British Bangladeshi Breakthrough Women in Politics

Photos: Courtesy

Over the last twelve months we have seen a major breakthrough in British politics with the rise of many female MPs as well as ethnic minority ministers in the houses of parliament and the House of Lords. Following the 2015 general election, we have seen a successful outcome in the running of the government.

Amongst the national celebrations there were also local celebrations; close to home in London. A reason to celebrate as most people would call this achievement a 'political breakthrough' for the British Bangladeshi community.

Rushanara Ali, has been elected twice as Member of Parliament for the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency since the 2010 general election, which in itself demonstrates great victory amongst her rivals. Her political success stems from her educational background. Rushanara was educated at Mulberry school for girls and then went onto studying at Tower Hamlets College before embarking on her Philosophy, Politics and Economics degree at the Universityof Oxford.  She had further developed her political career by becoming part of the shadow minister team until in 2015 where she resigned as shadow minister of International Development due to the vote for military action against the so-called 'Islamic State' forces; which she heavily opposed upon.

Dr Rupa Huq was elected as Member of Parliament for Ealing Central and Acton. Her political career started early after studying Social and Political Sciences and Law at Cambridge University. She became heavily involved in campaigning for the Labour party and also was Deputy Mayor of Ealing before becoming elected as the representative of parliament. She also obtained a doctorate from the University of East London and then became a senior lecturer for Sociology and Criminology at Kingston University London; demonstrating her versatility in other fields other than just politics.

Tulip Siddique was elected to be the Labour party representative for the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency. She had previously stood to be a member of Camden council in which she stood up for the voices of her neighbourhood and helped with issues surrounding government cuts and saving the local libraries. She is currently involved heavily within her community with having been assigned various roles such as being a governor to many schools as well as trustees' to local organisations. Politics for Tulip is second nature as she is the niece of the current Bangladeshi Prime Minister – Sheikh Hasina.

There has been another successful British Bangladeshi woman who has sustained a good reputation in the political field. Manzila Pola Uddin, known as Baroness Uddin was appointed to be a member of the House of Lords in 1998 and has become the first Muslim and second Asian woman to be a part of this. She has been able to represent British Muslim women in a positive light and will undoubtedly continue to do so in her position in the House of Lords. Throughout her political career she has been able to build up a lot of support from the local Muslim community and many see her as an ideal role model to young Muslim females in order to succeed in the professional field.

The participation of Asian people in British politics dates back to the 19th century. With Dadabhai Naoroji having been the first Asian Member of Parliament (MP) to be elected in the House of Commons which occurred in the 1892 elections. He stood to represent the Liberal Democratic Party which was the first stepping stone into continuing the involvement of British Asians in the field of politics.  From this historical achievement came the sustained success of the Asian community in British politics for the forthcoming centuries.

The newly appointed Mayor of Camden was a Bangladeshi female; the first in political history. Nadia Shah was given the position during the town hall ceremony which led her to becoming the new face to represent the residents of Camden. From a young age Mayor Shah has been involved within the local community, this has been demonstrated by her on-going involvement with the council. Now she can continue to help shape the local community with the added responsibility of being the new mayor.

Yet another British Bangladeshi female excel within politics having not come from a political background. Sabina Akhtar has become the new Deputy Speaker for Tower Hamlets council. She had previously been part of the main Tower Hamlets council, her professional background is working as a Haematologist at St George's University London.

It is not only within politics that we have seen achievement of young British Bangladeshi women, but also within other sectors such as; media, fashion as well as entertainment. Quite recently we have seen the success of British Bangladeshi Nadiya Hussain who was awarded the winner of 'The Great British Bake Off' in 2015. Her success had echoed all around and has lead her onto becoming a household name nationwide. Recently she had also been privileged to bake for Her Majesty The Queen's ninetieth birthday. Nadiya has been an excellent example and role model to young British Bangladeshis' in showing that we can make a good name for ourselves as well as be able to take part and thrive within mainstream media.

With the progression of British Bangladeshi women becoming elected to represent their constituencies, it can only be said that this is just the start of a political revolution. A bigger lesson can be learnt from the successes of the three newly elected MPs, with the political turmoil in Bangladesh that is currently happening, maybe the powerful parliamentary figures can learn that leading a democratic and free-willed country does not need violence and unrest amongst civilians. Bangladesh as a country can move forward by understanding how the British House of Commons work, maybe this may create a more equal and peaceful nation who will continue to provide good for their country.

The writer is a third year Pharmacy student at the Kingston University London.