Jemima Khan

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Jemima Khan
Born Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith
(1974-01-30) 30 January 1974 (age 39)
Westminster, London, England
Citizenship United Kingdom and Pakistan[1]
Alma mater University of Bristol
SOAS, University of London
Occupation Writer, Editor, campaigner
Religion Islam[2]
Spouse(s) Imran Khan (m. 1995–d. 2004)
Partner(s) Hugh Grant (2004–2007)
Children Sulaiman Khan
Qasim Khan
Parents Sir James Goldsmith (father)
Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (mother)
Relatives Zac Goldsmith (brother)
Ben Goldsmith (brother)

Jemima Marcelle Khan (pron.: /dʒɨˈmaɪmə/; née Goldsmith; born 30 January 1974) is a writer and campaigner.[3][4][5] She is the Associate Editor of the New Statesman and European editor-at-large for Vanity Fair. She continues to work as a charity fundraiser, human rights campaigner, and contributing writer for British newspapers and magazines. Khan first gained notice in the United Kingdom as a young heiress, the daughter of Lady Annabel and Sir James Goldsmith. She converted to Islam and married Pakistani cricketer and politician Imran Khan in 1995. Khan also gained worldwide media attention for her relationship with British film star Hugh Grant.

Contents

Early life and education [edit]

Born in London's Westminster Hospital as Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith, Khan is the eldest child of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and Anglo-French financier Sir James Goldsmith. Her parents had a polyamorous relationship in which they were married to different partners but, in 1978, they married to legitimize their children.[6] Khan has two younger brothers, Zac Goldsmith and Ben Goldsmith, and five paternal and three maternal half-siblings, including Robin Birley and India Jane Birley.[7]

Khan grew up at Ormeley Lodge and attended the Old Vicarage preparatory school and Francis Holland School. From age 10 to 17, she was an accomplished equestrian in London.[6] Khan enrolled at the University of Bristol in 1993 and studied English, but dropped out when she was married in 1995. She eventually completed her bachelor's degree in March 2002 with 2:1 honours.[8][9]

Marriage to Imran Khan [edit]

Jemima married Imran Khan, a Pakistani cricketer, celebrity and philanthropist who later turned to politics, on 16 May 2005 in a traditional Islamic ceremony in Paris.[10] They also had a civil ceremony on 21 June 1995 at the Richmond Register Office,[11] followed by a midsummer ball at Ormeley Lodge.[12] A few months before her wedding, she converted to Islam,[7][8] citing the writings of Muhammad Asad, Charles le Gai Eaton and Alija Izetbegović as her influences.[2] In Lahore, Pakistan, she learned to speak Urdu and also wore Traditional Pakistani clothes. she wrote in her 2008 article for The Times that she "over-conformed in [her] eagerness to be accepted" into the "new and radically different culture" of Pakistan.[13] Diana, Princess of Wales, was a close friend of Jemima, visiting her twice in Lahore, Pakistan, the year that Diana died[citation needed]. In 2003, she received her MA in Middle Eastern Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London,[14] focusing on Modern Trends in Islam.[15][16]

In 1998, Khan launched an eponymous fashion label that employed poor Pakistani women to embroider western clothes with eastern handiwork[17] to be sold in London and New York.[18][19] Profits were donated to her husband's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. She ran the organization until December 2001, when she shut down the business due to the economic situation following the September 11 attacks, and so she could focus on fundraising and on supporting her husband in Pakistani politics.[1][19] She established the Jemima Khan Afghan Refugee Appeal to provide tents, clothing, food, and healthcare for Afghan refugees at Jalozai camp in Peshawar.[1][20][21]

In 1999, Khan was charged in Pakistan with illegally exporting Islamic era antique tiles. She claimed that the charge was a fabrication to harass and damage her husband,[22] but nevertheless, left Pakistan to stay with her mother for fear of incarceration.[23] After General Pervez Musharraf overthrew elected Prime Minister Navaz Sharif in a coup d'état, in 2000, the Ministry of Culture and Archaeology verified the tiles were not antiques, and the Pakistani court dropped the charges, allowing her to return to Lahore.[22]

Khan became an Ambassador for UNICEF UK in 2001, and went on field trips to Kenya, Romania, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last of which she later helped victims of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake by raising emergency funds. She has promoted UNICEF's Breastfeeding Manifesto,[24] Growing Up Alone[25] and End Child Exploitation campaigns in the UK.[26][27]

