Rabina Khan (; born 15 September 1972) is a Bangladeshi-born British writer, politician, former

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

for

Shadwell Shadwell is an area in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London, England. It also forms part of the city's East End of London, East End. Shadwell is on the north bank of the River Thames between Wapping (to the west) and Ratcliff and ...

and Cabinet Member for Housing in

Tower Hamlets Council Tower Hamlets London Borough Council, also known as Tower Hamlets Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under ...

community worker Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community contributing to a noble cause. In many cases, people doing community service are compensated in other ways, such as gettin ...

and author of '' Ayesha's Rainbow''. In 2015, she unsuccessfully contested the Tower Hamlets Mayoral Election. She was the leader of the

People's Alliance of Tower Hamlets The People's Alliance of Tower Hamlets (PATH) was a minor political party in Tower Hamlets, London, England composed of councillors who had formerly been members of Tower Hamlets First and then the Tower Hamlets Independent Group. The group wa ...

, but joined the Liberal Democrats on 29 August 2018.

Early life

Khan's father worked as a machine operator at Chatham Dockyards in Kent; he returned to

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

to get married. Khan was born in

Sylhet District Sylhet District (), located in north-east Bangladesh, is one of the four districts in Sylhet Division, which contains Sylhet, the regional capital. History Sylhet District was established on 3 January 1782, and until 1878 it was part of Benga ...

, Bangladesh, and moved to England with her mother at the age of three. Khan grew up in Rochester, Kent. She is the eldest of five siblings, comprising one brother and three sisters. In 1992, at the age of 19, after completing her

A-levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

, Khan had an

arranged marriage Arranged marriage is a type of Marriage, marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures, a professional matchmaki ...

with trainee teacher Aminur Rashid Khan (born 1968), and moved to

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and includes much of ...

, London. At around the age of 22, Khan began wearing a

hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...

Community work

In 1991, Khan's first job was securing work experience placements for secondary school pupils. Khan has since worked as a community regeneration worker in the

Isle of Dogs The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England. It includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Haml ...

, Tower Hamlets in the East End of London. She has worked for Tower Hamlets Council in the social and education sectors, and for government regeneration initiatives such as Bethnal Green City Challenge managing education and empowerment projects for women and young girls from ethnic minority communities. She has also been involved in community initiatives in Tower Hamlets. In October 2012, Khan contributed on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's ''Four Thought'' in a discussion about "redefining multiculturalism".

Writing career

In 2003, Khan's first novel ''Rainbow Hands'' was published. This was followed by a short story ''If Birds Could Fly'', which was published in

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's ''TN4 Magazine''. In September 2006, her second novel '' Ayesha's Rainbow'' was published. ''Ayesha's Rainbow'' is a children's novel, which tells the story of a seven-year-old Bangladeshi girl growing up in London's East End who befriends an elderly white neighbour. The story explores racism, prejudice and stereotyping that young Muslims experience in Britain. It is partly autobiographical, based on Khan's own experiences growing up in Britain in the 1980s and 1990s, and working as a community safety officer in the Isle of Dogs when

British National Party The British National Party (BNP) is a Far-right politics, far-right, British fascism, fascist list of political parties in the United Kingdom, political party in the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Wigton, Cumbria, and is led by Adam ...

candidate,

Derek Beackon Derek William Beackon (born 1946 in Stepney) is a British Far-right politics, far-right politician. He is currently a member of the British Democratic Party (2013), British Democratic Party (BDP), and a former member of the British National Par ...

, was elected as a councillor in September 1993. Khan was awarded a place on the Royal Literary Fund Mentoring Scheme and asked to take part in the 2004 and 2005 Spitafields Women's Literary Festival. In June 2005, Khan co-founded Monsoon Press with Rekha Waheed. She has also been involved in editing the anthologies ''Silent Voices'' and ''Behind the Hijab''. From January 2006 to January 2008, Khan was writer in residence at

Central Foundation Girls' School Central Foundation Girls’ School is a voluntary-aided comprehensive girls’ school and sixth form in Bow, London, England, for 11- to 18-year-olds. It is the sister school to Central Foundation Boys' School in Islington. Both schools are ...

, where she developed 'Exploring the Unthinkable', a project that explored equalities and diversity issues using creative writing and the arts. Khan has worked as a freelance creative consultant for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, ITV, Rich Mix Cultural Foundation and the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...

. She has contributed to

BBC Asian Network BBC Asian Network is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station's target audience is people "with an interest in British Asian lifestyles", especially those between the ages of 18 and 34. The station has produc ...

. Rabina Khan In 2006, Khan featured in and was a script advisor for the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

's documentary ''Young, British and Muslim''. In January 2007, Khan founded television production company, Silsila Productions. Since 2007, she has been a Creative Director at Silsila Productions. In 2007, she also wrote the play '' Shilpa and

Jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...

