Manchester, UK - Conservative peer Baroness Warsi was tonight named Britain's most powerful Muslim woman.
The Conservative Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion and Social Action headed the first Muslim Women Power List, announced at a celebration dinner in Manchester.
Paying tribute to the achievements of the successful women, Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “I would like to congratulate Sayeeda Warsi and the other women who have been shortlisted for our inaugural Muslim Women Power List.
"Our list of female Muslim high achievers challenges many stereotypes, celebrating some truly impressive individuals. This list is just the start of a more ambitious project to create a network of women defined by their professional capabilities and interests, where faith and their background may just be one part of who they are."
Baroness Warsi said: “I personally come from a family of all girls and was brought up to believe that anything was possible and being a Muslim woman should in no way be seen as a barrier but as an asset to achievement.
"I'm extremely proud to be named as the most powerful British Muslim woman and I'm sure my Pakistani origins, my strong faith, and my Yorkshire upbringing has played a huge part.
"Of course I've encountered prejudice as a woman, and as a Muslim woman. One of the most specific forms of prejudice is journalists who ask, 'Are you a Muslim first or British first?', as if to say the two can't be reconciled. I think Islam is a hugely liberating religion for women. When Islam is interpreted properly, it is a religion that supports and reveres women. Unfortunately, I don't necessarily think that's always the way that some sectors of the Muslim community interprets it."
The Power List was established to celebrate the achievements of Muslim women from across the business, arts, media, voluntary and public sectors.
Other prominent Muslim women at the top of the Power List included Farmida Bi, a banking Partner for Norton Rose LLP, Professor Farida Fortune CBE, Dean of Dentistry and Oral Health at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine, Wasfi Kani, chief executive of Grange Park Opera and Mishal Hussain, a leading journalist and news presenter.
The Power List was revealed on Tuesday evening at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester and was judged by Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission along with Baroness Hogg, Chairman of 3i; Sara Friend, Legal Director, British Olympic Association, Sarah Joseph, Editor of Emel magazine, Michael Binyon, Diplomatic Editor and leader writer for The Times and Abi Amosu, Head of Corporate Diversity at JP Morgan.
Muslim women are ambitious and want to play a full part in the economic future of Britain, according to a new poll published to coincide with the Power List.
A survey of more than 400 working and non-working Muslim women by pollsters Ipsos Mori found that a third of working Muslim women see themselves one day as chief executive or leader of the organisation they work for and three quarters of all Muslim women polled think it possible to balance a successful career with a family.
The survey was commissioned ahead of the award ceremony for the Power List, which is an initiative of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in partnership with The Times and Emel magazine.
The list is intended to celebrate successful role models and build a networking and mentoring legacy for, and by, Muslim women often facie barriers to employment based on ignorance or misunderstanding.
The survey found that seven in ten Muslim women feel it is possible for them to reach senior positions in the workplace, two out of three Muslim women say there is no difference between what Muslim and non-Muslim women want in their careers and nearly eight out of ten of working Muslim women believe it likely that Britain will have a female Muslim Member of Parliament in the next ten years.
Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “I can’t think of a group more stereotyped and less understood in wider society than Muslim women. This research shows they have the same hopes, concerns and ambitions as anyone else when it comes to work. It demonstrates that Muslim women believe that work and family life can exist in balance; that many want to lead their organisations and they can achieve prominence in public life.
“The findings contradict assumptions that some groups are somehow ‘different’ from the mainstream; that some people should ‘stay at home’, ‘shouldn't want a career’ or ‘aren't like us’.
“Our list of female Muslim high achievers challenges many stereotypes, celebrating some truly impressive individuals. But the list is really just the start of a more ambitious project to create a network of women defined by their professional capabilities and interests, where faith and their background may just be one part of who they are."
The search is on for the most influential Muslim women in Britain, for inclusion on the first Muslim Women Power List. It is hoped that those named will act as role models.
The Muslim Women Power List is intended as a celebration of the 100,000 Muslim women in Britain who have reached the top of their field or are on the fast track to success.
The aim is to challenge the view that Muslim women conform to a stereotype. The commission also wants to encourage mentoring and networking among Muslim women to help people fulfil their potential.
The list is intended to focus on women in business. But those in other influential female roles, such as teachers or civil servants, were also considered.