Obituary
Lord Adam Hafezjee Patel
of Blackburn (1940-2019)
Dr. Mozammel Haque
I was shocked and saddened to learn that
Lord Adam Patel of Blackburn, the former Chairman of the British Hajj Delegation
(2001-2010) has passed away on Wednesday, 29th of May 2019, during
the last ten days of the blessed month of Ramadan.
Lord Patel was one of my best friends. He
was a humble, kind-hearted devoted to family human being. He was a devout
religious person who wanted to cement bond of relationship among all the
religious communities. He always took me to the prayer room in the House of
Lords for afternoon (Asr) prayer and sometimes evening (Maghreb) prayer.
Sometimes he invited me to his residence in Mile End, London.
Lord Adam Hafezjee Patel was appointed a
member of the House of Lords on 1st January 2000. He happened to be
the only Muslim and of a non-European background among six others inducted to
the Upper House of the British Parliament that year. Having a strong social
service background, Lord Patel has many friends in both Houses of Parliament
because of his affiliation with the Labour Party. I had the opportunity to meet
and interview Lord Patel of Blackburn in the House of Lords, in London, in
March 2000. He spoke at length about Muslim issues, in general, and the
situation of the Muslim community in Britain, in particular.
I actually met him first in the House of
Lords after his appointment as Peer of the House of Lords and interviewed him in
2000. When he was appointed Leader of the British Hajj Delegation in 2001, it
became a routine affair for me to meet him regularly before and after the Hajj.
Since his appointment as head of the British
Hajj Delegation in 2001, we were very close and every time during the launching
of the British Hajj Delegation and after his return from the Hajj I used to
meet him in the House of Lords and he discussed with me his experience during
the Hajj. He took keen interest in the Hajj Delegation and wanted to serve and
care for the welfare of the Hajjis in the Holy city of Makkah al-Mukarramah and
Madinah al-Munawwarah.
He was devoted to his family and loved his
children and grandchildren. He was the most family devoted person.
May Allah Subhanahu wa Taala bless his soul
and grant him the highest place in the Jannatul Firdaus and give patience and
Sabr to his family and friends who lost their dear and near ones.
Lord Adam Patel:
Life and activities
Adam Hafezjee Patel was born in Bharuch
district, 250 miles from Bombay, in the state of Gujarat, India. He studied at
the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Gujarat. From where he obtained his Bachelor of
Commerce degree in Accountancy and Business Management. He came to England in
1965. He worked with chartered
accountants. He gave up the course after practising accountancy for four years
and joined his relatives. Lord Adam said, he came to Blackburn in 1966 to serve
his people. He said, “I thought that our people need some sort of voluntary
organization and in order to have that, I must join a political party, as I had
the aspiration to do something for the Muslim community.”
The political career of Lord Patel started
in 1966 when he joined the Labour Party. He started taking active interest in
its activities and took initiative in representation the needs of the Muslim
community in the party forums. With this objective, he invited representative
from the Conservative, Liberal and Labour parties and formed a community
Relations Council with representatives from the three parties. This
organization is now known as Racial Equality Council.
Britain, being a member of the Commonwealth,
Lord Patel founded a Commonwealth Friendship Society which was active during the
late sixties. He also served as a Treasurer and later as Chairman and presently
life-term Vice President of the Community Relations Council, now called
Blackburn Racial Equality Council. Lord Patel also served as the governor of
Preston High School from 1968-1974.
Lord Patel, then, thought of forming an
umbrella organization grouping all the mosques of Lancashire County, not only
of Blackburn. There were mosques for the Muslim communities of the Indian,
Bengali and Pakistani origin in Lancashire and there are Sunnis, Shias and
followers of other sects living in Lancashire. Lord Patel met the various
groups of Muslims and convinced those of the need of have one umbrella
organization representing all Muslim interests. They agreed and established
Lancashire Council of Mosques. Lord Patel was the founder-chairman and later
president of the Council of Mosques.
Lord Patel was one of the five Counsellors
of the MCB (Muslim Council of Britain), an organization representing Muslims,
which was formed late 90’s.
