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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|English judge}}<br />
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'''Khurshid Drabu Varrier''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE}} (8 March 1946 – 20 April 2018) was an English judge, law lecturer and Muslim community leader. He was the first Muslim to be a judge in Britain, serving on immigration and asylum tribunals.<ref name="Guardian" /><br />
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== Early life ==<br />
Drabu was born in [[Srinagar]] in [[Kashmir]] as Khurshid Hassan Drabu to Ghulam Nabi Drabu, a tax commissioner, and his wife Zarifa. He studied at [[Tyndale Biscoe School]], then [[Sri Pratap College]] to complete a BA in Political Science. In 1969, he completed a law degree at [[Aligarh University]]. He played [[first-class cricket]] for the [[Jammu and Kashmir cricket team]] from 1963 to 1970 as an opening batsman.<ref name="Guardian">{{Cite web|url=https://amp.theguardian.com/law/2018/may/16/khurshid-drabu-obituary|title=Khurshid Varrier obituary|last=Versi|first=Miqdaad|last2=Khan|first2=Sadiq|date=16 May 2018|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=17 May 2018}}</ref><br />
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== Career ==<br />
In November 1971, he moved to England with £3 in his pocket and became a law lecturer.<ref name="Independent">{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/khurshid-varrier-death-muslim-council-britain-judge-uk-cbe-dies-dead-a8321311.html|title=Khurshid Drabu: Britain’s first Muslim judge and a pioneer of social cohesion and interfaith dialogue|date=25 April 2018|work=The Independent|access-date=17 May 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/16171418.UK_s_first_Muslim_judge_in_Southampton_hospital_after_heart_attack/|title=UK's first Muslim judge in Southampton hospital after heart attack|website=Daily Echo|language=en|access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref> He was [[call to the bar|called to the bar]] in 1977. He served as an advocate in the high court in Kashmir between 1978 and 1980 before returning to England to specialise in immigration law.<br />
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In 1987, he became deputy director of the [[Immigration Advisory Service]].<ref name="Independent" /> In 1990, he became the first deputy legal director of the [[Commission for Racial Equality]], a position he held until 1997.<ref name="Independent" /><ref name="Guardian" /> While at the Commission for Racial Equality, Drabu Varrier was in charge of reviewing the [[Race Relations Act 1976]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.josephinterfaithfoundation.org/whoWeAre.php|title=The Joseph Interfaith Foundation|website=www.josephinterfaithfoundation.org|language=en|access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref><br />
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His judicial career started with serving as a magistrate for 12 years. He served for twelve years as president of the Mental Health Review Tribunal. In 1996, he was appointed to the immigration and asylum tribunal. He became vice president of the tribunal in 2000 and served there until 2007. He still heard cases after retirement in the upper-tier immigration tribunal. He was also a visiting lecturer at the [[University of Middlesex]] in the law department.<ref name="Independent" /> He also served as an adviser to the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] starting in 2002, and encouraged Muslims to join the armed forces. Under his tenure, the number of Muslims serving in the armed forces increased from 25 to almost 800.<ref name="Guardian" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><br />
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In the [[2010 Birthday Honours]], he was awarded a [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]].<br />
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== Non-profit activities ==<br />
Khurshid helped found the [[Muslim Council of Britain]] and served as the organisation's legal adviser. In 2007, he helped found the [[Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board]] to promote interfaith dialogue and improving standards in mosque leadership, as well as to reconcile [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Shia Islam|Shia]] communities .<ref name="Independent" /><ref name="Guardian" /><br />
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== Personal life ==<br />
Drabu married Reefat in 1972.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2005/dec/31/familyandrelationships|title=We love each other: Reefat & Khurshid Drabu|last=Taylor|first=Craig|date=31 December 2005|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=21 May 2018}}</ref> They had four children, daughters Aliya, Farrah and Zayba, and son Hamza.<ref name="Guardian" /> At the time of his death, he was living in [[Winchester]].<ref name=":0" /><br />
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Khurshid Drabu died on 20 April 2018.<ref name=":0" /><br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Drabu, Khurshid}}<br />
[[Category:1946 births]]<br />
[[Category:2018 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century English judges]]<br />
[[Category:British Muslims]]<br />
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United Kingdom]]<br />
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]<br />
[[Category:Jammu and Kashmir cricketers]]<br />
[[Category:Indian cricketers]]<br />
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]<br />
[[Category:21st-century English judges]]</div>ImportMaster