4WOMENBYWOMEN

Hey one more thing before I forget please check out the website www.4womenbywomen.co.uk

This is an endeavour that I have set up with fellow female photographer www.saiphotography.com

It will be an all female run studio day for women only.

There will be make overs, hair styling and hijab stylist for the hijabi sisters.

Have a look as we will be launching our first monthly studio session in april

Escape from Sudan

Was looking through some images online this evening and came across this one entitled "Escape from Sudan".

The image completely blew me away. Have a look for yourselves. We can only imagine the desperation to escape and the sadness of leaving your home and all you know behind

HIJAB PART 5 KHADIJAH

Welcome to part 5 of the Hijab project. 

This weeks amazing Hijabi is Khadijah Safari. Khadijah alongside her Husband runs the Safari kickboxing school based in West London. She is in charge of facilitating and running women only Mauy Thai and self defence classes. 

When I was first informed of Khadijah I found myself getting a little bit more excited then normal when doing these projects. I myself used to do martial arts as a teenager, in those days it was rare to see any Muslim women learning the art. I find it so amazing and wonderful that we have come so far that not only are we participating in martial arts but we also have a school for women run by a Muslim woman. 

So the next time someone presumes that a Muslim woman in a hijab is an easy target I really think that they need to think twice they could be messing with Khadijah or her legion of ninja style students. 
Islamaphobia may result in a fly kick...you have been warned..............

What made you decide to wear the hijab?

After reverting to Islam in 2009 I began to think about some of the reasons behind a Muslim woman's choice to wear the hijab. It made me stop to think about my own mind set on the way that I dressed. I had always worn clothes that stood out, that would make people tell me that they liked what I was wearing, or not! 

I even had a pair of knee high boots I'd found online in Japan, one was black and one was green, I loved them! I'd wear them claiming the familiar statement of, 

"I don't care what other people think of me", 

and "I'm dressing up for myself, I do it for me, not for others".  

But as I started to consider the idea of wearing a hijab I realised that actually, my previous statements were not true in the slightest! I realised I had a fear of wearing hijab, but why? 

It wasn't for any physical reason, infact it was the complete contradiction of my previous claim, as I was now worried what people would think of me! 

It's easy to step out dressed up to the nines, make up and hair done, but it's scary to step out keeping these beautiful things hidden? 

That's when I came to a realisation that I needed to work on my own confidence, and my own inner happiness. 

I had always thought that I had dressed for myself but it began to dawn on me that it had infact always been for others. 

The decision that I made to wear the Hijab, was for the first time me truly deciding to dress for myself.

How does wearing the hijab make you feel?

The hijab has taught me so much about human behaviour, especially from men! Before there was plenty of pointless conversations, whistling, comments from work men as I passed by etc. However now people get straight to the point, the word 'sexy' is replaced with 'madam', and a walk in the park is peaceful and hassle free! 

That doesn't mean that everyone has a positive attitude towards the hijab, but I don't let that affect me.  

Instead of judging the hijab as I did before, I now embrace it whole heartily as I am now able to fully understand the reasons behind wearing it. I feel confident and happy and feel that I am left alone to get on with my life.

What have been the positives and negatives of wearing the hijab?

My hair is in the best condition it's ever been in!! Haha. No sun or pollution damaging it like before.  

But on a serious note, I feel I am more humble. I am able to walk down the street genuinely not being concerned about what others think of me. Hopefully I can show other people that just because a woman decides to wear a hijab that does not make her oppressed or prevents her from living a normal life like everyone else. 

The negatives are only negative if you can't see past them, I have been told a couple of times, "go back to your own country". Which is ironic considering I'm born and bread British, my mums surname was Smith, can you get any more British than that? 

However I used to be that person, judging women who wore the hijab? Making irrelevent conclusions in my head. This was due to my pure ignorance, lack of knowledge and belief in the media spin stories. I feel that if I could change and understand the hijab then why not others?

No one can claim right from wrong to other people, but everyone should have the access to see both sides and make up their own minds. We live on such an amazing planet suspended in the middle of a huge universe and that's just the beginning, there is so much more to life then just worrying about make up, hair and heels, and I'm so blessed that I've found it!

I would highly recommend to any of the sister's reading this to looking into doing some classes with Khadijah.
If you are interested please check out her website 


http://www.ladiesonlykickboxing.co.uk/


Feel free to comment on this post by clicking below

Hijab part 4 Mona

Salaam and Hello, 

My dearest blog readers it feels like such a long time since we have spoken, as my previous post highlighted I have had some technical difficulties of late with my Mac, thank God (Humdulliliah) normal service is now able to resume. And what better way to resume it but with Hijab part 4 Mona.

