woman in the Cabinet, her job is not to tackle issues affecting Muslims, but to tackle issues in whatever department she is in charge of. The MCB (Muslim Council of Britain) is really the organization that tackles Islamic issues and represent Islam. In short, her job is not to tackle Muslim problems- although her status as a Muslim minister may help Muslims in Britain feel they are present in the top end of government.

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[shuraimfan4lyf]

So she is a baroness?? is that like a minister or something??

[Supreme]

So she is a baroness?? is that like a minister or something??

No, that just means she is a member of the House of Lords as opposed to the House of Commons. So she wasn't elected into her political position, basically. But she's still a minister- ministers can come from the House of Commons or the House of Lords.

[aadil77]

Is she a good muslim to represent islam ? I don't know, but she seems a little bit "loose". She didn't even wear her minimum hijab.

I wouldn't judge her on that, she has no problem with wearing pakistani traditional cloths outside no.10 but without hijab, but she seems alright, a decent person

[Ummu Sufyaan]

who cares? maybe this will show everyone who opts for Muslims being in a kufr parliament to "have our opinions heard" how much use it would actually be :hmm:

besides, how did she get accepted into Parliament without a portfolio? sounds extremely fishy/weird to me :hmm:

[shuraimfan4lyf]

who cares? maybe this will show everyone who opts for Muslims being in a kufr parliament to "have our opinions heard" how much use it would actually be :hmm:

besides, how did she get accepted into Parliament without a portfolio? sounds extremely fishy/weird to me :hmm:

:sl: Lol I dont care either, but I just wanted to hear the opinions of the people on here. I know she doesnt seem like she is going to do anything possitive for Muslims anyway.

[Supreme]

who cares? maybe this will show everyone who opts for Muslims being in a kufr parliament to "have our opinions heard" how much use it would actually be :hmm:

besides, how did she get accepted into Parliament without a portfolio? sounds extremely fishy/weird to me :hmm:

She ran in an election but lost. After that, the Tories made her a peer (a member of the House of Lords). Because having a Muslim woman does wonders of your image of tolerance.

[QUOTE]Lol I dont care either, but I just wanted to hear the opinions of the people on here. I know she doesnt seem like she is going to do anything possitive for Muslims anyway. [/QUOTE

You're missing the point entirely. Her job is not the 'minister of Islam' and does not involve her listening to Islamic problems and solving them- we already have an organization that does that (MCB). Her job is to be a minister (without a role yet) whose job is to support the government and help govern in her department.

[Ummu Sufyaan]

She ran in an election but lost. After that, the Tories made her a peer (a member of the House of Lords). Because having a Muslim woman does wonders of your image of tolerance.

supreme supreme supreme, never failing to dish up an interesting comment.

i wonder how tolerate they would be if she decided to wear the full hijaab/niqaab and wanted to implement the shariah. would be a real nice to see how tolerate they are of her then (lol)

[LauraS]

If she wanted to implement Shariah she would be working against the policies of the party and against the wishes of the majority of the British people. Shariah law is unlikely to happen in Britain and if it were implemented I sure many people would have no desire to follow it.

What do Muslims living in Britain want and what would make you feel you were heard?

[aadil77]

What do Muslims living in Britain want and what would make you feel you were heard?

complete shariah law in this country would never work, you'd have to change the whole culture of the society

what muslims want is stuff like less discrimination, laws like the jews have on anti-semitism

[LauraS]

complete shariah law in this country would never work, you'd have to change the whole culture of the society

what muslims want is stuff like less discrimination, laws like the jews have on anti-semitism

That's fair enough, but how do Muslims feel they are discriminated against? Nothing has happened on the scale of what has to the Jews. Obviously you get the odd idiot in the street shouting things, but I've had racist comments made about me and I'm white, black people and Sikhs and Hindus do. Racism is something that happens to everyone. I mean it as a genuine quesiton because I obviously don't live in a Muslim community so I don't know.

As for the Shariah law, yeah it's never going to happen, I just get fed up of people harping on as if it's some sort of offence to them that a western country isn't considering adopting it.

[aadil77]

As for the Shariah law, yeah it's never going to happen, I just get fed up of people harping on as if it's some sort of offence to them that a western country isn't considering adopting it.

the country could do with the laws for criminal justice, death penalty for murderers would save a hell of alot of wasted money on prisons

[Ummu Sufyaan]

Edit........

[LauraS]

the country could do with the laws for criminal justice, death penalty for murderers would save a hell of alot of wasted money on prisons

The criminal justice system does certainly need a shake up, I moan about it a lot. :| Not sure I agree with the death penalty though simply because people may in he end be proved innocent. Plus if they are guilty isn't it an easy way out? They should just be shut in a room for the rest of their lives, life should mean life not 14 years. Still, Shariah isn't the answer for us.