She helped set up and then run a helpline for Muslim women with the Muslim Women’s Network and is currently working for Islamic Relief Worldwide as their Head of Global Advocacy. She is a Green Party Councillor in her local area of Solihull and recently became the first Muslim woman to become the Mayor of Solihull. 

Shahin is funny, has a no-nonsense approach and like so many women, seems to be getting more confident and passionate about what she believes in, as she gets older. 

Find Shahin on LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shahin-ashraf-mbe-a58a5367/?originalSubdomain=uk

She speaks powerfully about the time when she was told the news, her treatment journey and the complications that came with that to now where she is a powerful advocate and is educating others about cancer. She has a particular interest in making sure that women of colour and those from marginalised groups are not forgotten and receive equal treatment. 

Sbba also shares about the role her Islamic faith played in her recovery and it is moving to hear about the support she has had from her family and friends and what difference that has made to her. 

There are a few words used in this chat that people may not be familiar with: 

“Dhikr” Arabic word for remembrance, supplication, reminding oneself of God/Allah

“Namaz” the Urdu word for prayer.  “Salah” is the Arabic word for prayer

“Deen” Arabic for religion or belief

“Allah” Arabic for God. 

Sbba mentions one of the charities she is working with, Target Ovarian Cancer. 

Find out more on their website and you will see our very own Sbba is featured. 

https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/stories/sbbas-story

Sukina is a beautiful soul inside and out and that shone through in how she spoke and what she said. As always, we asked what the word Thrive means to her and Sukina gave a beautiful reflection on it connected to nature and plants.
 
Get a copy of Sukina's poetry book here.
Twitter
Instragram

We talk about journaling and how Farrah has found that to be so helpful.  She has produced a beautiful calendar for 2024 which is an expression of her on every page.

You can follow Farrah on Instagram 

through her website

and here is the link to buy her glorious calendar

She speaks in an honest way about her life in Malawi and Leicester, the importance of family to her, growing up and the different parts of her identity that have formed who she is today.  Aisha talks about her day to day life,  including being a wheelchair user. 

We also get to hear a glimpse of how Aisha doesn’t always only want to be identified as a disabled woman.  She speaks movingly about her Islamic faith and what that means to her and how she uses that for strength during challenging times.  We also hear about some of the campaigning Aisha does and with more to come. 

Aisha is a wonderful, kind, funny young woman and it was so good to have her on the podcast.

Aisha is a patient ambassador for Medics 4 Rare Diseases

They can be found on 

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

And here is the website for the MPS Society which relates to Aisha’s condition. 

She is also a guest speaker at Demontfort University in Leicester. 
 
#DareToBeRare

 She has put her heart and soul into Umme and has developed and nurtured an awesome team around her of committed, focused Muslim women,  all of it testimony to who she is as a leader and to what she stands for.

Check out Umme on their website here

And on Instagram here

Doing a degree in English, Suma’s love and passion for writing and expression continued.  After having her second child she wrote her first book, Turning The Tide, which was launched in 2004. Now on its 4th edition, it has recently become popular again, with a new, younger audience and has encouraged Suma to explore new ways of sharing her work including through social media channels. 

Now Suma has released her new book, Dear Mother, Letters From The Heart and in this conversation she talks about her new book baby, how it came about and what the meaning is behind this work. 

It is a beautiful conversation including about the importance of writing for privately, for ourselves and what that can do for our mental health. 

Connect with Suma on Instagram here, through her website here and on LinkedIn here.
You can order her books through Amazon or all online book sellers and also through Kube Publishing who published Turning The Tide and Dear Mother. Their website is here. 

Born in the 1970’s, her family’s experiences of racism, her father getting into difficulties through crime and fighting.  All of that surrounded Sabba as she grew up. They moved house numerous times between Bolton, High Wycombe and Slough and then to Canada. Sabba thought that her only way to survive was to fight and she quickly developed a reputation for fighting her way through life, getting expelled from school and then feeling she had no other way but to live up to that image she had created about herself. 

She shares some examples of things that happened when she moved back to the UK and eventually she brings us to the present day where she is now a single Mum of 4 children, 46 years old and a qualified England boxing coach. She now trains children and women in boxing and wants that to be the life she lives full time.  It is a story of resilience, of hope, hard work, of never giving up and of sheer grit and determination that will resonate with people in so many different ways. Thank you to Sabba for sharing her story in such an honest and generous way. 

Connect with Sabba on Instragram here and on TikTok here.

Find out more about the Kayani Camp boxing gym here and here. 

Connect with Jawaahir here on LinkedIn and Twitter

And read one of her articles here

Last year she was approached by well known publisher, Penguin. 

Initially thinking it was a scam Anisa was sceptical but she soon realised the offer was real. Surprised that no one had done a book called "The Ramadan Cookbook" before, the idea took shape and just a few weeks ago the book had its official launch. 

Anisa remains grounded and humble as she shares some of her journey and experiences with social media, her early days of video making and the links she has now made with big brands and supermarkets like Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. The book is beautifully presented and will make a perfect gift to yourself or to someone else and of course, food and cooking is for life, not just for Ramadan!