'' for the Wellcome Trust Pulse Project. In 2009, she wrote the screenplay ''Shahid and Annika''. Rabina Khan She wrote and produced two short films: ''The Good Wife'', sponsored by Sixteen Films, and ''Shrouded'', commissioned by London Met Services. In May 2021, her autobiographical non-fiction book ''My Hair is Pink Under This Veil'' was published by Biteback Publishing.

Political career

In the May 2010 Tower Hamlets Council election, Khan won a seat in

for the Labour Party. In October 2010, she was suspended along with nine other councillors from the Labour Party for supporting the newly elected

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Mayor of Tower Hamlets The mayor of Tower Hamlets is the directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets London Borough Council in east London, England. The first election for this position occurred on 21 October 2010, taking on the executive function of the borough counci ...

, Lutfur Rahman. In May 2014, she was re-elected in the Shadwell ward as a candidate for

Tower Hamlets First Tower Hamlets First was a local political party represented in Tower Hamlets London Borough Council, which was launched to contest the 2014 local elections in the Borough. During its existence, it was the second largest party on Tower Hamlets C ...

, a party set up by Rahman. She was a member of Tower Hamlets First until it was disbanded in April 2015 following electoral corruption by Rahman. From October 2010 to April 2015, Khan was also the Cabinet Member of Housing. In April 2015, Khan along with the remaining 17 Tower Hamlets First councillors was described by Commissioner Richard Mawrey QC, acting as a judge in an election court investigating Lutfur Rahman's election, as being elected to Tower Hamlets Council "with the benefit of the corrupt and illegal practices", although Khan was not implicated in any claims of electoral fraud. In the same month, Khan announced that she would stand in the by-election for mayor of Tower Hamlets, supported by Rahman and all the former Tower Hamlets First councillors. In May 2015, she stood as an

candidate and came second to Labour candidate John Biggs. Khan was subsequently re-elected as a councillor as a member of the

Tower Hamlets Independent Group Aspire is a British local political party in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, England, formed by Lutfur Rahman and councillors elected as members of his Tower Hamlets First party. After Tower Hamlets First was removed from the register of ...

(THIG). In November 2016, she defected from THIG to form the

(PATH), which was formally recognised as a political party by the

Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...

in February 2018. In May 2018, Khan stood in the elections for the directly elected Mayor of Tower Hamlets. She came second and was re-elected as a councillor, PATH's only win and the only former Tower Hamlets First seat not taken by Labour. Khan disbanded PATH in August 2018 with her and her fellow members joining the Liberal Democrats, making her the only Liberal Democrat councillor on Tower Hamlets Council. In the 2019 European Elections she was a candidate for the Liberal Democrats in the London region. In September 2019, she was announced as the Liberal Democrat candidate for

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

for the

2019 United Kingdom general election The 2019 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 12 December 2019, with 47,074,800 registered voters entitled to vote to elect 650 Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons of the Un ...

. She was appointed to be the Communities Special Advisor to the Liberal Democrat Leader in the House of Lords, Lord Newby.

Sam Gyimah Samuel Phillip Gyimah (; born 10 August 1976) is a British politician and banker who served as the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for East Surrey (UK Parliament constituency), East Surrey from 2010 United Kingd ...

MP, elected as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

but who had defected to the LibDems, became the candidate instead; he came third in the election. She stood in the 2022 Tower Hamlets Mayoral contest for the Liberal Democrats and for reelection to her Shadwell seat. She lost both. However, her mayoral candidacy helped the Liberal Democrats supplant the Conservatives for the first time in the borough's mayoral vote.

Awards and nominations

Khan has been awarded a Tower Hamlets Civic Award. In 2010, she was short listed for the European Muslim Women of Influence Award. In October 2014, she was named 'hero of the year' in the European Diversity awards for her engagement in the East End and wider society.

Personal life

Khan is a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and speaks

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

. She lives in

Whitechapel Whitechapel () is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is the location of Tower Hamlets Town Hall and therefore the borough tow ...

, London with her husband, Aminur, three children, and mother-in-law. In 2009, Khan's father died.

Novels

References

External links

Party web pageRabina Khan author website
(archived on 26 June 2014) *
Rabina Khan
on '' guardian.com''
Rabina Khan
on ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

''
Rabina Khan
on Tower Hamlets Council
Rabina Khan
on MBA Literary Agents

on authortrek.com
Monsoon Press website
*. ''Asians in Media''. 14 September 2007 *Khan, Rabina
'Home is more than a postcode'
BBC News. 17 March 2008
Rabina Khan: Redefining Multiculturalism

. 17 October 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Rabina 1972 births Living people Bangladeshi Muslims British Muslims Bangladeshi emigrants to England British people of Bangladeshi descent Bangladeshi women writers Bangladeshi writers British women novelists British women dramatists and playwrights British women screenwriters Muslim writers British Asian writers 21st-century British women writers Independent politicians in England Labour Party (UK) councillors Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Tower Hamlets First politicians Councillors in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Women councillors in England Writers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets People from Sylhet Division People from Rochester, Kent People from Whitechapel