- Mohammad Sarwar
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For the Pakistani soldier, see Muhammad Sarwar.
Mohammad Sarwar 
Member of Parliament
for Glasgow Central
Glasgow Govan (1997–2005)In office
1 May 1997 – 6 May 2010Preceded by Ian Graham Davidson Succeeded by Anas Sarwar Personal details Born 18 August 1952
Pirmahal, PakistanNationality British Political party Labour Religion Muslim Mohammad Sarwar (born 18 August 1952) is a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (MP) in Glasgow from 1997 to 2010, first for Glasgow Govan and then from 2005 for Glasgow Central. He was the first ever British Muslim MP.[1]
Contents
Political career
Sarwar was elected as MP for Glasgow Govan in the 1997 general election, becoming Britain's first Muslim MP. He was the first MP to swear the Oath of Allegiance on the Qur'an, using the method laid out by the Oaths Act 1978.[2] Sarwar was suspended from holding office within the Labour Party in 1997 when he was charged with election offences,[3][4] but he was acquitted in 1999 and the suspension was lifted.[5]
He was re-elected in Glasgow Govan in the 2001 general election. The 2005 general election saw boundary changes in Scotland, so he fought and won the new constituency of Glasgow Central. He faced an opponent from the British National Party, with whom he refused to share a platform, and he persuaded other candidates to do the same. The returning officer announced the result from a platform with no candidates, and Sarwar later made a speech from the floor of the hall.
Sarwar became a member of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee from 2004, and has been chairman since 2005.[6]
In August 2006 he was a signatory to an open letter to Tony Blair criticising British foreign policy.[7]
He played a crucial role in bringing to justice the killers of Glasgow schoolboy Kriss Donald. The killers fled to Pakistan, who have no extradition treaty with Britain. Through his political connections Sarwar was able to agree a one-off, no conditions attached, extradition treaty. They then faced trial and were convicted for the murder.[8]
On 21 June 2007, Sarwar announced he would not stand again at the 2010 general election.[9] His son, Anas Sarwar, succeeded him as MP for the Glasgow Central seat.
In November 2008, Sarwar was one of 18 MPs who signed a Commons motion backing a Team GB football team at the 2012 Olympics, saying football "should not be any different from other competing sports and our young talent should be allowed to show their skills on the world stage". The football governing bodies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all opposed to a Great Britain team, fearing it would stop them competing as individual nations in future tournaments.
His nomination by Gordon Brown for a life peerage in the 2010 Dissolution Honours was blocked by the House of Lords Appointments Commission on the advice of HM Revenue and Customs, but the objections have since been lifted.[10]
Early and family life
Mohammad Sarwar was born in Pirmahal, Toba Tek Singh District, Pakistan. He was educated at the University of Faisalabad. In 1976 he married Perveen Sarwar, with whom he had three sons and one daughter.[1]
Sarwar has estimated assets of £16 million,[11] mainly from the family wholesale cash and carry business, United Wholesale Grocers, which Sarwar and his brother founded in 1982. The brothers split the business in 2002, with Sarwar forming United Wholesale (Scotland) while his brother retained the previous name.[12]
His son, Athif Sarwar, was accused of an £850,000 missing trader fraud in United Wholesale (Scotland) Limited while he was Managing Director in 2003. In 2011 the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned Athif's earlier conviction in 2007 for the fraud.[13][11][14] Mohammad Sarwar was a remunerated director of the company,[15][16] but never accused of involvement in the alleged fraud.
See also
References
- ^ a b "SARWAR, Mohammad". Who's Who 2010 online edn. Oxford University Press. November 2009. http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U33889. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
- ^ The Parliamentary Oath. House of Commons Library. 14 February 2000. p. 10. Research paper 00/17. http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2000/rp00-017.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-05
- ^ Mohammad Sarwar MP indicted. Scottish Office. 30 September 1998. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/news/releas98_3/pr1967.htm. Retrieved 2007-06-05
- ^ "Internal Exile" for Sarwar. BBC - politics 97. 1997. http://www.bbc.co.uk/politics97/news/06/0625/sarwar.shtml. Retrieved 2007-06-05
- ^ "MP cleared of bribery". BBC News Online. 25 March 1999. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/303647.stm.
- ^ "Voting Record — Mohammad Sarwar". The Public Whip. http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mp.php?mpn=Mohammad_Sarwar&mpc=Glasgow_Central&house=commons. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
- ^ "Minister criticises Muslim letter". BBC News Online. 12 August 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4787119.stm.
- ^ Wylie, Bob (8 November 2006). "Gangsters, murder and extradition". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6125660.stm. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
- ^ "Sarwar plans to stand down as MP". BBC News Online. 21 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6228920.stm.
- ^ Johnson, Simon (26 September 2010). "Muslim MP's peerage blocked by the taxman". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/8025973/Muslim-MPs-peerage-blocked-by-the-taxman.html.
- ^ a b "MP's son guilty of huge cash scam". BBC News Online. 24 May 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6687889.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ Bank Raises A Glass After Signing-Up United Wholesale Grocers. Clydesdale Bank. 21 February 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20070704233859/http://www.cbonline.co.uk/0,,62356,00.html. Retrieved 2007-06-05
- ^ "Former MP Sarwar's son cleared of £850,000 fraud". BBC News. 10 February 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-12417283. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
- ^ Kelly Fiveash (24 May 2007). MP's son guilty of VAT carousel fraud. The Register. http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2007/05/24/sarwar_money_laundering_carousel/. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
- ^ Register of Members' Interests. House of Commons. 4 December 2003. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmregmem/memi25.htm.
- ^ Changes to the Register of Members' Interests - Mohammad Sarwar. TheyWorkForYou. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10528. Retrieved 2007-08-16
External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Mohammad Sarwar
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Mohammad Sarwar
- MP to quit over race case death threats
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Mohammad Sarwar
Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by
Ian Graham DavidsonMember of Parliament for Glasgow Govan
1997–2005Constituency abolished New constituency Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central
2005 – 2010Succeeded by
Anas SarwarCategories:- 1952 births
- Living people
- Labour Party (UK) MPs
- British politicians of South Asian descent
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for Scottish constituencies
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for Glasgow constituencies
- UK MPs 1997–2001
- UK MPs 2001–2005
- UK MPs 2005–2010
- Scottish Muslims
- Pakistani politicians
- Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Scottish people of Pakistani descent
- People from Punjab (Pakistan)
- Govan
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