Mona is a young Lady that doesn't live too far away from my parents house, she was sign posted to me by a dear friend Sister Shazia. It's always a little nerve racking meeting someone new but It was an unfounded fear, as I found Mona to be open, friendly and oh so funny xx(I have noticed many of the Hijabi's I have photographed have the most amazing sense of humour) Plus I have to admit I have a certain soft spot for her parents after meeting them both. I can see where Mona gets her lovely personality from. Mona is from a mixed race background, her Mother is an English revert and her father Egyptian. 

She is currently at University studying graphic arts. As well as this she works as a waitress in the much accaimed Nirvana Spa, apparently a favourite haunt of the rich and famous including stars such as Robbie Williams and Kylie. I find this concept amazing that amongst this glitz and glamour these people and are seeing a beacon of humility. The thing I really loved about Mona apart from her wicked sense of humour was her creativity and thirst for knowledge. I found myself happily explaining some photography tricks to her and even agreed for her to assist me on any events in town. You know me I keep harping on about female empowerment and it warmed my heart to see a young female showing such an ardent interest in photography. I have a very strong feeling in years to come you will find in Mona an acomplished graphic designer and hopefully (inshallah) a great photographer too. But I have no doubt whatever Mona ends up doing she will do it well.

what made you decide to wear the hijab?

If I had been asked this question back when I was 12 years old, which is the age I officially started wearing the scarf, I most probably would have said in my squeaky little voice something along the lines of “because in our religion we have to” or “because my parents expect me to”. And that’s not to say it was forced upon me.

My memory is pretty rubbish considering my age, but I vaguely recall the “hijab chat” from my father. You know that so called “father/son” chat, well it was something similar to that, starts with similar lines such as “there comes a time….” only in my case it was about the “birds” wearing the hijab. 

And so I was quite happy to wear my beginner’s hijab after that. Some of you will know which one I’m referring to. You know the standard one-piece tube that you just slip your head through like a turtle. Mum said I couldn’t wear the ones with pins for health and safety reasons in case I miss the scarf and stab my scalp. So anyway I didn’t really think twice before putting the scarf on, in fact I was probably overly excited to wear it. At that age you don’t care what people think of you or care what you look like. You’re just a kid. You don’t see the world through the eyes of a Muslim woman. I still saw the world through my precious Disney glasses, so I was clearly too young to be worrying about what to wear. Most of all I didn’t really appreciate why the scarf is important, or truly understand the value of it. To me my mother wore it, my sister wore it, and now it was my time. I didn’t want to be the odd apple, I just wanted to please my family, it wasn’t about pleasing myself.

But then I got older, and that’s when the real tests of wearing the hijab began, that’s when I began to test myself. The world is a different place than what it appeared when you were younger. Being a young Muslim girl, wearing the hijab and growing up in a western society you find yourself faced with new challenges and temptations. I sometimes felt like a fish in a big pond. Although there are many that also dress like you, you can still feel alone and lost if you don’t address what’s in the mind as well as what’s on the body. Islam doesn’t teach me to just follow the actions of my Muslim elders blindly, or do something because that’s what’s always been done. The hijab isn’t an old family antique past down through the generations at the coming of age. It’s something you choose to do for the sake of God and for the benefit of us. I have a duty to myself, and most of all God, to wear the Hijab for no reason other than I believe in its cause and because I have chosen to wear it. So although I felt like a little lost Nemo, the more I questioned things and questioned the hijab, the more I educated myself and with that I grew stronger inside and so did my love for the hijab. That’s when I truly started wearing the hijab

How does wearing the hijab make you feel?

Wearing the Hijab, has become like another part of my body. Like an arm or a leg. I don’t really think about how it makes me feel on a daily basis, just like u don’t think about how it feels to be able to walk from A-B everyday. But if I was to lose a leg, only then would I really appreciate it and long for that feeling of being able to walk. And similarly, if I didn’t have my Hijab, I would long for that feeling of wearing it. That feeling of being a step closer to God and feeling proud to be recognised by the world as a Muslim.

Many people have the misconception that wearing the Hijab is like a burden to Muslim woman, something that we sacrifice our happiness and freedom for. Well I’m a Muslim woman and I will tell you now, when I wear the Hijab and I’m walking down the street you may see me smiling or you may not (it depends weather it’s before or after food) but just know I will be smiling inside. And I don’t care if people aren’t smiling back at me, because I know God is smiling down on me, and that’s all I need, that’s all any of us really need. You know how I said I used to wear the scarf to please my parents and make them proud of me. Well I wear the hijab now to please God. And in return it pleases me to know I am pleasing him. I don’t feel caged in or restricted with a scarf round my head. I just feel protected. I can still achieve I just feel more guided. And I can still be beautiful. I just feel more beautiful to God.

