Lord Sheikh

Lord & Lady Sheikh attended the Armed Forces Muslim Association Families Day which was held at RAF Halton. The picture shows Lord Sheikh with Commodore Tim Hennessey RN, Group Captain Zahur Ulhaq (Chairman of Armed Forces Muslim Association), Lieutenant Colonel Mo Usman RLC, Zaheer Ahmad MBE, Imam Asim Hafiz and Corporal Mohsin Mughal (Secretary of the Association) amongst other officers.

A meeting was held at the event where Lord Sheikh made the point that the Armed Forces in the Unied Kingdom are non-political and urged the Muslims to join the Armed Forces and the police force. Lord Sheikh further said that he had been assured by the senior officers in the Armed Forces that promotion would solely be based on the merit of individuals.

At the meeting Group Captain Zahur Ulhaq put forward the idea that we should all consider erecting a memorial in the memory of Muslims who were killed during the two World Wars. Lord Sheikh spoke very much in favour of this idea and said that he would render his support in taking this forward.

Lord Sheikh attended the dinner hosted by Ranjit Singh OBE in honour of Sir Mota Singh to mark the bestowal of the knighthood on him. The photographs show Lord Sheikh with Air Chief Marshal Nirmal Suri, Sir Mota Singh and Ranjit Singh OBE.

Lord Sheikh spoke briefly setting out the achievements of Sir Mota Singh and made the point that Lady Sheikh’s family have known Sir Mota Singh’s family for many years.

Lord Sheikh spoke in the House of Lords on the Terrorist Asset-Freezing Bill: Second Reading. Click here to view his speech.

Lord Sheikh actively supported the International Takaful Summit 2010 which was organised by Mr Iqbal Asaria CBE and held at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower on 13-15 July 2010.

At the start of the Conference Lord Sheikh made the keynote speech and referred to the sizeable growth in Islamic banking and insurance and made the point that London has a considerable expertise in Islamic banking and insurance and there are a number of organisations who can provide expertise and service. Lord Sheikh felt that the United Kingdom could be a platform for islamic banking and insurance for penetration into Europe.

On the evening of 14^th July Lord Sheikh attended and made a speech at the Awards dinner and also presented all of the awards. The award winners came from different parts of the world and had excelled in innovation, product design, technological advances, marketing and other aspects in the Takaful field.

On the final day of the Conference, Lord Sheikh hosted a dinner for the delegates in the House of Lords. Lord Sheikh also paid tribute to Mr Iqbal Asaria CBE for all of his hard work and efforts in the organisation of the Summit which was indeed a great success.

Lord Sheikh spoke on the Terrorism Act 2000 Statement in the House of Lords. To view his contribution as well as the Minister’s response, please click here.

Lord Sheikh spoke in the debate on Africa: Post-Conflict Stabilisation which was held in the House of Lords on 8th July. Please click here to view his speech.

Lord Sheikh spoke on the key subject of foreign policy in the House of Lords. Please click here to view his speech.

Lord Sheikh was a keynote speaker at the KazanSummit 2010 which was held in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia during 27-29 June 2010. Lord Sheikh spoke after the President of Tatarstan and later on followed the Prime Minister’s speech. Lord Sheikh made the point that the United Kingdom has considerable expertise and we have a lot to offer to organisations who wish to enter or further their business relating to Islamic banking and insurance.

Islamic finance industry is now worth over $750 billion dollars and the annual growth exceeds 30% per annum. The United Kingdom has Shariah compliant assets in excess of $18 billion dollars and comes 8^th in the Bankers League which is highest amongst all Western countries.

Lord Sheikh also referred to the peace and harmony in Tatarstan between the various racial and religious groups and that Tatarstan could be the gateway for companies who wish to consider writing Islamic finance in the Russian Federation.

On the next day of the Summit, Lord Sheikh made a presentation and he was supported by Omar Faruk and Omar Shaikh who had also made separate presentations at different sessions.

Lord Sheikh spoke in the debate on poverty which was held in the House of Lords on the 15th June 2010. Please click here to view his speech.

Lord Sheikh made a speech in the House of Lords in the debate on Zimbabwe. If you would like to view a transcript of his speech, please click here.