(Photo credit: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council)
Elham Asaad Buaras
Councillor Tafheen Sharif made history as Tameside’s first Muslim and ethnic minority mayor when she was appointed to the civic post earlier this month. Sharif, who has represented Mossley since 2016, is a law graduate and works in the courts’ service, serving as a justice of the peace. She is also a school governor and charity trustee.
She is the current Deputy Mayor, and as a Tameside councillor, she is chair of the children’s scrutiny panel and a member of the overview panel, the speakers’ panel (licencing), and the East Strategic Neighbourhood Forum.
Sharif was a member of Luton Council from 2011 to 2015, and during that time she was named Local Government Information Unit Young Councillor of the Year. From 2012 to 2014, she was deputy police and crime commissioner for Bedfordshire.
In a statement to The Muslim News, Sharif said, “It’s a matter of great pride to me that I will be Tameside’s first Muslim and ethnic minority civic mayor, and that during my term of office, the borough will celebrate its 50th anniversary on April 1, 2024.
“I feel my appointment is symbolic of Tameside being a welcoming and diverse place where people are judged on their qualities. I am truly honoured to be given the responsibility of representing the borough and all its residents.
“I aim to make my work and engagements as a civic mayor as meaningful as possible, by guiding and inspiring others, particularly acting as a role model for our young people. I want to open doors for many and bring our flourishing communities closer together.”
During her year in office, Sharif will be supported by her husband, Dr Faisal Parvez, who takes on the role of consort.
In another first for Tameside, her chaplain will be Imam Ghulam Mohiyuddin from Ashton Central Mosque, alongside Imam Olasheni Junaid, a Muslim chaplain at Tameside Hospital.
Many Muslims in England have recently attained new local political milestones. Last year, West Sussex’s Worthing Borough appointed councillor Henna Chowdhury as the borough’s first female Muslim mayor.
The City of Bolton also elected Cllr Akhtar Zaman as its mayor in May 2022, becoming the first Muslim and first person of Asian descent to hold the post. Also in May, Westminster city council declared 22-Year-old Hamza Taouzzale as the first-ever Muslim lord mayor.
