Sufiya thinks ...

First review of Secrets of the Henna Girl

2012-02-03T04:02:00.000-08:00

Can't believe it's February already and I'm only four weeks away from the release of my new book 'Secrets of the Henna Girl'. I don't think I've ever been this anxious ... well, wait, maybe when I was waiting for school and college results all those years ago.

Today I was informed of the first review. Its from Asianlite magazine. Please click on the link if you wish to read. Its on page 32.

http://www.asianlite.com/digitaledition/ifeb2012/Default.html

Women who accept 'honour' killings

2012-02-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

The latest story about an 'honour' killing that is making the news is the very sad one about the three Canadian sisters and their step-mother. The parents and brother of the sisters have been convicted of their murder in a court of law. see link for story.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/31/shafia-trial-appeal-hamed-shafia_n_1244615.html

Reading about this reminded me of a British girl who was killed on the orders of her father. Tulay Goren was only 15 when she was murdered. The difference with the Canadian story is that Tulay's mother sought justice for her daughter, but the Canadian mother's hands are full of blood.I blogged about the perverse acceptance that some women have of the killing of other women in the name of honour. Its from 2009 and I have pasted it below.

Friday, 9 October 2009
An honour killing
A few years ago I was sat around a dinner table with a group of professional women friends. We were a mixture, descended from different parts of South Asia with a few things in common - we were Muslim, British,university educated and financially independent. I remember the conversation of that evening well and the revulsion I felt for some of the women whom I regarded as friends.A few weeks earlier a man of Pakistani origin had murdererd his young daughter in my part of London. He had caught her with a boyfriend and feeling 'dishonoured' he had strangled her. On the same day he drove up to the local police station (one that I had walked past for years on my way to school with classmates) and informed the police that his daughter's body lay in the boot of his car. He confessed his crime.

Sitting around the table I expressed my horror at what had been done by a parent to a child but the reaction of some of the western educated, highly articulate women chilled me more.The response was something like this, 'this is what happens when you step out of line.'There was no condemnation of the crime, both in legal terms or in Islamic terms.There was no sympathy for the murdered victim.There was no sense of a higher moral ground.There was only an acceptance that this is what happens to Muslim females who step out of line.My response had been something like perhaps the poor girl should have just been murdered at birth. I mean if her life had such little value why bother to raise her? Have we really come far from the barbaric practise of killing daughters in pre-Islam Arabia that the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) so tirelessly preached against? I was told in no uncertain terms to get off my high horse - oh and that I would never understand because it was not part of my culture.

Too right I would not understand!What could possibly excuse and justify the murder of an innocent girl by an enraged man?And why and how were these Muslim women so accepting of the whole situation? What if it was their daughters and sisters that were murdered? What was with the apathy?As Muslims doesn't our faith teach us to speak up against crime? Against a wrong committed against the vulnerable and innocent? And this young girl from my part of London was vulnerable and innocent and did not deserve to be throttled by her own father.

The newspapers this morning all carried the story of a man in court who is accused of killing his daughter ten years ago. Tulay Goren was 15 years old when she disappeared. She had been trying to marry a man she fell in love with but her family disapproved because they were Kurdish Alevi and the man a Turkish Sunni. Now her mother alleges that her husband and brother in law killed Tulay and buried her in the garden. It has taken Tulay's mother ten years to speak up because she says she feared for her safety. She also has three other children. The case continues.

My heart goes out to Tulay's mother. Imagine knowing that your own husband has killed your own daughter and having to live with it and carry it around as a secret for your own safety and that of your other children. I have no idea what this poor woman's situation is. I can only imagine that she has left her husband and has some protection. But it has taken her ten years to raise the courage to pursue justice for her murdered daughter.

I am left to wonder if it would have taken this long if women like my educated Muslim ex-friends were a little less tolerant of the crimes against women.
Posted by Sufiya Ahmed at 13:15
Labels: honour killing
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Khadija Academy Cookbook for First Years

2012-01-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

So I received an email from a young Zahra fan who asked me what happened to the Khadija Academy Cookbook for First Years. Oh yeah, I answered. I need to finish that. So this month will be dedicated to re-testing/adding my own little touch to the recipes before they are included in the cookbook. Today I made chicken fried rice. Simple dish that any young girl or boy could make. I also made spicy french bean curry (not sure will include that in the cookbook). Here it is:

Visit to Parliament

2012-01-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

So I had the absolute pleasure in taking year 6 school children to the Houses of Parliament for a visit. Sweet to see a few stand at the despatch box in the chamber pretending to be Prime Minister. Absolute rubbish to suggest that children from inner city areas unaware of politics. They even recognised the statue of Mrs Thatcher (but the 'Iron Lady' film might have something to do with that).They loved it, I loved it and I'm looking forward to inviting more schools. More details at www.bibifoundation.org.uk

Secrets of the Henna Girl in 2012

2012-01-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

So a happy new year for 2012 to all my readers.It always takes me a while to get back into work after the holiday period, hence my best wishes twelve days into the new month. This year will, iA, see the release of my new book with Puffin Books. It's called 'Secrets of the Henna Girl'. I'm very excited about the launch which will be in March 2012. Puffin Books kindly gave me a sample copy for now.

Muslim Writers Awards 2011

2011-12-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

I've been away far too long from the blog ... blame my new book. What have I been up to? Quite alot but I'm only going to higlight one event which I attended. It was the Muslim Writers Awards held at the Shakespeare's Globe in London. A lovely venue by the river Thames. I had the honour of presenting the award for 'best unpublished children's story' to Mehdad Sinclair. Wonderful evening.

Visit to Batley library

2011-10-17T02:51:00.000-07:00

I was invited by Batley Central Library to do a reading from my Zahra books today. A lovely sunny Saturday brought out lots of young children and their mums to the Gallery Room at the Carnegie library.
I read from some of my favourite chapters from my books. One of them was from’ Zahra’s Great Debate’ called ‘Spider’s Pie’. A somewhat mischievous Zahra takes revenge on her enemy Saira by depositing live spiders in a shepherds pie ... which Saira then eats!

Disgusting, I know, but I think the children in the room enjoyed that chapter. I also read from ‘Zahra’s Trip to Misr’, the third book in which Zahra and her best friend Marya witness the runaway camel flee into the desert with an Academy pupil on her back. Who is the girl? Well, seeing as Zahra’s best friends, Hannah and Jo, are responsible for scaring the poor camel, most of the children guessed the unfortunate girl to be Saira!

I also took delight in showing the children the image that will feature on the cover of the fourth Zahra book. The title is ‘Zahra’s Second Year at the Khadija Academy’. It will be released, IA, in December 2011.

Thank you to Chris and Jane for arranging the event and making me feel so welcome. Thank you also to the mums who invited me to their children’s schools. I would love to come back to Batley! x

Brit Writers Awards 2011

2011-10-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

Had a great time at the Brit Writers Awards last night. Held at Madame Tussauds, the evening recognised new unpublished writers, poets and songwriters. These events do make a difference in bringing new talent to everyone's attention. Last year's winner was Catherine Cooper whose book 'The Golden Acorn' has been published. Since then she's sold foreign rights to her work and has even had Hollywood buy her film rights!
Well done, Catherine.
If you're feeling inspired the Brit Writers Awards Unpublished 2012 is open now for submissions. www.britwriters.co.uk

(with the lovely Zareen Roohi Ahmed, co-organiser of the Brit Writers Awards
and Orianne Breakspear, the winner of the under 16s poetry)

British Muslim Fictions

2011-10-07T02:23:00.001-07:00

Had a lovely time last night at the launch of Claire Chamber's book 'British Muslim Fictions' in Bayswater. The synopsis is below. Worth a read if you're interested in British Muslim fiction.
(Photo: Shelina Zahra Janmohamed, me, Claire Chamber & Wendy Meddour

Synopsis

What does it mean to be a writer of Muslim heritage in the UK today? Is there such a thing as 'Muslim fiction'? In a collection of revealing new interviews, Claire Chambers talks to writers including Tariq Ali, Ahdaf Soueif, Hanif Kureishi, and Abdulrazak Gurnah to discuss the impact that their Muslim heritage has had on their writing, and to argue that this body of writing is some of the most important and politically engaged fiction of recent years. From literary techniques and influences to the political and cultural debates that matter to Muslims in Britain and beyond - such as the hijab, the war on terror and the Rushdie affair - these thirteen interviews challenge the idea of a monolithic voice for Islam in Britain. Instead, together they paint a picture of the diversity of voices creating 'British Muslim fictions' which ultimately enriches the cultural, social and political landscape of contemporary Britain.

