Ruzwana Bashir: Difference between revisions
Undid revision 367323956 by 80.225.156.35 (talk): It survived PROD and AFD and now you want to CSD it? |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''Ruzwana Bashir''' (born 1983) was the first British-born Asian woman to become President of the [[Oxford Union]] and is a |
'''Ruzwana Bashir''' (born 1983) was the first British-born Asian woman to become President of the [[Oxford Union]] and is a slag. |
||
==Early life== |
==Early life== |
||
Revision as of 13:25, 13 August 2010
Ruzwana Bashir (born 1983) was the first British-born Asian woman to become President of the Oxford Union and is a slag.
Early life
Bashir was educated at Skipton Girls' High School, in North Yorkshire.[1][2] She then went up to New College, Oxford, to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics.[3][4]
Oxford career
Bashir was twice elected as President of the university's Oxford Union debating society. Her first election came in November 2003, when she beat Georgina Costa, daughter of Ken Costa (Chairman of Lazard), by 790 votes to 601. However she was subsequently disqualified for an infringement of the electoral process, following a complaint made by Ambrose Faulks, a former President.[1][5][6] The Guardian commented that "Frivolous complaints have become the raison d'être of the Oxford Union",[7] and subsequently the electoral rules of the Union were changed, so that others would not fall foul of the same problem. She was elected a second time in March 2004, this time beating James Forsyth. She faced a tribunal, accused of irregular canvassing, in the shape of courting votes in her college on polling day.[7][6][3] Friends of Bashir commented that the opposition to her was really "because of the colour of her skin and because she is a Muslim".[8] The tribunal took nearly twenty hours to make a finding and heard counter-accusations of dirty tricks and racism. Forsyth was found guilty of electoral malpractice.[3][6] The Mail on Sunday called the battle "one of the dirtiest political scraps the hallowed quadrangles of Oxford University have ever witnessed" and asked "Will this Asian girl be the next Maggie?"[2]
During her tenure as President, Bashir's guest speakers included Senator John McCain, Michael Heseltine, Norman Lamont, Kenneth Clarke, John Redwood, David Trimble, Tom Ford, Hans Blix and José María Aznar.[9]
While she was at Oxford, the Daily Times of Pakistan described Bashir as "a gorgeous northern lass studying at Oxford", revealing that her vice was Diet Coke, that she loved Japanese cuisine, and that she was known to her friends as 'Ruz'.[4]
In 2004, Bashir was nominated for the Woman of the Year Award by publishing house Minerva.[8]
Later career
In June 2008, Bashir attended the London Student Housing Conference as an analyst representing the Blackstone Group.[10] In February 2009, she was reported to be working for a private equity company.[11]
Bashir is currently at the Harvard Business School, as an MBA Fulbright Scholar.[12]
Personal life
The Mail on Sunday reported in August 2004 that a "friendship is blossoming between the magazine's editor, Boris Johnson, and Ruzwana Bashir, the stunning president of the Oxford Union".[13]
In October 2004, at the beginning of the Michaelmas term, Johnson (who is himself a former President of the Union) defied an attack of influenza to visit Oxford and see Bashir chair her first Oxford Union debate. He was reported in the Daily Mail to be "very fond of Ruzwana" and commented to its journalist "I was sick as a dog and could barely speak but I would be letting the side down if I hadn't attended."[14]
Bashir was reported in 2009 to be the girlfriend of BAFTA-nominated actor Toby Kebbell. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Kebbell said he thought she was "stunningly gorgeous" and had been a "fantastic influence" on him. Bashir and Kebbell met at a Christmas party given by the journalist Andrew Neil.[15] They have been pictured together in the Daily Mirror[16] and in February 2009 attended the 62nd British Academy Film Awards event together.[17]
References
- ^ a b Obscure law costs Ruzwana top post, from the Telegraph & Argus, first published 27 January 2004, at thisisbradford.co.uk
- ^ a b James Tapper, Keith Beabey, Will this Asian girl be the next Maggie? in The Mail on Sunday dated March 14, 2004
- ^ a b c Stewart Payne, Asian woman picked to lead Oxford Union, dated 12 March 2004 at telegraph.co.uk/
- ^ a b Ihsan Islam, HISTORY MAN: Abandoning Cambridge for Oxford' in Daily Times of Pakistan, October 15, 2004, online
- ^ Richard Kay, Coup what a scorcher!, article dated 14 January 2004 at dailymail.co.uk
- ^ a b c Toby Moore, Racism? No, just brutal politics, article dated March 12 2004 at timesonline.co.uk
- ^ a b 'What the toffs did next' in The Guardian, 11 March 2004, online
- ^ a b 'LA DONNA DELL'ANNO' at minervaonline.it (in Italian)
- ^ Suzy Menkes, Tom Ford works his charm on students at Oxford Union in The New York Times dated November 16, 2004, online
- ^ London Student Housing Conference at london.ac.uk
- ^ Gianluca Longo, 'The newboy', in Evening Standard (London), February 6, 2009, p. 28
- ^ More Fulbright Awards for 2009/10 at fulbright.co.uk
- ^ Katie Nicholl, 'Boris's Union with His Pal From Oxford' in Mail on Sunday dated August 29, 2004
- ^ Did Oxford girl turn Boris's head? dated 17 October 2004 in Daily Mail online
- ^ Marianne Macdonald, Toby Kebbell: the new boy dated 09.02.09 at thisislondon.co.uk
- ^ Bafta Dresses at mirror.co.uk 2009/02/08
- ^ Toby Kebbell and Ruzwana Bashir at exposay.com