Aliya Zaidi

She Inspires Me: A Spotlight on the Women Powering the Fight for Social Justice

In late 2021, I attended Who Is Hussain London’s inaugural She Inspires Me conference in London. The event focused on the impact of women in the fight for social justice, including the crucial work that women are doing in the humanitarian space.  Here are my key takeaways, including some thoughts on how the key messages …

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How can the British Army engage with UK Muslims?

Photo credit: Hifsa Haroon Iqbal This week, Akeela Ahmed, (Founder of SheSpeaksWeHear and chair of the UK government’s Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group) arranged for a group of 20 Muslim women to visit Pirbright Army Training Centre. This incredible opportunity proved to be a real eye-opener in terms of forming a better understanding of the Armed …

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The BBC’s “Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade” doc Reveals Some Ugly Truths

 “Those who are silent when others are oppressed are guilty of oppression themselves.” IMAM HUSSAIN (AS) Last week, the BBC released a documentary called “Undercover with the Clerics – Iraq’s Secret Sex Trade”. The documentary highlighted that some clerics in Iraq are selling young girls for mutah, or temporary marriage, or as the documentary refers …

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https://flic.kr/p/5uGfo8

Breastfeeding shaming needs to stop

Last week was World Breastfeeding Week, and yet again there are reports that the UK has the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the world. Breastfeeding is one of those topics that any blogger should be terrified to write about. It is so controversial, so politicised, yet it really shouldn’t have to be so complicated. It’s …

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Ten questions with Zohra Khaku from the BBC’s Muslims Like Us

What is it really like be a modern-day British Muslim? The BBC’s Muslims Like Us, broadcast at the end of 2016, sought to find an answer to this question, by making ten Muslims of different backgrounds share a house with each other. There was conflict, there was controversy, but there was also connection. We caught up with …

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A tribute to my uncles who were gunned down in the Nazimabad attacks

You never think it’s going to happen to you… until it does. Just over a week ago, I was in a queue with my four-year-old son. We were waiting for a train ride around the park near my parents’ house, when I received a phone call from my mum. It was the phone call that nobody ever …

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feminism cross-stitch

Qandeel Baloch: an outspoken feminist in a man’s world

“As a woman we must stand up for ourselves.. As a woman we must stand up for each other… As a women we must stand…“ — Qandeel Baloch The tragic murder of the social media celebrity, Qandeel Baloch, is an eye-opener to societal attitudes towards women in Pakistan. This is a case which has divided the …

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haram police

I got 99 problems, but judging people shouldn’t be one

It’s  difficult to be a Muslim online these days; if you’re not receiving backlash from Islamophobic trolls, then you can definitely rely on your own community to take the position of judge and jury when it comes to your morality. Okay, so I’m being a little facetious. But I see it time and time again, …

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barriers-to-faith-flickr

Lessons learnt: why don’t more women feel welcome in the mosque?

“Woman is a delicate creature with strong emotions who has been created by the Almighty God to shoulder responsibility for educating society and moving toward perfection. God created woman as symbol of His own beauty and to give solace to her partner and her family.” ― Hazrat Ali ibn Abu-Talib A.S Last month, Islamic centres around …

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