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/claire+chambers/british+muslim+fictions/8538051/

Forced Marriage Seminar

2011-03-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

I attended a seminar organised by the Foreign Office in London last week. It focused on forced marriages and the need to reach out to ‘closed communities’.

Excellent speakers were in attendance. The Crown Prosecution Service’s Communities Director, Nazir Afzal, chaired the event and information from the likes of the Joint Head of the Forced Marriage Unit at the Foreign office Suzelle Dickson to Hannana Siddique of Southall Black Sisters was shared.

It seems we have come some way from ten years ago when the issue was ignored by the authorities because of cultural sensitivities. Now there are forced marriage orders, new legislation to prevent a forced marriage, and the police and judiciary have also had training to deal with the issue.

One thing stood out for me though. It became clear as the seminar progressed that the one place where awareness needed to be pushed was neglected. This was in schools. Several community and social workers stood up and noted that some schools just refuse to distribute prevention information to their pupils. Why? Fear of offending community groups.

Hmm, seeing that most forced marriage victims are under the age of sixteen, how can schools place cultural sensitivity over child protection?

Perhaps the Department of Education should make it a requirement for the school to distribute this information.

What to make of the Budget

2011-03-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

I went over the papers this morning for the finer details of this year’s Budget. At a glance the Chancellor seems to be on the side of drivers, families and first time buyers. However a closer look and the following emerged:

1. The elderly (over 60s) will lose up to £100 in winter fuel payments, this is despite the fact that heating bills continue to rise. The additional payments that were introduced in 2008 have been scrapped according to the Treasury. Now I think a society can be judged on its treatment of the elderly. What are the government saying? Stuff the pensioners?

2. The FirstBuy scheme which is designed to help 10,000 first time buyers purchase new build homes. But won’t this just push up the prices of these starter homes and is it really wise for people to be taking out mortgages three or four times larger than their incomes? Isn’t that what led to the near UK banking collapse which was thankfully saved by a taxpayers bailout by the previous Labour government.

And listening to the radio this morning commentators seem to be united that although the Chancellor George Osborne has got his headlines on corporation tax and fuel tax, growth remains stubbornly low and we are in for a rough time on living standards.

AV? What's all the fuss about?

2011-03-18T05:06:00.000-07:00

I’ve been watching with interest the various players in the Alternative Vote campaign. We’ve got the Labour Party for the Yes vote and the Conservatives for the No vote.

On the 5th of May all registered voters in the UK will be able to vote yes or no for a change in the system.

I’ve always believed that every minority community should play its part in the country’s political system. We’re not outsiders looking in. We are part of the structure that makes up this country and our participation is important. So the 5th May referendum should be an informed decision and apathy is really not an option if you care about the country in which your children will be raised.

I’ve talked to many friends about AV and some just switch off because they don’t really know what it’s about and can’t be bothered to find out. These are the people who won’t bother voting so I’ve taken it upon myself to spell out a few facts.
We currently have a First Past the Post system. This means that the candidate who gets the most votes in an election wins.

Seems fair?

On the face of it yes, but it also means that the person could win with as little as 30% of the vote. This means that the person has won by the votes of a small core number of people rather than the vast majority of the constituency. This is why people moan ‘what’s the point of voting, it doesn’t make a difference, nobody listens to me.’

The Alternative Voting system would require the winner to have 50% of the vote. If nobody gets 50% then the the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and their backers' second choices allocated to those remaining. This process continues until one candidate has at least 50% of all votes in that round.
This means that the candidates have to listen to more than one small group who may decide the election result. It means the views of people who feel they aren’t listened to will be heard. After all, it is the voters who decide who will be in power.

Personally I’m with the Yes vote campaign. Not just because my political views are in the center but because I have found no valid arguments in the No campaign. The only one floating is that the cost will be £250m. Well, really, surely this is value for a having a better political system which includes the views of a wider range of people. After all, isn’t that democracy?

It has also come to light that Operation Black Vote and the Muslim Council of Britain have also backed the Yes campaign. They believe that ethnic minorities would be better served under an AV system. Oh and the BNP are campaigning for a No vote because it would mean they would have to reach out to people outside their core vote.

Vote Yes I say.

World Book Day & International Women's Day

2011-03-11T01:43:00.000-08:00

Happy World Book Day to all as well as International Women's Day.
March has to be my favourite month.
I've been very happily busy marking the two days with visits to schools. From as north as Yorkshire to Birmingham and back to London, I've been reading from my new book 'Zahra's Trip to Misr' and answering children's questions.
I take delight in the questions everytime and am always pleased with the show of hands when I ask who would like to grow up to become a writer.

Library closures

2011-02-15T04:18:00.000-08:00

An interesting read this morning in the Independent. An article by Andrew Grice states that it has emerged that American firms could take over the running of libraries in Britain. LSSI, an American firm which manages 13 public libraries across the US, has set itself a target to manage libraries in eight British local authorities by the end of the year & to capture 15% of the market within five years. Libraries cld house coffee shops & bring in self-scanning technology. Ministers say they are relaxed about having ‘a Starbucks in the library’ if that keeps libraries open. Nearly 400 are threatened with closure, a figure that could rise to 800 by the end of the year. UK firms will also bid for library contracts.

So should American firms be running our libraries? Should they be privatised in this way? This is what the American Library Assoc’s Roberta Stevens had to say: ‘[private-sector firms] cannot guarantee the same level of transparency. Local authorities have to be absolutely clear on the terms of contract when entering into these deals. British taxpayers risk losing their own tax pounds to American firms’.

I think local authorities should take heed of what Stevens says - but what's the alternative?
My view is that the libraries should not be shut down. My local library was a lifeline in my childhood.
A lover of books, my working class parents couldn't afford to buy me the weekly fix I needed. I ploughed through an average of four books and more in the holidays and at weekends.
It would be terribly unfair to take away free books from the section of society who love to read but can't afford to buy books. I would even go so far as to say that closing libraries in working class and deprived inner city areas will reinforce the poverty trap.

Keep our libraries open!

Rochdale's Creative Kids

2011-02-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

Been away for a while but keen to share my thoughts again.
I was in Rochdale Town Hall last week delivering a creative writing session to a hall full of over 100 kids. I asked them to write the blurb for my new book, Zahra's Trip to Misr'.
Some great storylines ... damn ... some were even better than my own story.
Read all about it on the website link:

http://www.bibipublishing.co.uk/Rochdale-s-Blurb-Competition.html

Prof Ramadan's 3 L's

2010-02-26T03:57:00.000-08:00

Been away from this blog for a few months. Unlike most women I cannot multitask and gave up a long time ago … and sorry but I really am not ashamed of my inability to juggle ten tasks at once. I prefer to focus on a single task.
I have been holed up away from FB, blog, schools and social events in order to finish my third book. Nearly there … I think IA.

I was pleased to attend the MCB leadership event on Monday night in London.
It’s always good to hear Professor Tariq Ramadan speak about the challenges facing the western Muslim. He emphasised the ‘3 L’s’ which Muslims need to demonstrate in their country of residence: Loyalty, law and language.

Prize presentation for Luton's Zahra competition

2009-10-20T02:48:00.000-07:00

Another fun day in Luton. This time went to present the prize to the winner of the town's Create a Character competition.
10 Year Afzol Hussain from Beech Hill Primary school won for his creation Aliyah, an orphan who is very helpful. A very shy boy, Afzol seemed mortified to come to the stage for his prize and pics with me and Luton's mayor.

Also spent the morning at Oakwood Islamic Primary school doing a reading from 'Zahra's Great Debate' and Q&A about being a writer. Such a bright bunch!

Coming to you soon - fascism

2009-10-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Communities and Local Government Secretary John Denham announced today a £12 million programme to connect with resentful white working class communities in 130 wards across England in an attempt to undercut rightwing extremsim.

This, readers may remember, was promised in the wake of the 12 man march by the English Defence League in Harrow in Ramadhan. I wrote at the time that I did not think the Labour government had ignored the white working classes with the introduction of the minimum wage, Surestart, winter fuel allowance, child tax credits etc. I understand there are mixed opinions on Denham's scheme in the government.

