Malika Chadhar

Dr. Malika Chadhar, OG, PhD (b. Lahore, April 14, 1949, as Malika Hussein) is the incumbent Governor of the Georgeland state of Delmago Island, appointed to that position on January 1, 2008. She is the first person from the Indian Subcontinent to become a state Governor in Georgeland and the first Muslim to hold such a position. Chadhar was born in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1949, not long after the country achieved independence. Her father, Mohammed Sayeed Hussein, was Punjabi and a physician; her mother was of Sindh descent. The couple and their children became refugees in 1956 following a war between Pakistan and India, in which Chadhar's eldest brother was killed. The family fled to Georgeland and were accepted as refugees in 1958, settling in Doubledance where her father started a medical practice. Chadhar was educated in public schools before going on to university in 1967. She attended the University of Mainland where she studied chemistry, graduating in 1972. She continued to attend university and obtained a research scholarship in 1974 at the University of Doubledance, where she earned a Masters Degree in biochemistry and later a PhD in the same subject. From 1980 until 1986 she headed a research team at the NSMRC, where she conducted a number of genetic studies. In 1990, Chadhar moved to the United States and spent two years working on the human genome project. In 1994, Chadhar accepted a position as Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Georgetown and by 1998 had established herself as one of the country's leading scientists. For her work on the genome project and her identification of a treatment for several genetic disorders, Chadhar was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with three others in her research team in 2002 but did not win. She nonetheless was awarded the Order of Georgeland in 2003. In 2004, Chadhar became Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Life Sciences at the University of Georgetown. She continued her research and published a bestselling book, Do Not Alter, about the risks and dangers of genetic engineering. Chadhar took a leading role in opposing the federal government's legislation to legalise human cloning in 2002. Chadhar is not specifically opposed to cloning but believes much more research is needed for the technology to be viable and favours a gradual approach. In December 2007, the Island's government announced Professor Chadhar's name as the next state Governor. Chadhar took up the role on January 1st. In her inaugral speech, Professor Chadhar said her appointment was a "milestone for the history of Muslim women everywhere." Governor Chadhar is a practicing Muslim, and, unusually for Muslims in Georgeland, wears the hijab, the traditional Islamic head scarf. However, Governor Chadhar does not wear the scarf all the time, and has been seen in public without it before. She did wear the hijab at her inauguration, however, becoming the first person ever to wear a traditional costume while being sworn into political office in Georgeland. Chadhar married Imran Hussein Chadhar, a second-generation Pakistani, in October 1980 in a traditional Muslim ceremony. The couple met at university. Governor Chadhar has three children.