The ‘Ummah’; a community of unity, our oneness in spirituality; an entity of faith and loyalty in serving God and humanity. But is this just a fantasy of harmony? Will we wake from this reverie to see a fragmented Ummah in disunity; the sects, cultures, nationalities: different practices in seeking the same God and sacred …
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 …
Ten questions with Zohra Khaku from the BBC’s Muslims Like Us Read More »
I co-founded Chickpea Press, a multi-faith children’s publisher, after working in mainstream publishing for over a decade. One of our core aims is to cultivate an awareness of the equality of women and men in faith. After a lifetime of struggling to find a voice within a faith setting, thinking that my religion didn’t allow …
Purple flowers, Stand to the hours Of the “No”s  And the fear. Purple flowers Acknowledge the loss, From the unexpected Battle of nightmares. Purple flowers Speak in colour, Out of the silence In monochrome. They do not apologise For falling Where no place to fall Should have been. Purple flowers …
I was betrayed as a child. Betrayed by those I trusted most. They were all in on the betrayal, but it was for my own good. It was to protect me. Or was it to suppress me? Either way, the betrayal was based on assumptions. Assumptions that I would be tempted by the evils of …
Ice cracks Thawing Cold that was But is there No More. Torture and nightmares Panics and horror Irrationality Loss – identity Loss – confidence Loss – reality Crisis The continuous cycle is Paused I breathe normally Sensations come back The ice within is consumed into water I am controlled by me …
This is a review of ‘We Wait In Joyful Hope’ by Brian Mullin, shown at Theatre 503 on the 5th of June. Joanne: The sacraments are a great source of strength. I know you believe that. Bernie: I don’t believe I need a man to access them. Women of faith are not immune to the desire of …
A Review of ‘We Wait In Joyful Hope’ by Brian Mullin Read More »
This month we have interviewed inspirational fabulady Huma Munshi, who started the #fuckhonour hashtag, which trended on Twitter. Huma is passionate about addressing inequality through her writing on feminism, forced marriage, mental illness, films and her activism. She is a regular contributor at the F-Word and Black Dog Tribe amongst others, find her @Huma101. She sees writing as a mechanism to …
This is a review of the ‘The Diary of a Hounslow Girl’ a play by Ambreen Razia, shown at the Ovalhouse on the 6th of May. Ambreen Razia had the audience spellbound by her electric performance. From start to finish I could not avert my eyes or raise my glass to take a sip of …
A Review of ‘The Diary of a Hounslow Girl’ by Ambreen Razia Read More »
At She Speaks We Hear, we are always on the lookout for diverse women doing interesting and varied things. We are especially keen to platform and publicise women who are making an impact in a niche or speciality area. So in 2016 we are hoping to share with you interviews with fabuladys who you should …
An Interview with blogger & reviewer Mariam Khan Read More »