Denham believes that regardless of the recent boom and all the legislation passed to help and support the poor, there are still communities in our country who feel they have been hard done by. They have seen other communities, other groups prosper (an example are the Polish with their hardcore work ethic) but they themselves have remained in a rut. Personally I think a lack of a good education is to blame (research shows that white working class boys are the lowest achievers) but what can you do when the boys are now men who feel cheated by society at large?

Denham's answer is to introduce the Connecting Communities programme which will address legitimate fears and concerns. He said that the funding will be used to give local people the space to air grievances and ensure that the way housing, education, healthcare, jobs and training are allocated do not cause resentment.

Denham said:

"Class still matters in Britain and the politics of identity ignores it at its peril. The position and growing self-confidence of minority communities can be seen as a threat to communities under pressure. It's not surprising that they may question whether they are being fairly treated and to worry that others are, unfairly, doing better. Not entirely surprising that feeling unfairly treated can lead to resentment or worse."

But why? Why now? Why not put better resources into the schools in these areas, better parenting classes, better mentoring, afterschool activities, better careers advice? Education is the only route out of poverty, not discussion groups about how Mr Khan or Mr Sergei seem to be doing better, or how Mr Smith should get the bigger council house despite the fact that Mr Singh has been on the list for far longer.

The answer it seems lies in the upcoming general election and the fear of the mainstream parties that if these communities are ignored they will prove to become fertile territory for extremism. That is the far right extremism of the BNP.

Seven months from a general election and the BNP leader Nick Griffin has been confirmed to appear on BBC's Question Time on the 22nd of October.

Add to that the fact that the far-right Dutch MP, Geert Wilders, who overturned a United Kingdom travel ban, despite being labelled a threat to “community harmony”, is planning to visit the capital this week.

I don't think this scheme will do anything to lift people out of poverty which is what the aim of any decent government should be. My instinct tells me the £12 million should be re-directed into the local education of these areas.
But then again maybe Denham has a point - perhaps this is what is needed right now at a time when one fascist is allocated national airtime whilst another is allowed into our country to debate.

A little extract from my new book, 'Zahra's Trip to Misr'.

2009-10-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

In the third installment of my Zahra series, Zahra and her school friends are on a school trip to Egypt visiting the land of dead pharoahs and pyramids. The following is an extract from the chapter 'The Runaway Camel' where Zahra and her best friend Marya decide to take a ride on the humpy animal.

Zahra and Marya climbed on the camel together and held on tightly to the reins they were given. Marya wrinkled her nose in distaste.
'Boy he smells bad,' she said. 'Why can't they give it a bath?'
Zahra laughed. 'Because he's too busy carrying tourists like us over the desert who moan about how smelly he is ... oh, here we go ... it's so bouncy.'
The camel ride was going to be the distance from the pyramids to the sphynix, the half man half lion statue at the bottom of the hill.
'You want camel run?' the camel owner asked.
'No! No!' Zahra and Marya cried in unison. 'Just walk.'
The man shrugged and continued to lead his animal.
'I'm Ali,' he suddenly said.
'Peace be with you. I'm Zahra and this is Marya.'
'Where from?'
'Britain,' Marya replied.
'Your friend - England.' Ali said, pointing to Zahra. 'You, no.'
'Oh, he knows I'm from Scotland! Marya gushed.
'You,' Ali said, pointing to Marya. 'Pakistan.'
Marya looked puzzled. 'Yes, she is from England. I'm from Scotland. Not Pakistani.'
'You no English,' Ali insisted. 'You Pakistani.'
'He is judging you on the basis of your skin colour,' Zahra said, trying not to laugh at Marya. 'You're hardly a Scot are you? Your ancestry is Pakistani.'
Ali caught Zahra's last words. 'Yes, you Paksitani!'
'Actually,' Marya said haughtily, offended at having her identity challenged. 'I am British Muslim ... what the ...'
Marya's voice trailed off as the sight of a fleeing camel passed them with a girl in the Academy uniform holding on for dear life. A second later, an Egyptian man ran after his camel, his white turban unravelling off his head and gliding like a wave on the desert sand. Behind him ran another two men, trying to catch up with the runaway camel.

This is the third book in the series.
The first title is 'Zahra's First Term at the Khadija Academy' and the second is 'Zahra's Great Debate.'
To find out more, go to my website www.bibipublishing.co.uk

You can also hear a reading of the above extract plus the first chapter at the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7n9

An honour killing

2009-10-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was sat around a dinner table with a group of professional women friends. We were a mixture, descended from different parts of South Asia with a few things in common - we were Muslim, British,university educated and financially independent. I remember the conversation of that evening well and the revulsion I felt for some of the women whom I regarded as friends.

A few weeks earlier a man of Pakistani origin had murdererd his young daughter in my part of London. He had caught her with a boyfriend and feeling 'dishonoured' he had strangled her. On the same day he drove up to the local police station (one that I had walked past for years on my way to school with classmates) and informed the police that his daughter's body lay in the boot of his car. He confessed his crime.

Sitting around the table I expressed my horror at what had been done by a parent to a child but the reaction of some of the western educated, highly articulate women chilled me more.
The response was something like this, 'this is what happens when you step out of line.'

There was no condemnation of the crime, both in legal terms or in Islamic terms.
There was no sympathy for the murdered victim.
There was no sense of a higher moral ground.

There was only an acceptance that this is what happens to Muslim females who step out of line.

My response had been something like perhaps the poor girl should have just been murdered at birth. I mean if her life had such little value why bother to raise her? Have we really come far from the barbaric practise of killing daughters in pre-Islam Arabia that the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) so tirelessly preached against? I was told in no uncertain terms to get off my high horse - oh and that I would never understand because it was not part of my culture.

Too right I would not understand!
What could possibly excuse and justify the murder of an innocent girl by an enraged man?
And why and how were these Muslim women so accepting of the whole situation? What if it was their daughters and sisters that were murdered? What was with the apathy?

As Muslims doesn't our faith teach us to speak up against crime? Against a wrong committed against the vulnerable and innocent? And this young girl from my part of London was vulnerable and innocent and did not deserve to be throttled by her own father.

The newspapers this morning all carried the story of a man in court who is accused of killing his daughter ten years ago. Tulay Goren was 15 years old when she disappeared. She had been trying to marry a man she fell in love with but her family disapproved because they were Kurdish Alevi and the man a Turkish Sunni. Now her mother alleges that her husband and brother in law killed Tulay and buried her in the garden. It has taken Tulay's mother ten years to speak up because she says she feared for her safety. She also has three other children. The case continues.

My heart goes out to Tulay's mother. Imagine knowing that your own husband has killed your own daughter and having to live with it and carry it around as a secret for your own safety and that of your other children. I have no idea what this poor woman's situation is. I can only imagine that she has left her husband and has some protection. But it has taken her ten years to raise the courage to pursue justice for her murdered daughter.

I am left to wonder if it would have taken this long if women like my educated Muslim ex-friends were a little less tolerant of the crimes against women.

Has the Conservative Party changed?

2009-10-07T03:10:00.000-07:00

I have been following the Conservative Party conference to get an idea of the type of policies a 'government in waiting' has planned for the people of Britain.
Alot of people I speak to seem to believe that David Cameron will become our next Prime Minister. If that is the perspective then the election is his to lose and the Labour Party indeed are the underdogs.

I watched the shadow chancellor's speech yesterday in Manchester. George Osborne looked grim and unsmiling against a background of terraced rooftops which I thought made for an odd stage set. But lets put my artistic preferences aside and focus on what this man would do if he was to become the top dog at the Treasury. He said he would freeze public sector pay - that's all doctors, nurses, teachers, binmen, etc. He said we as a country need to come together and share the pain in order to bring our country's deficit down.

Really? Share the pain? We are all in this together?
So why then will David Cameron's conservatives raise the threshold for inheritance tax to a £1 million? Why will the rich get away with not sharing the pain? How come they get to keep their money but the ordinary working families don't?

I don't think the Conservative Party has changed. I wish they had, I really do, for it will be their extreme-right-wing-favour-the-very-rich policies and not David Cameron's photogenic smile which will govern our everyday lives if they win the general election.

Polanski & Mercy

2009-10-04T01:10:00.001-07:00

It's been a few weeks since Roman Polanski's arrest and the newspaper coverage of this self confessed paedophile shows no sign of slowing down. For those not familiar with the case (though you would have to lead a pretty insular life and shun newspaper media not to know it), let me outline a brief summary.

