‘Scrounging’ Rochdale couple with 11 kids back on television

Mohammed Salim

A family of 13 from Rochdale return to television screens next Tuesday (5 March) as part of an ongoing Channel 4 documentary.

Unemployed Mohammed Salim, 54, and wife Noreen, 38, hit the headlines in 2008 when they were filmed for Channel 4’s 13 Kids and Wanting More after the birth of their 11th child.

The huge family - who all live at the same house and claim benefits - will now feature in documentary series 16 Kids and Counting.

Mr Salim - a former teacher - hopes the programme will shed a positive light on having so many children.

“We agreed to take part for education really - so people can see how we actually do things like cooking meals,” he said.

“I’m sure you’ll have a good laugh watching it.

“It’s for people to become aware that you can have a large family. In the ‘50s and ‘60s they used to have big families.

“I don’t really like the idea of a small family with just one or two kids.

“If people want to see how a big family copes, I hope it will come over as something good.”

Mr Salim, who has lived in Rochdale since 1966, first shot to fame in 1990 when he staged a hunger strike outside the town hall protesting against the library stocking Salman Rushdie’s infamous Satanic Verses.

He married Noreen the same year, when she was aged just 16, and their eldest son, Muhammad Aves, was born in 1991.

Mr Salim has since run, unsuccessfully, for election to parliament for the Islam Zinda Baad Platform and published a book about his life.

Not everybody in Rochdale is supportive of his large family however,  particularly after it emerged he quit his teaching job to claim full benefits.

He was branded a ‘scrounger’ in the national press and became the target of abuse and vandalism.

Defiled pages of the Qu’ran have been posted to him and graffiti daubed on the side of his home, reading “11 and wantin (sic) more”.

Mr Salim insists he has no regrets about having such a large family however.

“They are all full of bubble and they make us happy,” he said.

“You have got to see the positives. You have to look at the good things.

“Noreen and I entertain them as much as we can and take them out. They are great fun.

“That gives us all the strength seeing them happy and running around.”

Channel 4’s 16 Kids and Counting airs every Tuesday at 9pm with the Salim family appearing on 5 March and again the following week.