Connect with Anisa on Instagram here, LinkedIn here and her YouTube channel is here

Order copies of her book online, in Supermarkets and all major bookshops.  

https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/articles/cook-from-the-book-the-ramadan-cookbook/

She is in high demand following the official release  by her publisher,  Penguin. 

We are so grateful that she gave us some of her very precious time. 

We hear about how Aliyah grew up with a love of reading and books. We also touch on her work with convert Muslim women and the Charity she set up in 2010, Solace UK,  to deal with some of the issues and to support women in need. Through her life and particularly during last year’s Ramadan, Aliyah has prayed to God for an opportunity to write a book and we hear the wonderful story of how that prayer was answered, starting with an unusual message in her instagram DM’s. The book is the talk of the town people are already saying how much they love it and it looks set to become a big part of this Ramadan and many more ahead. 

Connect with Aliyah on Instagram here and LinkedIn here

And order copies of her book through her website or at all major bookshops and online:

https://www.aliyahummraiyaan.com/

Akeela opens up about experiences of racism and prejudice in her childhood which she has only recently realised have shaped who she is today. 

Growing up alongside her hard working, immigrant parents in many different parts of the country has given Akeela insights into how different people live their lives and the struggles and challenges they face. 

We hope this conversation will encourage people to reflect on contribution, what that can look like and the important parts we can all play in shaping the world to be a better place. 

We thank Akeela for being the person she is, standing up with integrity and working so hard for social justice and equality for all. 

Find out more about She Speaks We Hear: 

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

And find Akeela online including on LinkedIn and on her website

Born and brought up in Slough, Samina takes us back to her childhood sharing fond memories and then helps us look into the window of her world working for the Local Authority, empowering women and working to support migrants and refugees.  She married at 16 and she shares some of how her early experiences shaped who she is today. 

Then in August 2014, Samina found a lump in her breast and was told she had cancer. 

She talks powerfully about those early days, how she processed it, how others around her did too and the role her Islamic faith played in all of that. 

She used social media as part of her coping strategy and has gone on to set up a charity, Sakoon Through Cancer, supporting particularly South Asian women to navigate their cancer journeys through the stigma, shame and taboos that often surround the topic in some communities and families. 

Her optimism and positivity is infectious, she inspires anyone who hears her talk about her life and this journey with cancer and she absolutely lives out her favourite saying “It’s not about waiting for the storm to pass…. it’s about learning to dance in the rain”.  

With subjects like cancer, people can feel alone and not know who to turn to.  Thank you to Samina and her team of awesome volunteers for all they do to make sure people know they are never alone and that it is OK not to be OK. 

To find out more about Sakoon Through Cancer visit their website or social media channels. 

Connect with them if you can volunteer or support them in any other ways.  

Sakoon Website

Sakoon Facebook page

Sakoon Instagram

In this episode we hear from Zainab (not her real name) who bravely speaks about the abuse she suffered by her now ex husband.  We talk about patterns to look out for, why Muslim communities are seeing more of this being talked about and lots of tips and words of advice from Zainab to help others.  And yes, this is also a story of hope, of light at the end of the tunnel. 

If you or anyone you know needs help and support because of suffering abuse or violence please consider some of the organisations below. They are there for everybody. 

And following Zainab’s advice, write down what is happening to you, keep a diary or a record of when and what happens. Dates. Times. Triggers. Things that were said. It is a really tough thing to do but can be so useful in helping you see it all more clearly and for if you need to explain it to others any time in the future. 

Find your own support among family, friends, people you can trust.

Always have a safety plan in mind. Where can you go? Who can give you help?

You are not alone. Reach out. 

Zainab is helping us start a whole series of conversations about issues of abuse. Her story and that of others will all be collated here over the coming months:

https://togetherwethrive.co.uk/abuse-and-domestic-violence

Nour

https://www.nour-dv.org.uk/

Nour is an Arabic word meaning ‘light’ and Nour exists as a healing light for sufferers of abuse and trauma. Nour was founded by women from minoritised backgrounds, in recognition that assumptions made about who experiences abuse and the narratives around domestic abuse in minoritised communities are impacting the ability of survivors to come forward and access support.

NHS signposting for help and support: 

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/getting-help-for-domestic-violence/

Women’s Aid

https://www.womensaid.org.uk/information-support/what-is-domestic-abuse/

National Helpline 24/7 - Tel: 0808 2000 247

https://www.nationaldahelpline.o

Farah is a mum of four, a life-coach, a successful business woman and at the heart of all of that……Farah is an Essex girl. 

Born and brought up there, we will hear how her background and cultural connections shaped her upbringing and how that is linked to her own children and their approach to life now in the same area. 

Farah will share her reflections on what recurring issues she comes across while working with  women as her coaching clients. Linking back to Farah’s cabin crew days at British Airways, we discuss the necessary approach of putting our own mask on before we help others. 

We also talk about ways that women can learn to not be so harsh on themselves and some ideas of how we might approach the new year and Ramadan.  

Recorded in January 2023

To find out more about Farah’s work and to connect with her, please go to the links below: 

Instagram

LinkedIn

Facebook

Bismillahir rahmanir raheem.

We begin in the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.....