In 1977 Roman Polanski raped a 13 year old girl in the actor Jack Nicholson's house by drugging her. Conscious and aware of what was being done to her by a middle aged man, the girl begged and cried for it to stop. The 44 year old ignored her and continued with the violation. Later in a court of law, Polanski admitted to having sex with a a child under 14 and then fled America before he could be sentenced. Since his arrest a number of entertainment royalty have come out in support of the oscar winning director including Whoopi Goldberg, Debra Winger, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and writers Salman Rushdie and Robert Harris. Add to that the Polish Foreign Minister and two french ministers and you can't help worrying about the morality of the type of people society has allowed into its highest ranks. However, more worrying I think than some detached Hollywood actors who regard themselves as a sub-species are the people who we can see and touch in person. An example is the socialist QC Michael Mansfield who defended Polanski quite unashamedly on Radio 4 last week. Mansfield is a celebrated barrister having represented cases we are all familiar with including the innocent Brazilian shot dead by police after 7/7, Jean Charles De Menezes, the Stephen Lawerence family and the innocent Guildford Four. Speaking as an expert in law he said society must show mercy to an old man (Polanksi in now in his 70s).

As Muslims our faith teaches us to be merciful to each other even when we have been wronged (a big theme in my second book Zahra's Great Debate) but that doesn't mean mercy has to be absolute. Only the Almighty can be absolutely merciful and the rest of us have to exercise relative mercy for the sake of justice in society. We can pardon a starving man who steals bread because this is a crime of necessity and really only demonstrates society's failure to care for the poor rather than an intention to steal - this is an example of a case where society must show mercy.

But Polanksi - why should he be shown mercy for a vicious crime? How merciful was he to a 13 year old child?

Elderly Care

2009-09-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

I paid attention to the Prime Minister's conference speech yesterday. I think it's important to be informed about the policies put forward by the main political parties in the run up to a general election and let's face it folks, we are only eight months away from the day when we the people will decide who our government will be.

I think Gordon Brown had much good in his speech from curbing excessive bankers' bonuses to bashing the shameful MPs who exploited the expenses system out of their own greed. I have to say however that the one policy which struck me the most was the commitment to the National Care System.

Care for the elderly is something most of us (yes I mean us women) will have to face in our lives as our parents get older. Living in the fourth largest economy with its advantages and benefits means we are living longer than previous generations did - but with this comes responsibility for care.

The Muslim tradition of caring for parents means many of us will never place our Mums and Dads in care homes. To do so would be akin to abandonment and the Prophet Mohammed's (pbuh) hadith about paradise being at the feet of our mothers would never allow as easy conscience.
So what will we do?
We will iA keep our parents in the comfort of their own homes or in ours and resist their institutionalisation. But sometimes for some the costs of keeping the elderly will be more than they will be able to afford. They will need home help and maybe even changes to the structures of their homes. An example could perhaps be the need to build a downstairs bathroom. But can just anybody afford it? No.

Previously financial help to care for the elderly was means tested and if a household earned more than £21,000 then you could not qualify for this aid. There are many households who live on this amount and that is my point - whole families live on this figure and not much is left over to save for that day in the future when a bathroom needs to be fitted downstairs because Dad can no longer climb the stairs.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said this pledge is costed which means it is not a pie in the sky idea but something that will actually become reality.

And a boy wins ...

2009-09-27T01:36:00.000-07:00

Had a fab Saturday in sunny Luton.
The morning was spent at Luton Central Library where I was invited to announce the winner of the Zahra Character competition. Readers of this blog may remember I've been excited about this competition since the launch in July. I had lots and lots of entries to go through and it was difficult as some were so good but in the end I chose the entry which could slot easily into the Zahra series.

The winner is 10 year old Afzal from Beech Hill Primary School. His creation is 12 year old Aliyah who he described as a fair skinned, brown haired, friendly and graceful Muslim. She is special because she helps people by understanding their feelings and the reason Afzal gave as to why Aliyah from Luton should be featured in the Zahra books was because the people of Luton are very helpful. Isn't that sweet!
Oh, and the deciding factor that made his entry a winner was that Aliyah is an orphan!

Afzal wasn't at the eid event but a school rep was present and I shall be going along to Beech Hill Primary to present the prize along with Creative Muslim Network Director Shemiza Rashid who organised the whole fantastic event.

The winning entry will feature as a new character in my fourth book of the Zahra series, 'Zahra's Second Year at the Khadija Academy' which will, iA, be released in the summer of 2010.

In the afternoon I made my way to Dunstable Downs where an open air Eid Festival was being held for the local community. Bouncy castles, face painting, rock climbing - the list of fun activities for families was endless and a big congratulations to the sisters from the 'Muslim Educational Forum' for arranging such a successful event.

I enjoyed my own slots of story telling. Initially I had thought that I would be reading from the first chapter of 'Zahra's Great Debate' in a tent with a group of children. Imagine my surprise then when I was handed a microphone and given the stage to let my voice soar across the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside.

All in all a fab day and the Muslim men of Luton should be very proud of their women for all the work they do in bringing their community together, and for putting the best face of Luton Muslims forward.
Pictures are on the website, www.bibipublishing.co.uk.

A Lechy Lecturer & Women in Mosques

2009-09-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

Tom Keeley the vice chancellor of Buckingham University has penned an article in the Times Higher Education supplement claiming that female students are a ‘perk’ of the job for male university lecturers & that like at the famous lapdancing club Stringfellows, lecturers should ‘look but not touch’.

But really what is it with some men who think they have to compare women with degrading scenarios? Every female student in this misogynist’s lecture hall will have earned her position through her intellect and hard work. Why then would he see fit to compare her to lap dancers too lazy to use their brains to make a living?

However before Muslim men begin to express their disgust at this old lech, let me just quickly mention the discussion I participated in last week on a South African sister’s FB page. The debate was about the right of Muslim women to attend the mosque, in this instance on Eid. One brother decided to log on and share his opinion that when women attend the mosque it causes fitna (mischief among men and women). Therefore women should give up their right given to them by the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and stay at home lest some random male decided to glance their way. What was more worrying was this brother’s comparison of Muslim women with alcohol. Apparently a small amount of alcohol is beneficial to good health but it is forbidden in Islam because of its wider abuse and the intoxication factor. So just like alcohol is forbidden to a Muslim because of its harmful effects, women too are harmful (to who exactly I am not sure) and should be forbidden from the mosque.

Reduced to sex objects - is there really any difference in the mindset between this Muslim man and the lechy lecturer?

... Anyone else read about the Hindu couple in India who, forbidden by custom to marry because they belonged to the same village, murdered 7 members of the girl’s family in order to be together. The couple claim they would have been murdered by the village social justice system so decided to strike first by slipping sedatives into the chappati flour and then strangling the relatives with a rope. Victims included a grandmother, her parents, an uncle and three young cousins aged 14, 12 and 8.
This is a sad story and more so for the 3 completely innocent children.

What is it with south Asian countries and their cultural practises of everybody having a say in who young people marry apart from the man and woman themselves? If someone is being forced into marriage then somewhere down the lane another person is being forbidden from marriage.

Obama & the 'racists'

2009-09-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Interesting to observe the 'Obama and the racists' episode being played out in the USA. Ex President Jimmy Carter has said those opposing Obama's health plans are doing so for deep rooted racist reasons and because they don't think an African American should be President. The White House has refuted the claim and were right to do so. No doubt there are some racist Americans (show me a society where there are no racists) opposing Obama but there are many right wingers who oppose the health reforms on economic ideology alone.

I don't believe it is fair or correct to brand an entire lobby group racist because of the actions of some, and furthermore playing the race card against those who are motivated by genuine convictions against policy rather than personal racism only creates bigger divides and more alienation in society.

Muslim youth set up?

2009-09-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

Watching the news on friday I came under the impression that Sky & BBC camera crews had not been given access to film the English Defence League protestors.
Why?
There were only about 12 white young men cordoned off by police in a little corner. Contrasting this to the scenes of over 1000 Asian and black young men running up and down the road outside a north London mosque and I was left to believe there was some TV bias going on.

My initial thoughts were wrong. It seemed that a tiny number of white racists had succeeded in provoking a mass of young Muslim men into the scenes played out on TV, including pictures of some throwing stones and bricks at the police.