Khan supported her husband as he became more involved in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (a.k.a. "Justice Movement") party.[28] Imran became a member of Pakistan's parliament in 2002 and has been a "vociferous critic of President Pervez Musharraf".[28]

Rumours circulated that the couples marriage was in crisis, Jemima placed an advertisement in Pakistan newspapers to deny them. It read: "Whilst it is true that I am currently studying for a masters degree at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, it is certainly not true to say that Imran and I are having difficulties in our marriage. This is a temporary arrangement." [29] On 22 June 2004, it was announced that the Khans had divorced ending the nine-year marriage because it was "difficult for Jemima to adapt to life in Pakistan".[28] The marriage ended amicably. Imran has said the six months leading to the divorce and the six months after was the hardest years of his life. After the divorce Jemima returned to Britain with the boys, according to the divorce settlement Khan's sons visit him in Pakistan during their school holidays while he stays with his former mother-in-law, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, when he comes to London to see them. According to Jemima, Imran and she have remained on very good terms even after the divorce.[30] "[28]

Relationship with Hugh Grant [edit]

Following her divorce in 2004, Khan returned to London and later became involved in a romantic relationship with Hugh Grant. A 2005 article in the Evening Standard newspaper noted that "Jemima's profile" changed from "high during her first marriage" to "soaring since she became involved with Hugh Grant".[31] Khan's relationship was scrutinized extensively by the tabloids,[32] but a 2005 survey of London visitors favoured them as "the celebrity couple people would most like to show them round London".[33] The relationship continued until February 2007, when Grant announced that they had "decided to split amicably".[34] Grant's spokesman added that he "has nothing but positive things to say about Jemima."[34]

Career [edit]

Although she had written articles when she lived in Pakistan,[1] Khan started contributing to op-eds to England's newspapers and magazines including The Independent, The Sunday Times, The Evening Standard and the Observer.[35][36][37][38] In 2008, she was granted an exclusive interview with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on the eve of the elections, for The Independent.[39] She was a Sunday Telegraph columnist from 21 October 2007 to 27 January 2008.[40]

Khan was a feature writer and a contributing editor for British Vogue from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, Khan was appointed Vanity Fair’s new European editor-at-large.[41] She was also Associate Editor at The Independent.[citation needed]

In April 2011, Khan guest-edited the New Statesman and themed the issue around freedom of speech. She interviewed the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and included contributions from Russell Brand, Tim Robbins, Simon Pegg, Oliver Stone, Tony Benn, and Julian Assange, with cover art by Anish Kapoor and Damien Hirst.[42] According to Nick Cohen in the Observer "Jemima Khan was by a country mile the best editor of the New Statesman that that journal has had since the mid-1970s".[43] The magazine issue included "an unexpected scoop" from Hugh Grant who went undercover to hack Paul McMullan, a former News of the World journalist, who had been involved in hacking as a reporter.[44] In November 2011, Khan joined as an Associate Editor of the New Statesman.[45]

Further involvement [edit]

Khan continues to support various charity efforts in Pakistan mostly from her organization, the Jemima Khan Foundation. She also supports the Soil Association[46] and the HOPING foundation for Palestinian refugee children.[47] In 2008, she modeled the relaunched Azzaro Couture fragrance and was a guest co-designer of a Spring 2009 collection for Azzaro, with her fee reportedly donated to UNICEF.[48][49]

In addition to charities, Khan also campaigns for various social and political causes. In 2007, she set up the Free Pakistan Movement, where she, her family, friends and hundreds of protestors participated in three demonstrations outside Downing Street to protest the state of emergency in Pakistan, during which her former husband was incarcerated.[50] In 2008, she received death threats from Islamic fundamentalists for supporting and speaking at the launch of the Quilliam Foundation, a London-based think tank that focuses on "counter-extremism", including preaching religious tolerance.[51]

With John Pilger and Ken Loach, she was among the six people in Westminster Magistrates Court willing to post bail for Julian Assange when he was arrested in London on 7 December 2010. However, she later changed her mind about Assange, questioning his unwillingness to answer the sexual misconduct allegations which led to his arrest and what she described as his demand for "cultish devotion" from his supporters.[52][53] The bail money was lost in June 2012 when a judge ordered it to be forfeited because Assange had sought to escape the jurisdiction of the English courts by entering the London embassy of Ecuador.[54] Khan was an executive producer for the documentary film We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks by Alex Gibney, released in 2013.[55]

