As a practising Muslim, I often come up against misconceptions about my religion, community and way of life. Many words like “oppressed”, “inferior”, and “unequal” are the first words that come to mind when thinking about women in Islam. There is a widely held misconception that Muslims place little value on the education of women …
I am imprisoned within a microscopic lensStereotyped, analysed, suffocatedToo submissive, too ignorant, too uneducatedThat I need to be liberated Society, unshackle me! Let me be!My scarf is wrong for me, my dress style wrongMy skin colour is wrong, I am all wrongI do not fit into the prescription of a liberated society Society, stop! Stop …
The heat is on! Summer is here! With the school holidays and warming temperatures on the horizon, it’s time to kick back, relax and read a good book. Whether you’ll be reading pool side or staycationing at home, a good book can transport you to a different place, take you on a journey, and give …
The last two years have been quite the journey. Although She Speaks We Hear came into being quite a few years ago, it was only really in 2020 that a vision and strategy was formalised. That was to allow British Muslim women to own their narrative and give them a voice, unedited and unadulterated. Having …
In the Autumn of 2008, I heard the opening verses of the Quran known as the fatiha which literally means “the opening” being recited by a woman in a retreat setting, her voice angelic, her figure and appearance Marian[efn_note]By this I mean, like Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is revered by both Muslims and …
RAY Festival: Celebrating the Feminine Wisdom of our Sisters Read More »
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 …
How can the British Army engage with UK Muslims? Read More »
Liz Arif-Fear shares her experiences and advice for a growing female convert community
Have you also had your muslim uncles and aunts ask you why you don’t wear a hijab ? Has it made you want to punch them ? Has it made you want to scream out loud and wish eternal sufferage on them ? Yeah, welcome to this post where we can collectively rage about this …
“I will never engage in victim blaming.” My heart feels so heavy at the news of the Nouman Ali Khan scandal. It leaves me disappointed, angry, but not surprised or shocked. We live in a patriarchal world, and the status quo supports the oppression and misuse of women, so it comes as no surprise that …
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 …