As John Denham, the Communities Secretary said:

"I think the English Defence League and other organisations are not actually large numbers of people. They clearly though have among them people who know exactly what they're doing. If you look at the types of demonstrations they've organised … it looks pretty clear that it's a tactic designed to provoke and get a response, and hopefully create violence ... The tactic of trying to provoke a response in the hope of causing wider violence and mayhem is long established on the far-right and among extremist groups."

Denham warned of 'parrallels' between rightwing groups planning protests in Muslim neighbourhoods and Oswald Mosley's incendiary marches through Jewish areas of east London in the 1930s.He also revealed that ministers would in the coming weeks unveil a government-funded programme targeted at mainly white, working-class communities, he said:

"You need to be prepared to let people's real underlying fears and concerns come out, but address them frankly and openly."

He gave the example of perceptions of unfair allocation of council housing and new jobs, and said there could be changes at street level to allow local people to "influence and shape" how resources are distributed in their area.

It will be interesting to see what the government has planned. More interesting however were the words of Tony McNulty, former Home Office minister and Harrow East MP. Speaking on channel 4 news on Saturday he said he didn't share the view that white working class people had somehow been neglected by the Labour government. All communities have grievances, he said, expecially in relation to the recession. To suggest that a Labour government had done nothing for them after 12 years in just plain wrong.

I would have to agree with McNulty on this point. The national minimum wage, Surestart, teaching assistants in classrooms, child tax credits, winter fuel allowance, free bus travel for pensioners are just some of the policies through which a Labour government has helped the poor, working classes, regardless of race.

The feeling that another 'people' are taking away resources, eg, council homes or jobs is not exclusive to the white working class community. You only had to observe the reactions of some of the first and second generations Asians to the influx of the new communities in early 00s, from the refugee communities of the Somalis to the economic migrants of Eastern Europe like the Polish. A few years on tensions may have calmed down but in the early to mid 00s, it was an issue. These settled communities felt 'their' space was being invaded and resentment kicked in.I remember the Southall MP, the late Piara Khabra made some unsavoury comments about new migrants to his area only about five years ago.

What is the solution for the Asians who resent new migrants? Education. I think there is a lot to be learned from the Jewish community of the East End who pursued education for their children and used it as a route out of the poor area. And the white working class who resent sharing limited space and resources? Education again.

A week of extremists

2009-09-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

It seems this week is all about extremism and it's only Tuesday yet.

1.Three British men are convicted of plotting to blow up aeroplanes.

2.A British grandad has lost his life after being beaten in front of his three year old grandchild.

3.The British National Party may be given a seat on the BBC's Question Time.

The newspapers and blogs are full of the BNP question, debating whether it is a matter of freedom of speech or if it amounts to nothing more than giving a platform to fascism.

Personally I don't think fascists should be given equal bearing on a panel with representatives from the government, the opposition political parties, newspaper columnists etc. I know that many argue that giving the BNP the space to air their views will expose them for what they really are, but I don't believe BNP leader Nick Griffin is dense enough to say on the BBC what he knows will horrify the average decent British citizen who is a little bit peeved at the mainstream parties for the recession, the MPs expenses scandal, immigration, unaffordable housing etc.

I have been around enough politicians to know that in politics you sugar coat your beliefs. Griffin won't see a BBC appearance as a moment to preach to the converted, no, he will regard it as an opportunity for new recruits and he will temper his language and message for this purpose.

If he does appear then I hope I am proved wrong and he exposes himself for what he really is - and it will be one of the few times when I won't mind being wrong.

Responses - 'Girls Schools on Top'

2009-09-07T04:18:00.000-07:00

These are comments from an August post to the issue if single sex schooling.

Henna Montana Qureshi:
this is very true!

Sham Khan:
Them concentration is not DIVERTED to.

Afia Masood:
I went to girls school. its totally correct to say single sex schools are the way to go. I'v had the opp to work in a mixed school where there was everything but no sign of study. the good kids hardly received any attention from teachers because everyday was a mission for the teachers to deal with the 'bad' kids (who were the most intelligent but unfortunately did not divert their enery into learning)

Tazmin Mahomed:
I totally agree, I went to an all-girls school and truly had an awesome time. All my kids attend single sex schools cos its definitely less distracting and they are able to focus on what they are there for- to gain as much knowledge as possible!!

Soryia Siddique
Mmm..But is it a representative of the real world?

Sufiya Ahmed:
interesting you say that Soriya - why not?

Soryia Siddique:
I guess there is less distraction at single sex schools, but discipline issues can exist in single and mixed schools? Single sex schools don't represent work/college/univerisity life...

Sufiya Ahmed:
yes but pple are generally more mature when they get to work/college/uni. teenage years are all about hormones - dont you rememebr love? lol

Soryia Siddique:
....Your not suggestng i was a tantrum throwing teenager? I have seen a few people hit the the roof away from the segregated school environment – lol...
The drop out rate 1st year university is pretty high!

Sufiya Ahmed:
then what those tantrum throwing girls are lacking is discipline - totally seperate issue to not concentrating because boys are in the room taking space and time away from the girls

Soryia Siddique:
Equality.... Hmmm ....Hun, I see your point, it doesn't necessarily become easier in the work place. You still have to deal with gender issues, men earn more than woman etc etc.... isn't it better if we grow up learning to deal with them from schooling, uni, work etc... Just a thought!!!

Responses - 'British & Proud'

2009-09-07T04:09:00.000-07:00

It seems the comments from readers is concentrated on my facebook page rather than on blog - something to do with having to sign up to be a follower of blog which I am told is a seriously tedious task ... so I have pasted comments from FV to here as reponses. If readers want to join my FB, tap in Sufiya Ahmed and I will confirm.

These are comments to the post 'British & Proud'

Nasima Hassan:
Though one might identify with the growing body of thought which is happy to self identify as 'British' but reluctant to tag on the 'proud' bit. Immerse yourself in Arun Kundani's writing, or Race & Class (the journal) or just read The Mail. All is not rosy in the shop window.
The End of Tolerance: Racism in 21st Century Britain
by Arun Kundnani - a compelling read on the very complex nature of this discourse.

Mohammed Yaseen:
I can't comment on an intelectual level on this whole issue of Identity because I dont feel that Im qualified to however I would like to say that I feel that we as Muslims only need one real Identity and that is, as Muslims. The part of being British, Indian or whatever is actually secondary and only limited geographically. Even though I dont see ... Read more anything wrong with young Muslims identifying themselves as British as there are many things we feel part of growing up as British Citizens, however I wouldnt feel 'proud' of being anything except Muslim whether British or Pakistani. The reason being the hadith of the Messenger of Allah prohibiting Pride in ones origion.
Howvever it goes without saying that Islam does not discourage playing a full part in the society that one lives in by interaction and by benefiting others.

Nasima Hassan:
Muslims are inherently diverse. We are deeply shaped by intersectionality and culture. It is a utopian ideal to share a single identity. Though, I agree - life would be much simpler.

Mohammed Yaseen:
I agree with you sister Nasima. Muslims are diverse and naturally would adopt the culture of the society thier find themselves in which there is nothing wrong with doing as long as those aspects of that culture do not contradict the basics of Islamic fundamentals. I mean just imagine how boring the world would be if everyone looked the same ate the same food, and spoke the language.

Nic Careem:
Well said Sufiya. It states in Islam that you have to make an effort to mix with the communiity that one is living in. I think it is really important that Muslims show loyalty to the country if not the government. I too hate them for taking us into an illegal war, which cost the lives on innocent people, including our won forces... most British ... Read morepeople feel the same. So you can be loyal to your country, without being loyal to government. This is one step towards marginalising the BNP racist thugs. Islam is a peaceful and non violent and loving faith that bears no ill to anyone. I am proud to be a British Asian. It was this country and its people who gave me the chance in life, for that I am utterly grateful and so should we all be and I know that most British muslims are.

Nasima Hassan:
Br Yaseen - quite, agree with you totally
Nic - most Muslims? Really? That's risky without the statistics to back it up.

Nic Careem:
Nasima, my opinions are formed by the contact I have to hundred of muslims and their leaders across the UK. Most I have spoken too are angered that the voices of the few gives the impression the many think the same way...which is of course untrue. It is important to seperate Islam from cultural diaspora of the countries most muslim comes from. Adopting to some of the culture and being loyal to your host country is not necessarily a denial of your faith.

Nasima Hassan:
any hard data? I refer you to Arun's work - which is very credible. I do not suggest that loyalty to the host country is a denial of faith, at all. I direct you to a research which reflects the complex nature of the debate. Its always good to back up what we feel about strongly. But I must remember this is FB and not an academic environment. My deepest apologies.