In 1997, the British Government decided that
the minority ethnic groups must have a voice in the decisions of the
government. The Home Secretary appointed a Board of 25 members. They approached
Lord Patel for inclusion in the Race Relations Board, on which he served as a
member since 1997 elections.
Lord Patel told me earlier in one of my
interviews, “To improve and uplift Muslims educationally, we started Lancashire
Muslim Girls School and to have now drawn up plans to help our boys’ schools
too. We shall impart our code of conduct to our children, and in fact, to all
other children studying in these schools in such a way that they become a
role-model for the society at large.”
Lord Patel was quite optimistic about the
future of Muslim schools in Britain. Lord Patel also pleaded for the teaching
of Islam in the evening or during the day and called for revolutionary changes
in the methods the Muslims were following in teaching Islam. “Allah the
Almighty has given us the Qur’an and Our Prophet (peace very upon him) himself
practised the Islamic precepts first and then gave lessons to his companions to
put them into practise. His Companions then taught other people. Whatever
messages we received from Almighty Allah through our Prophet (peace be upon
him) they were meant to be practised – they were not meant for just increasing
our knowledge. We have got everything in our religion, every aspect of life is
dealt with and not a single aspect is left untouched.”
Tributes to Lord Adam Patel
Tributes paid to Lord Adam
Patel of Blackburn who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 78. MP Keith Vaz described the
Gujarati-born father of eight, who was made a life peer in 2000, as
"Labour's northern rock".
Jack Straw
Lord Patel, known locally as Lord Adam, came
to Blackburn in the 1960s to study accountancy at Blackburn College after
graduating from the University of Baroda in Gujarat State, India. The town's
former MP, Jack Straw, a former foreign secretary, said he had no hesitation in
nominating him for a peerage, adding: "I'll never forget his joy, and that
of his family, when he was formally ennobled in February 2000."
He said Lord Patel was "wise, very
intelligent, replete with integrity, and completely committed to honouring his
faith and to making Britain a better place for everyone".
Lord Patel served as director of the East
Lancashire Training Enterprise Council, president of Lancashire Council of
Mosques, vice-president of the Blackburn Community Relations Council and head
of The British Hajj Delegation, which looked after the interests of Muslims
going on pilgrimage to Makkah al-Mukarramah.
Keith
Vaz, MP
MP Keith Vaz described the
Gujarati-born father of eight, who was made a life peer in 2000, as
"Labour's northern rock". Keith Vaz said: "Adam Patel's life embodies the very essence of the
journey taken by so many British Asians since their arrival in the UK. "He was Labour through and through but
also kept his deep roots in the British Muslim community of the north-west even
after he entered the House of Lords.
'Loyal and strong'
"His desire to help everyone who needed
it frustrated his large family circle who had to cope with people visiting his
home well after midnight.
"He was loyal, devoted to family,
strong and dedicated to his causes."
Lord
Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham
Lord
Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham sent me his messages saying, “Lord Adam Patel was a
loyal, committed and dedicated member of the Labour Party who was liked by many
people in Parliament. He was proud of his identity as a British Indian Gujrati Muslim
(his unique dress code in Parliament) and therefore spent a lot of time
supporting his brothers’ charitable hospital. He was a calm, softly spoken wise
man.”
Baroness Manzila Uddin
Baroness Manzila Uddin of Bethnal Green and Bow emailed me her tributes
as follows: “The Hon Lord Patel was much respected member of the House. He was
a gentle and calm person, even at the most chaotic period in the House. Most
importantly and personally, he was my elder brother and treated me with utmost
care and affection, particularly during testing times.
She also said, “He was a man of utmost integrity and personal honour and
was devoted to the betterment of all people and his friendship group in the
House reflected the diversity which he championed throughout his life, in the
community and in Parliament, whilst maintaining deference for his faith and
tradition.”
