Together We Thrive

In Shakespeaere’s a Midsummer Night’s Dream, there is a line that says “though she be but little, she is fierce”, that is Shahin.  Short in height, mighty in her passion, compassion and willingness to stand against injustice and inequalities, you will hear from our chat that Shahin has always carried that thread through her whole life. 

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

Sbba has been on a rollercoaster of emotions  sincer her cancer diagnosis in October 2021. 

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 talks about her conversion to Islam, the role Malcolm X played in that, her poetry and the power of creative expression . We talk about her early days with Munira as part of the unique duet called Poetic Pilgrimage, with its roots in Bristol and how it enabled them to travel to different parts of the UK and around the World.

She also talked about her love of Senegal and the empowerment of women that is evident all around in that country.  

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.
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Farrah shares with us her own journey of using art as therapy through difficult times. She remains humble while her art has been recognised by many and she has been in collaboration with some of the biggest brands in the world who see her art as a fusion of different cultures and artistic styles.  We all have multiple parts and layers of our identity and we explore some of that in this chat. 

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

Aisha was diagnosed with a rare disease from birth: Morquio Syndrome. 

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

Sheri An has used her skills in business to launch Umme,  a first of its kind platform aimed at Muslim women who are on their pregnancy journey.  In this chat we talk about her childhood as a daughter of a Jamaican single mother, she shares beautifully her deep relationship with her Mum, Joanne, the challenges of being a teenager who wanted to explore the world to how she ended up visiting Barbados and the next part of her journey which she shares and tells in the most beautiful way. Get ready to go around the world in this episode!

 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

Suma's love of writing and stories started at a young age and even involved inviting the Queen to come and watch her and her 7 year old friends performing a play they had written. 

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. 

Sabba’s story will take you on a colourful rollercoaster. 

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. 

Jawaahir takes us on a journey across the world, starting in Somalia then fleeing the civil war and finding sanctuary and safety in Holland. And on that journey she lived in a refugee camp, learned multiple languages, volunteered and qualified in many areas of social work. She talks about the dignity and respect that are so important for people , especially those in vulnerable situations. Jawaahir is kind, hard working and full of integrity and has lived a life of service and support for others.  And at the heart of her story and running through it all is her Mum, an amazing woman and Jawaahir's inspiration. 

Connect with Jawaahir here on LinkedIn and Twitter

And read one of her articles here

Anisa’s life growing up always had food at the heart of it.  She talks fondly about her grandmother and moments with her that she carries as beautiful memories and the lessons that come from those times together as a family

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/