Nic Careem:
Nasima apologies accepted. I think people too often overlook the fact that islam is world religion. It is practices by people of all races and backgrounds. Too often the media give coverage to those who often misinterpret the essence of Islam, which is for all man and woman kind to live a peaceful existence with each other and the nature that helps... Read more sustain their existence. All I am trying to show is that most muslims subscribe to this and they are in the majority. Those with extreme interpretation of Islam just help give credence to groups like the BNP who like to give the impression Islam is a barbaric faith.

The First Feminist

2009-09-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

I was dusting my bookshelf this morning - a task I never quite complete due to my habit of pulling out old favourites to re-read passages - when my eye fell on my treasured and signed copy of 'A Thousand Splendid Suns', the amazing novel by the American writer Khaled Hosseini. I fell in love with Khaled's writing with his first novel, 'The Kite Runner' and although I cried when Baba died (my fascination soon ended when his character is revealed as one who denied the existence of his own son), the tears were nothing compared to the many times I was reduced to bubbling with Hosseini's second novel.

I met Khaled last year in London. He is shy, down to earth and deserves none of the hostility directed towards him by some of his fellow Afghan men in the west. I say this because I have had a number of conversations with Muslim brothers of Afghan origin (many of whom have actually not read either book) who regard 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' as an affront to their dignity and pride. The Afghan word is Naang.

The objections concentrate around two quotes:

'He is tainting all Afghan men as this character Rasheed' or 'There are problems, but it is internal problem, we will solve it. Why did he (Hosseini) have to write about it, why tell the world this is how one or two women are treated?'

My response to the first quote is that nobody in their right mind would believe that all Afghan men are wife beating psycopaths like the character Rasheed. To do so would be equivalent to thinking that a white western paedophile in a novel or film is representative of all white western men. Secondly the novel depicts domestic abuse and not talking about it is called brushing it under the carpet. The abuse for the character Mariam begins well before the Taliban (for those who only think the Taliban are guilty of oppressing Afghan women) come to power and her experiences reveal that misogyny and the second class status of women in Afghanistan is a feature of Afghan culture, imbedded through the centuries.

It makes no difference who is in power - we only have to look at the non-improvement of the lives of women (and I am referring here to the women's access to education and decent health care) under the NATO backed government of President Karzai. In my opinion the western ambition of 'liberating' the women in 2001 at the time of the invasion was akin to building a tourist hotel on the planet Mars. I remember doing some of my own sniggering when the CNN journalist Christianne Amanpour (a woman I have met and admire for her outstanding work in reporting the Bosnian genocide in the 90s) declared passionately to the camera that she had just witnessed a woman fling off her burkha when the western allies declared victory. That was one woman, probably belonging to the aristocrat class with homes abroad, but did the vast majority of Afghan women? No. On this point, I also want to point out that I think the debate on the Afghan burkha is disproportionate. (Hosseini doesn't really dwell on this either). It is not the priority in a country as poverty stricken as Afghanistan. The real issues are access to education and decent health care for women. If NATO had been able to help secure and provide even 1% of this, the claim to 'liberate' could have had some credit.

My argument to the Afghan brothers is this. Until people highlight issues, talk about them, no-one is going to do anything about improving anything. To this they look at me with a snigger and respond with what they regards as the ultimate insult: 'Are you a feminist?' To which I reply yes, for I follow the teachings of the first feminist in the world, the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) who preached tirelessly about the rights of women, justice and to speak up against oppression.

Gobsmacked is normally the response.

British and Proud

2009-09-02T03:52:00.000-07:00

Sughra Ahmed’s article reveals her discussions with young Muslims who she summarises as patriotic citizens who seem quite baffled when they are asked if they feel they belong in Britain.
www.guardian.co.uk

Reading the said piece on the Guardian website reminded me of a panel discussion I took part in recently where the question was posed:
‘What can we do to promote the idea we are Muslims rather than Pakistani Muslim, Bangladeshi Muslim or African Muslim?’

Muslim unity is the one thing that has evaded us from the time of the death of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). Our faith, our interpretations are very different the world over and quite frankly little ol’ me did not have the answer. I did however say the following:
In Britain we need to drop the Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Indian/African bit to the statement about what we are and instead focus on something which is common to us all. This simply being that we are all British.

Some in the audience seemed horrified. What was I suggesting? That we start behaving in a decadent western fashion? Uh no actually, I replied, all I am saying is that I think we should teach our children to feel like they belong in Britain rather than some South Asian or Middle Eastern country which features as little more than family holiday destinations in our lives.

Britain is our home. Most have been born here, we pay our taxes here, it is the free schooling of this country that educates your child, the NHS that treats loved ones for free and it is Britain that will pay your pension when you are old. Why then identify yourself, and thereby differentiate yourself, as belonging to a land to which you make no contribution either economically, politically or socially?

There are of course many reasons why some people may feel they do not belong in Britain. Poverty, alienation from wider society, racism - the list can go on but I really believe they cannot be used as reasons to disassociate yourself from the society in which you live. After all isn’t this what causes an identity crisis in the young?

I am often asked why I wrote my Zahra books to which my answer is that I wanted to create Muslim female characters who were intelligent and confident and used the role model examples of the Female Companions from Khadija to Aisha to Fatima-Zahra and others. I also never fail to add that my characters are very proud to be both Muslim and British equally.

Young people need a sense of belonging and it is the belonging that comes with identity which is the foundation from where you make your contribution to society. After all, doesn’t Islam teach us to be responsible citizens of society? How can you feel responsibility for a society in which you feel no belonging?

Girls' schools on top

2009-08-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

Was flicking through the Sunday Times this morning to find an article which confirmed my view that girls prosper most in single sex schools.

The headline reads: 'Girls top A'level table and strengthen the argument for single sex schools.'

Quotes from the article include those of the Headmistress of the school which tops the table from the Independent Schools Council.

North London Collegiate School for Girls leads the table with 99 per cent A and B grades — a percentage point ahead of the top boys’ and mixed private schools. Bernice McCabe, Headmistress of the school which also tops the International Baccalaureate (IB) table, commented that girls benefited from being taught separately because they did not have to conform to type and that without boys, girls were free to be clever and assertive. She said:

“They can have every self-confidence to be themselves. In a single-sex environment they are not affected by the image they feel they have to project if there are boys around."

Looking at the table, it seems boys also performed better when they did not have to impress girls.

Jon Cox, headmaster of Royal Grammar School, which is the leading boys’ school with 97.9 per cent of A and B grades, said:

“Without the distraction of girls, boys are more focused, more on-task. They are less extrovert if there are girls there and less willing to pipe up and make a point for fear of what girls might think of them."

These are some of the best performing schools in Britain so they must be doing something right.

I have met parents all over the country when promoting my Zahra books who agree with my views and are working towards establishing single sex schools. Perhaps stating the single sex status as one of the reasons why the most successful schools are the most successful schools would convince education authorities to go down this path.
Far more effective I think than demanding segragation for segragation's sake.

I say this because as British Muslims we need to understand that there is a creeping resistance coming into the fore from various authorities about 'Muslim demands.' Of course our demands are not over and above that of any other minority group, however the power of the right wing press sows the seeds of fear and resistance and it is upto us to acknowledge, assess and ultimately be ahead of the game.

Warrior Saints for boys

2009-08-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

On my last visit to the USA I met two American Muslim brothers who are the authors of a 'boy's' fiction book titled 'Warrior Saints'.
The genre is fantasy with an Islamic moral code weaved into the story. We exchanged copies and I passed it on to a friend, wishing that one or all three of his boys may get some enjoyment.

It is a well known fact that boys generally do not read as much as girls. I have stood at many Islamic fairs and bazaars, from the GPU and Islam Expo in London to ISNA in Washington, and the request from Muslim parents is the same. 'I want my son to read more' and 'Please write a book for Muslim boys because there is no Islamic fiction out there for them.'

My answer generally revolves around three parts:

1. There is no reason why boys cannot read my Zahra books. Needless to say it is about a girl's story but no harm can be done by reading about female adventures, after all the moral framework within the tales is applicable to both boys and girls -and it would be good for boys to read about girls' aspirations.

2. I personally would not know where to begin to write a story for boys. Raised in a house full of feisty girls with only one adored but very quiet brother, my imagination at the moment will not stretch to what boys would find interesting. (I'm biding my time, Inshallah, until I can experience my own sons before I start penning 'Abdullah's Adventures').

