Mohammed Ajeeb

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 1938) is a former

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, and was the first Asian (Kashmiri)

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Biography

Mohammed Ajeeb was born in Mirpur,

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

in 1938. Ajeeb attended Dadyal High School and then studied at a local college in the district and went on to study at

Karachi University The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

. Ajeeb moved to Britain in 1957, and settled in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, working first in a soap factory, and then in public transport. He was also a housing officer with the District Community Relations Committee. In 1973 he was appointed Assistant Director of ''SHARE'' (Shelter Housing and Reneval Experiment, in Bradford and went on to become the director in 1976. After joining the Labour Party in 1974, Ajeeb became Chairman of the Bradford Community Relations Council in 1977 and was elected to Bradford Metropolitan District Council in 1979. In 1984 he was elected Chairman of the Labour Group on the council and became

in 1985–86. In 2001 Ajeeb was awarded the

in the

Queen's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the King's Official Birthday, reigning monarch's official birthday in each realm by granting various individuals appointment into Order (honour), national or Dynastic order of knighthood, dy ...

Controversy

Ajeeb has been criticised for causing the sacking of headmaster

Ray Honeyford Raymond Honeyford (24 February 1934, in Manchester – 5 February 2012) was a British headteacher, writer, and critic of what he deemed to be the failures of multiculturalism. In the early 1980s, when he was headmaster of Drummond Middle School ...

, who in 1984 wrote an article in ''

The Salisbury Review ''The Salisbury Review'' is a quarterly United Kingdom, British "magazine of Conservatism, conservative thought". It was founded in 1982 by the Salisbury Group, who sought to articulate and further traditional intellectual conservative ideas. The ...

'', arguing that multiculturalism was damaging the Pakistani children whom he taught.

References

* 1938 births Living people British people of Mirpuri descent Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Councillors in Bradford University of Karachi alumni Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom People from Mirpur, Azad Kashmir Mayors of Bradford 20th-century British politicians Labour Party (UK) councillors {{England-mayor-stub