Baroness Uddin mentioned, “He was a Labour man and we worked together on
numerous political issues in order to advance the causes of the Labour
Government, particularly in the aftermath of 9/11 and 7/7 tragedy. He was
steadfast in ensuring that national and local community organisations were able
to participate and have a voice.”
She added, “Nominated by several of us and with support of the then
Foreign Secretary Rt Hon Jack Straw, the Hon Lord Patel lead the UK Hajj
Delegation to Makkah for over a decade and his leadership was invaluable for
thousands of Hajjis and officials alike.”
Baronress Manzila Uddin made a special prayer for Lord Adam Patel. She
said, “My condolences and duas go to Lady Patel and his loving family, I am
proud to have been recipient of his care and affection for which I remain
indebted. May Allah Bless our brother the highest place in Jannah, Ameen.”
Dr Iyad Ameen Madani
In
memory of Lord Adam Patel, Dr Iyad Ameen Madani, the former Minister of Hajj,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1999 – 2005) and former Secretary General of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) (2012-2016), wrote on Thursday 30th
May 2019 (25th of Ramadan 1440H) from Madinah Al Munawwarah: “I am
saddened to hear of the passing away of Lord Patel, May Allah SWT bless his
soul in this blissful month.”
Dr. Madani said, “As a
Minister of Hajj in Saudi Arabia, I had the opportunity to work with Lord Patel
who used to head the British Hajj Delegation for many years. He was always well
informed, dedicated to the well being of his Hajjis, aware of the magnitude of
organizing the mass movement of Hajjis and ready to share in finding solutions
to logical needs.”
Dr. Madani also mentioned,
“Beyond Hajj, the story of Lord Patel rise from an accountant to the House of
Lords, was a story of discipline, hardwork and clear vision that resulted in
his admirable accomplishments and success. A distinguished British citizen he was,
but never shy to stress diversity, he kept to his traditional dress even in the
House of Lords. He will be missed.”
Dr. Ahmad Al-Dubayan
Dr. Ahmad Al-Dubayan Director General of the Islamic
Cultural Centre, London emailed me the following message: “Lord Patel, or “Lord Adam” as he was widely known after his
appointment to the House of Lords in 2000, became such an admired figure to
the British community across the nation.
Among his major tasks:
·
Retired managing
director of a clothing manufacturing company,
·
Director of the East
Lancashire Training Enterprise Council, and Enterprise plc,
·
served as President
of Lancashire Council of Mosques, Vice-President of the Blackburn Community Relations
Council,
·
Counsellor of the
Muslim Council of Britain and
·
Chairman of the
British Hajj Delegation (2001-2010)
·
Establishing a
powerful role between the Foreign Office and the Islamic Cultural Centre
(London).
“Adam Hafejee Patel, Baron Patel of Blackburn,
businessman and politician, born 7 June 1940; died 29 May 2019.
Dr. Al-Dubayan also
mentioned, “Patel, who died aged 78, drew his strength from the combination of
his status as a profoundly devout Muslim with his belief in civic
responsibility.”
Sir Iqbal Sacranie
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the founder and the
former Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), sent me
through whatsup his messages on Late Lord Adam Patel today. He said, “The Late
Lord Adam Patel was a wonderful & humble human being. MCB appointed him as
one of the first members of the Board of Counsellors in view of his commitment
to unity of Muslims in the UK. He was always very supportive of the positive
integration of the Muslim community and fought ardently against discrimination
and prejudice within the society.”
Sir Iqbal also mentioned, “He will
always be remembered for his ever smiling face and passion for community
cohesion.”
Julia
Langdon, the Guardian
Julia Langdon wrote in The Guardian,
“Adam Patel was regarded as having played a pivotal role in stabilising
and integrating the Muslim community in Blackburn with the white population.
“He become a leading businessman, a pioneer in the
development of successful community relations and a hugely respected character in
the political and commercial life of what became his adopted home town.
Langdon also added, “Patel, who has died aged 78, drew
his strength from the combination of his status as a profoundly devout Muslim
with his belief in civic responsibility. A highly intelligent man who exuded a
sense of wisdom, he had the instincts of a natural leader.”