3. Yes there is a serious lack of fiction with Muslim characters for boys in the age range from 8 to 16 but that doesn't mean they can't read mainstream fiction. The stories don't have to fall under the 'Islamic' category. I make this point because I would want non-Muslims to also read my books. I myself believe that the Zahra books are not 'Islamic fiction' but stories about central characters who are Muslim which can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of race or religion. Community cohesion is a two way street and non-Muslims need to learn about Muslims through creativity just as we learn about mainstream culture through books and Art.

Returning to the point about boys reading habits, or lack of them, it was heartening to see Leicestershire council take some action to address this problem, especially after Sats tests revealed that there was a fall in the number of young males in Leicester reaching expected levels. What does this mean? Well it means they are unable to write extended sentences, use commas or completely understand what they read.

Pam Weston, strategic primary lead head teacher for Leicester, thinks more men are needed to convince boys it is not "uncool" to read. She said:

"Boys need role models more than ever. They need to see men reading. Schools are trying to get dads in to encourage them to read to boys or even to be seen reading themselves in front of boys. Even among primary school-age children there is peer pressure to behave in "boyish" ways and, for them, that isn't necessarily reading a book. We have to try to change that.One of the things we want to do is get lots of adults into school.We want lots of men, even if it is just to talk about what their favourite books are."

Leicester City Council has launched a campaign, Whatever It Takes, to boost reading levels among children.

Some schools have already benefited from a group of volunteers going into the classroom to help children.The Right to Read campaign has seen 439 people from Leicestershire businesses and 372 students go into primary schools in the city and county. In total, 2,532 children received one-to-one tuition last school year. Evaluation of the difference that Right to Read has made to the children in city schools showed the reading age in about a third of them increased by at least two years.

Celia Varley, lead consultant in primary literacy at Leicester City Council, said:
"We have to show boys it's cool to read and cool to write. It's about enthusiasm and fun and helping books come alive."

Wouldn't it be great if we could get more brothers into schools to read to boys and even better to replicate this across the country in our community schools?
But perhaps to start with readers who need to buy Eid presents for boys over the age of 12 might consider purchasing 'Warrior Saints.' www.warriorsaints.com.

PS,there is no profit in it for me - just be nice to see our boys enjoying a book this Eid rather than fiddling around with a computer game.

An Islamic Library

2009-08-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

I attended a sisters' fundraiser at the weekend in Bolton (have to stop visiting that place but it seems to pull me again and again) and I was not expecting any of the young girls to know me so was very pleasantly surprised when many asked me why I hadn't brought along my third book in the Zahra series, 'Zahra's Trip to Misr.'

I explained that it is due for release later this year and asked why it was that so many of them knew about 'Zahra's First Term at the Khadija Academy' and 'Zahra's Great Debate.'
Well, it turns out that my first two books feature in the top three most borrowed books at the central mosque library, that being Zakariya Mosque. Alhumdullilah.

I must say I was very impressed to learn about this - not about my books being borrowed (actually won't lie, was delighted) but about the fact that kids were using the mosque as a community space. In my part of London there is no space for women in the mosques, let alone a learning centre for kids and young adults. Intrigued I asked some questions and this is what I found out:

The Islamic Library was set up by a Bolton Librarian, Subnum Harif, to achieve the following aims:

- Better understanding of the religion of Islam leading to enhanced social cohesion through the provision of specialised Islamic collections which will be available to all the communities in Bolton.

- Provide an informal environment to encourage learning for children and young people and adults.

- Provide materials to meet the communities' personal, educational, spiritual and professional needs.

The library has now been open for 10 months and has 374 members with over 1,500 book issues and is run by a dedicated team of volunteers.

Subnum Harif:
" I believe reading is vital for young people's development not only in terms of improving literacy skills and assisting in educational attainment but for developing a wider world viewpoint, encouraging creativity and imagination and raising aspirations."

I think I have said before on this blog and I will say it again, Bolton mosques seem to be miles ahead of the game in community support, progress and a commitment to community cohesion and I think a real role model for many other organisations to follow.

The event raised just under £5000 in one afternoon.

Islamic Relief for Swat Valley

2009-08-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

It seems I am doing a post a month on Islamic Relief fundraisers this summer. Attended the Islamic Relief Shahid Afridi and Younus Khan fundraiser for the people of Swat Valley in London. An amazing evening where £130,000 was raised. Both cricketers were very impressive in their commitment to the charitable cause, highlighting their own witness accounts of the devastation.

The next day attended the Islamic Relief Photography Exhibition at London City Hall where the work of Stefano Massimo and Shaista Chishty was on display to highlight some of the issues and challenges that people in the developing world are facing today. Both are amazing photographers. Stephano's images from Palestine have been used in a number of British television documentaries and Shaista is an incredible young Muslim woman using her camera for the promotion of awareness, justice and social change.

Advice for the British, not Afghanistan

2009-08-13T03:34:00.000-07:00

I’m picking up from an earlier post about the ‘misguided’ advice given to our children, especially girls who are encouraged to aim for lower paid jobs rather than the top professions. Am pleased that the Labour government confirmed earlier this week that it is planning to publish a major new strategy on careers advice and guidance in schools.

Here’s hoping that Point 1 will read:

‘Girls are equal to boys and deserve equal encouragement, aspiration and ambition.’

And yes, this will be advice for the British Careers Service and teachers, not Afghanistan.

This week was also very pleased to hear Lord Peter Mandelson’s comments on the Today programme about encouraging universities to admit pupils from poorly performing schools with up to two grades lower in their A’levels than from successful schools, to boost students from less privileged backgrounds.

It is not the fault of our children that their full potential is not reached in schools situated in deprived areas with its many challenges.

'Prevent Extremism' to be renamed

2009-08-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

So the newish Communities Secretary John Denham MP has announced an intention to rename the 'Prevent Extremism' project which is the multi million fund to help Muslim community outreach groups deal with some of the many challenges facing us.
Denham said he wanted to see a clear policy shift away from defining the government's relationship with Muslim communities entirely in terms of tackling extremism. The new, revised guidance on the operation of the £45m Prevent strategy, which is intended to challenge violent extremist ideology and disrupt those who promote it, is to be drawn up this summer.

Denham:
"Some local authorities have already dropped the phrase 'preventing violent extremism' because they feel it identifies them as part of the problem.We want the Muslim community to play a positive role ... If labelling is preventing them from participating in our efforts, then it defeats the entire purpose." (source:Guardian)

Through my travels around the country with my 'Zahra' books at events and bazaars and fundraisers for the last two years, I did find this response to be the norm with many Muslims. Community outreach groups were not willing to apply and accept funding from a project which indirectly labelled them extremists.
I remember one project leader telling me that there was no way he was going to allow the young teenage boys in his group to think or feel that they were associated with extremism in any way. The lurking danger of self fulfilling prophecies again ...

So the question now is this. Is it worth applying for the 2010/2011 batch of funding with the new 'Muslim approved' name? After all we are only nine months away from the general election and the Conservative Party has already made it very clear that they will scrap this funding.

Well, I think it's worth applying if you think Labour will win. But if you think the 'cut, cut, cut' Tories will form the next government then I suppose the community outreach groups might as well not waste the ink.

Art & Photo exhibition

2009-08-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

Attended the Emerald Art & Photography Exhibition at County Hall on Saturday evening. The event was in association with Elevation Arts and money raised was donated to the Muslim Hands charity, the organisers of the Muslim Writers Awards. www.muslimwritersawards.co.uk.
Was very pleased to hear about the plans for the launch of the 'Muslim Artist Awards'. At last, British Muslims are on the creativity roll!

School Minister implies Muslim kids at bottom of SATs pile

2009-08-06T04:52:00.000-07:00

This year's SATs figures are out and in my opinion do not make good reading. We are the 5th largest economy in the world and yet two fifths of Britain's eleven year olds still fail to grasp the finer points of the 3Rs.

61% of children reached level 4 in reading.
28% failed to reach the standard.

The government says that pupils who do not reach level 4 by the end of Primary school are not able to read between the lines of a story, or understand the moral or message behind it.They are also not able to write extended sentences, using punctuation as commas.
These figures are meant to cover 11 year olds across the country but look closely at what the Schools Minister Diana Johnson says:

'Children with special educational needs, and those with English as a second language are less likely to reach Level 4.'

