'I never imagined becoming High Sheriff'

A British Asian woman said she hoped to inspire other women after becoming a county's first Muslim High Sheriff.

Kurshida Mirza, from Milton Keynes, was appointed as the 790th High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire on Sunday. The ceremonial role included representing the area for royal visits and acting as a returning officer during elections.

She was previously awarded the British Empire Medal for her interfaith work.

"It’s a huge thing for my community, and for those women who are Muslim to have somebody like me in this position," she said.

Ms Mirza said she was initially "very reluctant" to take on the role, "but I felt I had to do it not for myself but for other women".

“I never in a million years imagined to be the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, arriving as a little Indian girl to the UK," she said.

"The reason I’m here is probably because a lot of other people before me have risen to the challenge of ensuring women have an opportunity - that there’s more diversity,” she said.

Today there are 55 High Sheriffs serving across England and Wales - a role that dates back to Saxon times.

Ms Mirza said she would be breaking with some traditions and doing things differently "as is the Milton Keynes way".

High Sheriffs usually appoint a chaplain from their own religion, but as a champion of interfaith work, she has appointed seven chaplains from different faiths.

Prayers at the declaration ceremony were led by members of the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh faiths, while an interfaith choir sang hymns in Hebrew, English and Arabic.

Ms Mirza has been recognised for her work at interfaith cafe Trubys Garden Tearoom, external, which she founded after the 9/11 attacks.

"I was working in the civil service, and after the 9/11 atrocities, I felt my colleagues treated me differently. I'm not imagining it. It's like they stopped seeing me as Kurshida, the normal person.

"I felt I needed to do something, and rather than take a negative approach, I tried to think: 'What's the positive I can do out of this?'" she explained.

Imam Shehzad Hussain of Wolverton Mosque said it was an "honour" for the Muslim community to see Ms Mirza sworn in.

"It's amazing. Kurshida is the right person for this, for all the service she's done. It's endless, she's so dedicated: this is an honour of all her work," he added.

"We're looking forward to the role and how we can all help as well."

Countess Elizabeth Howe, the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, said the new appointment was "very significant".

"It's important because we have such diverse communities in Buckinghamshire, to be able to celebrate all our faith communities is very exciting," she said.

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