She has campaigned against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as for freedom of information; she attended Assange’s extradition hearings and spoke at the Stop the War Coalition's rally in defence of Wikileaks alongside Tony Benn and Tariq Ali. In 2011, she also campaigned against the use of drones by the CIA in Pakistan’s tribal areas.[56]

In 2002, Khan was listed at number 18 with £20m on the Evening Standard's young millionaires list.[57] In 2010, she purchased the country house of Kiddington Hall near Woodstock in Oxfordshire for a reported £15 million.[58]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Khan, Sairah Irshad (November 2002). "I think the world of politics is pretty sleazy.". Newsline (magazine). Archived from the original on 19 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-08. 
  2. ^ a b Khan, Jemima (1995-05-28). "Why I chose Islam". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
  3. ^ Burrell, Ian (2010-12-18). "Jemima Khan: Just don't call her a socialite". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2010-12-18. 
  4. ^ Curtis, Nick (2010-12-17). "How Jemima Khan became Jem of the arrestocracy". London: London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2010-12-17. 
  5. ^ Shamsie, Kamila (2007-11-20). "In praise of Jemima Khan, the unlikely freedom fighter". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-11-20. 
  6. ^ a b Goldsmith, Annabel (2001). Annabel: An Unconventional Life: The Memoirs of Lady Annabel Goldsmith. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 0-297-82966-1. 
  7. ^ a b Lundy, Darryl. "Person Page 5917:Sir James Goldsmith". thePeerage.com. Retrieved 2007-09-28. [unreliable source]
  8. ^ a b "The real Jemima Khan". Despardes. Retrieved 2006-06-05. [dead link]
  9. ^ Nick Curtis and Olivia Cole (17 December 2010). "How Jemima Khan became Jem of the arrestocracy". London Evening Standard. 
  10. ^ "Imran and Jemima married in Paris". The Times. 1995-05-17. 
  11. ^ Rosser, Nigel (1995-06-20). "Jemima arrives 12 minutes late for wedding No2". The Evening Standard. 
  12. ^ Bruce, Rory (1995-06-21). "Blinis, Bolly and Brass bands for Jemima". The Evening Standard. 
  13. ^ Khan, Jemima (10 August 2008). "My grandfather's secret". The Times (London). Retrieved 2008-10-05. [dead link]
  14. ^ "SOAS Alumni Newsletter" (PDF). School of Oriental and African Studies. Autumn 2009. Retrieved 2012-04-19. 
  15. ^ "Quilliam Foundation Launch". quilliamfoundation.org. 2002-04-22. Retrieved 2008-06-05. [dead link]
  16. ^ Roy, Amit (2 October 2011). "Imran is Pakistan and Pakistan is Imran". The Telegraph (Calcutta). 
  17. ^ Menkes, Suzy (1998-09-01). "Jemima Khan: Shining Through". International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-08. 
  18. ^ Robson, Julia (2001-02-23). "The best dressed". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-07-05. [dead link]
  19. ^ a b Laville, Sandra (2001-12-06). "Jemima Khan closes fashion label". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-10-08. 
  20. ^ Khan, Jemima (2001-04-08). "The camp is a vast dump.". Sunday Telegraph. 
  21. ^ Hafeez, Assad (2004-04-03). "Integrating health care for mothers and children in refugee camps and at district level". nih.gov. Retrieved 2008-11-13. 
  22. ^ a b "Pakistani court exonerates Jemima Khan". BBC. 2000-04-05. Retrieved 2007-10-08. 
  23. ^ Hasnain, Ghulam (1999-10-17). "Coup paves way for Jemima's return". The Sunday Times. 
  24. ^ "Protect breastfeeding in the UK". UNICEF UK. Retrieved 2007-10-05. [dead link]
  25. ^ Alleyne, Richard (2001-06-21). "Jemima Khan joins Unicef campaign for war orphans". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-06-20. 
  26. ^ "The horror of child trafficking". BBC. 2003-07-30. Retrieved 2007-10-05. 
  27. ^ "Jemima's child labour campaign". BBC. 2005-02-21. Retrieved 2007-10-05. 
  28. ^ a b c d "Imran Khan and Jemima divorce". BBC. 22 June 2004. Retrieved 5 October 2007. 
