One year on: an interview with multi-faith lead Khadija Sulaiman

24 April 2024

It’s been a year since Khadija took on the role of multi-faith lead for West Midlands Police – the first Muslim female to have been appointed the job – and it continues to be “everything [she] expected and more”.

To celebrate her first year in post, West Midlands Police Federation sat down with her to hear about her experience a year on.

Since filling the position, Khadija’s work has focused on executing her multi-faith chaplaincy strategy, which includes ensuring prayer rooms are established throughout each site, celebrating key holy festivals across multiple faiths, maintaining ties between the communities and police on the ground, and ensuring access to chaplaincy services for people of faith and no faith.

Khadija’s work from this year has not only shifted the change in perception of chaplaincy in Force, but also has provided consulting and learning to organisations nationally, while also supporting other emergency services as they establish their own well-equipped chaplaincy teams.

However, this progress hasn’t come without its challenges.

“As a young female, [I] have to work extra hard”, Khadija added – and work harder she did.

West Midlands Police's multi-faith lead Khadija Sulaiman.

Over the year, Khadija has found that her biggest challenge has been the misconception of the work she and her team do. But as the largest chaplaincy team in the country, Khadija is determined to ensure they provide the best service to the officers and staff of West Midlands Police.

Her strategic vision extends beyond internal operations to community engagement, emphasising close collaboration with diverse communities. By nurturing these ties, she aims to promote unity and understanding, and as a result, enhance the relationship between the Police and the communities they serve.

One stand-out highlight from her year was the Force carol service that Khadija hosted in December. With the church filled with people of vast diversity and readings done by officers and staff of different faiths, it was a demonstration of the significance of inclusivity within West Midlands Police.

Khadija recalls the joy of being able to make the whole room laugh with a Winnie the Pooh quote. She says it was at this moment that she realised ‘how many similarities there are across religions’.

She added: “It’s important to embrace these similarities and acknowledge the differences as this is what promotes unity, peace, and respect.”

Over the year, Khadija’s multi-faith strategy, interfaith events, and work with recognised influential leaders have paid off. She reveals she has since seen community tensions ease and the support for chaplaincy grow.

Khadija has been recently nominated for an award for the Top 50 influential Muslims in Europe. She has also been elected to sit on the board of trustees for Police Chaplaincy UK - she will be the first Muslim Lead Chaplain to sit on the board of trustees since the body’s formation in 2000.

“I don’t like the terminology building bridges, but maintaining ties is crucial,” she says of her goals for the future.

And with the support of her team, which she attributes much of her success to, she tells us that she hopes to be in a much better position in terms of promoting and professionalising chaplaincy which will only happen if ‘we understand the strength in diversity and celebrate similarities’.

Although the future is untold, with Khadija’s daughter now determined to one day join the police force, perhaps there is one thing she can guarantee - she is an inspiration to the next generation of change.