Catherine Heseltine (born 1978) is a British activist. She was elected as the CEO of

Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK The Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK) is a London-based British Muslim lobby and civil liberties group founded to address what it perceived as the under-representation of Muslims in British politics. The organisation is active primarily ...

, a Muslim pressure group that opposes

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

and

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

. She has appeared regularly in newspapers and on television discussing issues impacting the British Muslim community as well as encouraging

British Muslims Islam is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom, with results from the 2011 Census giving the total population as 2,786,635, or 4.4% of the total UK population,North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

. In 1998, at age 20, she married Syed Hossein whom she met at

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

. They married while both were at university and she

converted to Islam Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...

. The marriage broke down and resulted in a divorce after seven years.Interview at SingleMuslim.com: "From Worlds Apart to 'Banglish' Wedding"
. Retrieved 2010-12-26.

Career

On '' GMTV'', while discussing the controversy around comments made by Archbishop of Canterbury about ''shariah'' law and its implications on divorce, Heseline said "I wanted the divorce, and it was a very simple process. It was actually a lot easier for me to get an Islamic divorce than the expensive, and somewhat time-consuming process through the

English courts The courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the civil and criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales. The United Kingdom does not have a ...

".
Heseltine on GMTV]. Retrieved 2010-12-26. She had assumed the name Hossein until her divorce.

Personal life

On 9 August 2010, Heseltine married Muhammad Ali, a

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

i who moved to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

with his family when he was three years old. They have two children.

Involvement with MPACUK

With her work at

MPACUK The Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK) is a London-based British Muslim lobby and civil liberties group founded to address what it perceived as the under-representation of Muslims in British politics. The organisation is active primarily ...

, Heseltine was ranked by '' Time Out'' at position 17 in London's 100 top movers and shakers 2006. Heseltine used to be a nursery teacher until elected as the CEO of

in 2010. Heseltine joined MPACUK because she believed it would help in "empowering Muslims in mainstream politics and media, dealing with Islamophobia" and lead campaign against "discrimination against women in mosques, poverty and the situation in Palestine".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heseltine, Catherine 1978 births Date of birth missing (living people) Living people English Muslims English activists English women activists British Muslim activists Converts to Islam People from Chelsea, London