  29. ^ "Jemima Khan: Just don't take her at face value". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  30. ^ He has also fathered another daughter called Tyrian Khan-White, who resides with her mother, Sita White.html "'I almost lost the will to live': Imran Khan reveals torment over break-up of his marriage to Jemima Goldsmith". Daily Mail. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  31. ^ Radcliffe, Rebecca (2005-11-25). "Jemima's Jumble sale". London: Evening Standard. Retrieved 2007-10-05. [dead link]
  32. ^ Naughton, Philippe; Costello, Miles (2005-11-12). "Life lessons". London: Times Online. p. 24. Retrieved 2007-10-05. 
  33. ^ "Celebrities reveal their London". BBC. 2005-04-19. Retrieved 2007-10-05. 
  34. ^ a b "Hugh Grant splits with girlfriend Jemima Khan". Reuters. 2007-02-16. Retrieved 2007-02-24. 
  35. ^ Khan, Jemima (2008-09-07). "Mad and bad – but the West will turn a blind eye". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2008-11-05. 
  36. ^ Khan, Jemima (2003-04-02). "I am angry and ashamed to be British". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2008-07-05. 
  37. ^ Khan, Jemima (2008-02-18). "The Politics of paranoia". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
  38. ^ Khan, Jemima (2010-12-12). "Why did I back Julian Assange?". London: Observer. Retrieved 2012-12-12. 
  39. ^ Khan, Jemima (2008-02-17). "An extraordinary encounter with Musharraf". London: The Independent. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
  40. ^ "Telegraph: Jemima Khan". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-06-18. [dead link]
  41. ^ "Jemima proves it’s not simply about Vanity". London: Evening Standard. 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-05-20. 
  42. ^ McVeigh, Tracy (2011-04-10). "Jemima Khan: Just don't take her at face value". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
  43. ^ Cohen, Nick (10 April 2011). "Is nepotism ever acceptable?". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2013. 
  44. ^ Godwin, Richard (2011-04-07). "Jemima Khan – the freedom fighter". London: Evening Standard. Retrieved 2011-04-07. 
  45. ^ Greenslade, Roy (17 October 2011). "Jemima Khan quits Independent for New Statesman". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2013. 
  46. ^ "The Feast of Albion – committee". Quintessentially Events. Retrieved 2008-06-20. [dead link]
  47. ^ "Karaoke with the stars in aid of HOPING" (PDF). HOPING Foundation. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2008-06-20. [dead link]
  48. ^ Mann, Rebecca (2008-06-13). "Parfums Azzaro creates a new way to wear Couture". Moodie International Ltd. Retrieved 2008-07-05. 
  49. ^ Mann, Rebecca (2008-06-13). "Fashion scoop: Temporary star". WWD.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 
  50. ^ Lewis, Jason (2007-11-11). "Jemima Khan joins Pakistan protest – and mum Lady Annabel lends a hand". London: The Mail on Sunday. Retrieved 2008-06-23. 
  51. ^ Newling, Dan (2010-04-23). "Muslim extremists target Jemima Khan with death threats". London: The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2010-04-23. 
  52. ^ Burns, John (August 18, 2011). "In Embassy Drama, Eyes of Police (and Public) Focus on Assange". The New York Times. 
  53. ^ Khan, Jemima (February 7, 2013). "Jemima Khan on Julian Assange: how the Wikileaks founder alienated his allies". The New Statesman. 
  54. ^ Allen, Emily (4 September 2012). "Julian Assange's celebrity backers set to lose $540,000 bail money as he remains holed up in Ecuador Embassy". Mail Online. Daily Mail. "Meanwhile, another handful of celebrities including socialite Jemima Khan, journalist John Pilger, film director Ken Loach, publisher Felix Dennis have already lost the £200,000 they stumped up between them to help free him before he was bailed." 
  55. ^ Clark, Emma (7 February 2013). "Jemima Khan: 'My journey with Julian Assange has taken me from 'admiration to demoralisation'". The Independent. United Kingdom. 
  56. ^ Slack, Chris (Oct 28, 2011). "Imran Khan reunited with Jemima as politician launches stinging rebuke of US drone attacks on Pakistan". London: The Daily Mail. 
  57. ^ "Britain's Young Millionaires". Evening Standard. 2002-02-25. 
  58. ^ Faulkner, Katherine (2010-10-28). "millionaire husband squanders golden egg". London: Mailonline. Retrieved 2011-05-05. 

External links [edit]

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