Mohamed Sheikh, Baron Sheikh

Lord Sheikh

Mohamed Iltaf Sheikh, Baron Sheikh (born 13 June 1941) is a former insurance broker and underwriter.

Born in Kenya and raised in Uganda,^[1] Sheikh was made a life peer in 2006, and sits on the Conservative (currently government) benches in the House of Lords. The life barony conferred upon Mohamed Iltaf Sheikh was gazetted on 6 June 2006 by the name, style and title of Baron Sheikh, of Cornhill in the City of London.^[2]

He was previously a company director of Camberford Law until 2008.

Charity

Baron Sheikh founded and funds a registered personal and family charity, the Sheikh Abdullah Foundation, in his father's memory. The charity amongst other things recognises and rewards the attainment of young people who are the rising stars and hopefully will be the future leaders. The charity also supports a number of deserving causes in the United Kingdom and overseas.

Conservative Party

Sheikh first joined the Conservative Party in 2004. Sheikh is the former chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum and also the chairman of the Conservative Ethnic Diversity Council.^[3] He is actively involved in promoting the Conservative Party to ethnic minorities and also the building of harmonious relationships between various racial and religious groups.^[4] In 2018, as a member of the Conservative Muslim Forum, he has joined calls from the Muslim Council of Britain and senior members of his party for an independent inquiry into alleged Tory Islamophobia^[5] and called for former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson to be removed from the Conservative Party over perceived Islamophobic comments Johnson made regarding the burqa and niqab.^[6]

Sheikh was appointed a life peer in 2006 after he was nominated by Michael Howard MP, then Leader of the Conservative Party.

Lord Sheikh has admitted to being present at International Conference on Monitoring the Palestinian Political and Legal Situation in the Light of Israeli Aggression in 2014, a Palestinian rights conference in Tunis, alongside Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Sheikh said there "may have been" members of Hamas present at the conference, but that he did not speak to them.^[1] Following these revelations, Conservative MPs Robert Halfon (a member of the Conservative Friends of Israel) and Zac Goldsmith called for an investigation into Lord Sheikh's appearance there, arguing that attending the conference was a breach of the party's code of conduct and that a failure of the party to investigate Sheikh would be seen as hypocritical.^[7] Lord Sheikh denied any wrongdoing, calling the complaints "trivial" and "politically motivated" following Sheikh's condemnation of Johnson's controversial remarks.^[8]

Arms

Coat of arms of Mohamed Sheikh, Baron Sheikh
Adopted 2007 Coronet Coronet of a Baron Crest A Peacock in its pride Azure beaked legged and crested Gules the tail eyed Or the wings displayed and each supporting a Quill Argent spined Or Escutcheon Argent four rows of Pallets couped the first and third alternately Gules and Azure the second and fourth Azure and Gules over all on a Pale Vert a Pale Or charged with three Crescents Vert Supporters On either side statant upon an Egg Or a Dove wings inverted and addorsed Argent beaked and legged Gules Motto IQRA Symbolism The rows of couped pallets represent rows of books; and writing is further reflected in the quills in both Crest and Badge. The peacock is a clear allusion to the origin of the grantee's family and the crescents to the Muslim faith. The dove Supporters with their eggs represent the two doves who nested in front of a cave where the prophet Mohammed was hiding from his enemies. The latter seeing the nesting doves assumed that the cave must be empty and so passed by allowing the prophet to remain undiscovered.

External links

References

1 2 Watts, Joe (14 August 2018). "Tory peer admits he was also at Palestinian conference at centre of Jeremy Corbyn's wreath-laying controversy". The Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
↑ "No. 58006". The London Gazette. 9 June 2006. p. 7933.
↑ "Conservative Muslim Forum - News/Events - News & Past Events". www.conservativemuslimforum.com.
↑ "Conservative Muslim Forum - About us - Objectives". www.conservativemuslimforum.com.
↑ Johnston, Chris (2 June 2018). "Pressure grows on May to tackle Islamophobia in Conservative party". The Observer. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
↑ Cowburn, Ashley (10 August 2018). "Tory Muslim peer who called for Boris Johnson to be kicked out of party receives barrage of 'vile Islamophobic' emails". The Independent. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
↑ "MPs demand probe into Tory colleague Lord Sheikh over Tunis conference trip". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Press Association. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
↑ Zeffman, Henry (16 August 2018). "Lord Sheikh says he is being punished for criticising Boris Johnson's Muslim veil remarks". The Times. Retrieved 16 August 2018. (Subscription required (help)).

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[Watts-1] 1 2 Watts, Joe (14 August 2018). "Tory peer admits he was also at Palestinian conference at centre of Jeremy Corbyn's wreath-laying controversy". The Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

[2] "No. 58006". The London Gazette. 9 June 2006. p. 7933.

[3] "Conservative Muslim Forum - News/Events - News & Past Events". www.conservativemuslimforum.com.

[4] "Conservative Muslim Forum - About us - Objectives". www.conservativemuslimforum.com.

[5] Johnston, Chris (2 June 2018). "Pressure grows on May to tackle Islamophobia in Conservative party". The Observer. Retrieved 14 August 2018.

[6] Cowburn, Ashley (10 August 2018). "Tory Muslim peer who called for Boris Johnson to be kicked out of party receives barrage of 'vile Islamophobic' emails". The Independent. Retrieved 16 August 2018.

[PA-7] "MPs demand probe into Tory colleague Lord Sheikh over Tunis conference trip". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Press Association. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

[8] Zeffman, Henry (16 August 2018). "Lord Sheikh says he is being punished for criticising Boris Johnson's Muslim veil remarks". The Times. Retrieved 16 August 2018. (Subscription required (help)).