She Speaks We Hear

After 7/7 I was dubbed a “British Muslim” for the first time

by Sabbiyah Pervez @sabbiyah 10 years. A decade has passed since four men travelled to London and blew themselves up killing 52 people and injuring many more. I remember it well, I was 16 and in the middle of my GCSE’s. I remember the confusion, the anger and the shock. Those feelings intensified when we …

After 7/7 I was dubbed a “British Muslim” for the first time Read More »

The Colour of Love #NotGrey

by Sabrina Mahmood @sabrina01m Did I really just read that? That was my initial reaction after I read the ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ series. Everybody was talking about it, it was trending in all the charts, and I just had to know what the fascination was. And we all love a good love story right? …

The Colour of Love #NotGrey Read More »

Perks of Being a Somali American Wallflower

by Hafsa Guled @QUESADILLABABY “We accept the love we think we deserve.” – The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2013). I distinctly remember reading that quote on every corner of the internet in late 2014. It was typically accompanied with a black and white gif of a crying, dark haired boy mouthing the words stop crying, stop crying. The pure unfiltered …

Perks of Being a Somali American Wallflower Read More »

We Need To Talk About Periods…. Period

by Christal Williams We need to talk about periods. Every month women are planning on how they can either A) hide their period B) hide themselves because they’re on their period. It’s time to out the taboo and put periods in the spotlight. The fear of periods and what they represent seems to be a …

We Need To Talk About Periods…. Period Read More »

The Feminine as the Balancing Force; Poetry & Literalism

by Roszeen Afsar @Roszeen The literalist way of thinking among certain Muslims is sad to say the least. I’ve been exposed to it many times, but the most memorable was in my university prayer room. I remember being hauled into a discussion about Sufism amongst a group of girls who carried a negative opinion of …

The Feminine as the Balancing Force; Poetry & Literalism Read More »

The Aliens; Islam & Feminine Spirituality

by Roszeen Afsar  In my previous post; ‘The Smiling Sister; Paintings of Hijab’, I wrote that knowledge of spirituality today is very little, and as such female spirituality is never brought up in discussions on Islam. I was asked why that is. This is an interesting question and one I touched on in my final …

The Aliens; Islam & Feminine Spirituality Read More »

Glasgow to Guys- A Female Surgeon’s Story

by Safina Ali Safina Ali is the surgical Head and Neck Fellow at Guys Hospital, London. She is an inspiration and role model to young Muslim women everywhere.  The term “fellow” in the world of surgery is reserved for those undertaking specialist advanced training in particular area of surgery. She recently spoke at an interfaith …

Glasgow to Guys- A Female Surgeon’s Story Read More »

Where do we stand with Rape on Our Screens?

by Sabrina Mahmood (Trigger warning: this article contains references to rape, which may be distressing for some)   Have you ever seen ‘The Last House on The Left’? It’s classified as a horror film, and being a well-known name in the horror world, I decided to watch it. When I read the info on the …

Where do we stand with Rape on Our Screens? Read More »

The Smiling Sister; Paintings of Hijab

by Roszeen Afsar “The hijab is much more than the external solid scarf, but it is worn as an internal spiritual means of faith, these collections depict that so well.”   – Nargis Akhter  The above quote is the feedback I received from a friend after I showed her the piece I’d painted of her [above] …

The Smiling Sister; Paintings of Hijab Read More »

My Faith Inspires Me To Express Myself Freely And Peacefully

by Sabrina Mahmood It’s safe to say that there are times when we all feel like we need to say something but for whatever reason, we hold back and let the moment pass. When you add being a Muslim and woman into the equation it sometimes seems like an impossible feat to be heard. That …

My Faith Inspires Me To Express Myself Freely And Peacefully Read More »