Catherine Heseltine

Catherine Heseltine
Born

1978 (age 37–38)

[1]
Chelsea, London, United Kingdom

Nationality British
Religion Islam
Spouse(s) Syed Hossain(-2006/7)
Muhammad Ali (2010-)[2]

Catherine Heseltine is an English Muslim convert.[3] She was elected as the CEO of Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK, a Muslim pressure group that opposes Zionism and Islamophobia.[4] She has appeared regularly in newspapers and on TV discussing issues impacting the British Muslim community as well as encouraging British Muslims to get involved in mainstream politics and to engage with the community.

Early life and career

Heseltine, who grew up in North London, was 20 when she married Syed Hossein, whom she knew from sixth form, and converted to Islam.[5] The marriage broke down and resulted in a divorce after seven years.[2]

On GMTV, while discussing the controversy around comments made by Archbishop of Canterbury about shariah law and its implications on divorce, she said "I wanted the divorce, and it was a very simple process. It was actually a lot easier for me to get an Islamic divorce than the expensive, and somewhat time-consuming process through the English courts".[6] She had assumed the name Hossein until her divorce.[7]

On 9 August 2010 she married Muhammad Ali, a Bangladeshi who moved to Manchester with his family when he was three years old.[2]

Involvement with MPACUK

With her work at MPACUK, Heseltine was ranked By Time Out (London) at position 17 in London's 100 top movers and shakers 2006.[7]

Heseltine used to be a nursery teacher until elected as the CEO of MPACUK in 2010.[4]

Heseltine joined MPACUK because she believed it would help in "empowering Muslims in mainstream politics and media, dealing with Islamophobia"[2] and lead campaign against "discrimination against women in mosques, poverty and the situation in Palestine".[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ First Muslim Woman Leader Elected by MPACUK Archived 3 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Interview at SingleMuslim.com: "From Worlds Apart to 'Banglish' Wedding". Retrieved 2010-12-26.
  3. ↑ youtube.com: "My Journey To Islam"
  4. 1 2 "First Muslim woman elected MPACUK". Retrieved 2010-12-24.
  5. 1 2 timesonline.co.uk: "Young. British. Female. Muslim.", 29 May 2010. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
  6. ↑ . Heseltine on GMTV]. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
  7. 1 2 "London's 100 top movers and shakers 2006", 28 Nov 2006. Retrieved 2010-12-26.
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