Hmm, so it seems children who have English as a second language are concentrated at the bottom of this pile.The bulk of the 28% 'failures' are children who arrived already disadvanataged at nursery school and if the results of the SATs are to be trusted, have never been able to catch up.
It doesn't take a genius to work out that the pupils in this under achievement box are the children of Muslim mothers who do not speak English. I know there are many within our community who have the attitude that how families choose to live behind closed doors is not the business of wider society. When it comes to the educational welfare of our children I could not disagree more with this perspective. Education is a human right and a parent's unwillingness to engage with their child's development borders on negligence. They are robbing their own children of a prosporous future and in turn a prosporous and successfull community - a view shared by the Chairman of the Bolton Council of Mosques, Moulana Mohammed:

'One of the key elements of the complex role played by Mums is to support their childrens educational and personal development. The inability to provide effective homework support to children in English directly translates to poor attainment levels in SAT tests. The formula is simple, If mothers want their children to have the same opportunities as other children, the mothers have to learn English and get active on homework support in English.'

Girls advised to aim low by teachers.

2009-07-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

The new report by the Women and Work Commission is welcome. It highlights how careers advisors and teachers give different advice to boys and girls about the opportunities open to them. Boys are encouraged to aim for the top professions whereas girls are pushed towards careers that are less well paid.

There can be no denying that if a person in authority informs a teenage girl that she is worth less than a boy, this itself will become a self fulfilling prophecy. She will excuse herself from her own abilities, ambition and intelligence. This gender gap is prevalent in our society across class, race and faith.
The Committee's Chair, Baroness Margaret Prosser, is arguing for these preconceived ideas to be tackled. This is encouraging.

Perhaps one way of addressing the issue of low ambition for girls would be to give them their own space. I am a big believer in single sex schools. This is not segragation for segragation's sake but because research has shown that girls thrive in education when they are not marginalised in the classroom by louder, rowdier boys who demand a teacher's attention.
I attended a girls only school and I remember the teachers making it extremely clear that we, the girls, could achieve anything. Would it have been different in a mixed school? Would the boys have dominated discussions, taking valuable time, space and attention way from us girls?
My physics teacher is now the Headmistress of another girls school. Plashet School has for years been delivering some of the best GCSE results in Newham - not the most prosperous parts of London either. I did a book reading at the school a year ago and met confidant and empowered girls, the majority of whom were Muslim. Some talked about wanting to be doctors and others, lawyers. Fine, they were very typically Asian aspirations but at least the girls believed in their own abilities to achieve success.

Would that have been the case had they shared the classroom space with boys? And would the teachers have been supportive of this ambition?

Creative Writing Workshop in Bolton

2009-07-29T04:53:00.000-07:00

Just returned from rainy Bolton after delivering the creative writing workshop.
Great fun and was given some fabulous ideas about what should happen to Zahra in the next book.

Apologies to all the boys and their Dads who wanted to attend. This session was just for girls and their Mums, but very happy to make trip up north again to deliver CWW in Bolton or any other town.

A big thank you also to the Bolton Council of Mosques for arranging the CWW. In my opinion they are one of the leading mosque organisations in the country for realising the importance of engaging with teenagers and children.

The bogey boy of Bolton

2009-07-22T01:22:00.000-07:00

I have been invited by the Bolton Council of Mosques to do a reading from my first book ‘Zahra’s First Term’ as well as a creative writing workshop in Bolton, Lancashire on Tuesday 28th July.
I’m looking forward to it very much. Me and Bolton go back a long time. We moved there when I was a baby and remained until I was four before we moved to London. My cousins still insist that I am a Boltonian as I spent my early days there … but … I don’t think so.
My main memory is that of playing with a lot of cousins on a street where we were terrorised daily by an English boy named Christopher and his dog. As Muslim children, the fear of dogs had been instilled in us as the four legged creatures are meant to be unclean in Islam. It is not unusual for irrational fears to take hold in children for all things unknown and we were no exception. Christopher could see and smell our fear and revelled in seeing us scarper back into our small houses as his dog chased us up and down that street.

Ahh … happy memories … bell bottoms and red buckle shoes tinged with the bogey boy.

CRW will be at: Bolton Council of Mosques, 1 Vicarage street, Bolton, BL3 5LE

Unity FM and me

2009-07-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

Very pleased that Unity FM in Birmingham will be playing an audio of my second book 'Zahra's Great Debate' in the kids hour in Ramadan. (Only a month to go people and seriously worried about the looonggggg roza. IA, will have patience).
I did the recording in February this year so very chuffed that Unity have saved the story for Ramadan when listener numbers are high. In the past, parents from the Midlands have told me that they purchased the first Zahra book after hearing the audio on Unity last year - so I do know the radio station has a huge following in Birmingham's Muslim community.

Parents may want to buy copies of the second book in time for Ramadan so that kids can read along with me. The second book has 12 chapters, 140 pages and follows a competition between the Khadija Academy for Aspiring Young Women and South Africa's Aisha School of Excellence ... and of course our heroine Zahra is in the middle of it all with her three best friends, Hannah, Marya and Jo and the arch enemy Saira.

Copies are available locally at IPCI on Coventry Road and also online. I am a big supporter of small, independent Islamic bookshops as opposed to the giant online retailers so if you get it online, ia, support small Muslim businesses. Available at:
http://www.islam4children.com/
http://www.kitaabun.com/
http://www.islamicvision.co.uk/

Luton's 'Zahra' competition and Islamic Relief

2009-07-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

Busy week after getting back from the states.
Attended the Islamic Relief fundraiser in Marble Arch about turning the desert green. The inspiring evening was led by Imam Shakir who had just flown in after speaking at the ISNA event in Washington DC. He detailed Islamic Relief's project in Mali, Africa about bringing water to an otherwise poor desert region that always suffers food shortages and very low rainfall.

What struck me more is that households in Mali - headed by poor women - will have the chance to join a micro-credit scheme that lends them small amounts of money with which to start a small business. All repayments to the scheme will be in line with Shariah guidelines.
Helping poor women who have no other way to earn money features in my forthcoming book 'Zahra's Trip to Misr' which is going through a furious edit at the moment. I happily gave my charity to this cause. I can write about it, but it feels good to put my money where my pen is.
More details of this amazing project is on Islamic Relief's website.

Then after a late night, I got on the motorway the next morning to drive down to sunny Luton to launch a competition in association with the Creative Muslim Network and Luton central library.

CMN's Director Shemiza Rashid, a lovely sister with more energy than anyone I know, has organised a Luton Fictional Character Competition. The task is to create a character from Luton and the winning entry will feature in my fourth book of the Zahra series: 'Zahra's Second Year at the Khadija Academy.'
The competition is open to all girls and boys aged 6 to 16. The children must be from Luton.

The profile of the fictional character can be presented in either:
a form of an illustration, accompanied by a written profile
or a poem describing the new character & the friendship between her and Zahra
or a short narrative, eg, how Zahra meets her new friend from Luton.
All entries should include a short paragraph explaining why a character from Luton should be included
in the Zahra series and the deadline is 18th September. All Luton libraries are participating.

I should point out that we especially want non-Muslim kids to enter the competition. Community cohesion is a two way street and it would be interesting to have non-Muslim kids create a Muslim character.

Back at the launch, I did a reading and Q&A session with a group of girls from Beech School at the central library. As usual I loved every minute and was very surprised when a young grl informed me she was halfway through the first book, 'Zahra's First Term' in her local madressa. Apparently after Quran recitation, the class read from Zahra and then discuss some of the issues raised.
Would love this madressa teacher to get in touch!

Also had a very interesting conversation with one of the teachers about Muslim girls always drawing pictures of English non-Muslim girls in Art activities. She found it strange that Asian Muslim girls do not draw characetrs in their own image. Hmm, are our Barbie dolls from childhood to blame?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the entries. It will be interesting to see what an 'ideal' Luton character will be like. Shall return to Luton for their Eid event in September to announce the winner, ia.

On way to ISNA 2009

2009-06-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Am very excited at being chosen as one of the writers in the 'Authors Section' at this year's annual Islamic Society of North America convention, to be held in Washington DC from the 3rd to 5th July.

I will be reading from my first book 'Zahra's First Term at the Khadija Academy' on Saturday 4th and will also be signing books.

I wonder how ISNA will be different to the UK's Global Peace & Unity event. I launched my second book 'Zahra's Great Debate' at the last year's GPU. Had a great repsonse from British Mulsims.