 What have been the positives and negatives of wearing the Hijab?

The hijab has had such positive effects on me. One of the beautiful things about wearing the scarf is it helps to keep you grounded and is a constant reminder to not just others but yourself of the faith you represent and the beliefs you hold.

Growing up in a western world and especially being in university, student life is honestly one big test. The University social life itself thrives on alcohol, clubbing, getting wasted, basically losing yourself. It is not always easy being surrounded by it, especially when there are not many people you can turn to who share the same values and beliefs as you. So naturally it’s hard to meet things halfway. You want to enjoy yourself and be a part of a community but it’s hard sometimes when that community has a totally different social life. That’s when you start feeling the pressure and temptation of life on the other side. And for me wearing the scarf acts as a physical barrier from these things that will misguide me or weaken my soul. That’s not meaning I would easily be mislead if I didn’t wear it, most importantly your core should be strong. But as where all human we can sometimes feel our faith (or deen as muslims call it) weakened at times. These times when I feel most vulnerable I feel like the scarf acts as a double reinforcement, a bit of Hijabi double-glazing you could call it !!!!!

Negatives hmm yes in summer things can get a bit heated under my scarf and sometimes you do get the odd look when everyone’s rolling round in shorts and vest and you’re there basking in layers of clothing. They sometimes slip in the “o wow u must be boiling” and I just laugh and say if I can handle the heat in Egypt then I sure as hell can handle England’s…plus we all know its probably gonna be raining later. Plus it has its benefits of keeping me extra warm in winter, and I just say to the same person “o wow u must be freezing” :P

Please feel free to discuss and leave comments below by clicking on the word comment xxx

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Just a quick post to explain the lack of posts in the last couple of weeks.
Unfortunately my poor Mac faced some hardships of late. It contracted two Trojan viruses ( yes it's true Macs can get viruses) as well as a faulty Trackpad.
Thankfully my baby has been returned from the Apple store and is in full working order. All I ask of you my dear readers is to be a little patient as I have so much to catch up with.
Part 4 of the Hijab project will be back up again next week. As well as other new and interesting posts. Until we speak again take care, stay safe and stay blessed xxx

BEARD IS BEAUTIFUL

Recently whilst out with some friends I noticed a leaflet on a community board. It contained a picture of a bearded man and the website "Beard is beautiful". It stuck in my head as I thought it ran parallel to my Hijab project which made me so curious. Also something about the style of photography looked familiar but I couldn't quiet place it.


So earlier when I decided to google the site and have a look I was pleasantly surprised to see it was a project by Ayman from Tawheed is unity.It's crazy how small this world is as Ayman had recently interviewed me for his website (please refer to previous post).


So I thought why not share this site with you. If we sisters can have the Hijab project then the brothers can have their beard project.


Don't know why but this post has me smiling. Maybe I'm smiling at how similar Muslim photographers think, or maybe its just coincidence....what ever it is it really is a beautiful thing.


Hope you enjoy the website as much as I did xxx http://www.beardisbeautiful.com/

TAWHEED IS UNITY INTERVIEW

I was recently asked by a website called Tawheed is unity to do an interview on my work and being a female Muslim photographer.


It was a really enjoyable experience and I thought that I would share the interview with you.


http://tawheedisunity.com/2011/12/18/anika-zahir-duniya-photos/

A NON MUSLIM MANS VIEW ON THE HIJAB

I recently put up a blog post about the Hijab..part 3. In response I received an email from a gentleman called Derek Wood....I found the email insightful and interesting. It is exactly what I was hoping for, open dialogue on the Hijab. Please find the email below

What is my view on women who wear hijab and dress moderately? Do I think they are treated as lesser beings for doing so? Or are they generally passionate about their role as Muslimahs in respect to their faith?

Read on and I will put forward my own unique western view on this rather, at times, over-debated topic.

I suppose like most westerners, I didn’t really think a great deal about Muslim women who wore the veil prior to the events of 9/11. Then Islam became front page news for all of the wrong type of reasons. As Sabiha has mentioned previously, she was attacked on a bus as strangers kicked and punched her whilst trying to remove her veil. To hear about this more than 10 years later still sickens me as we are all humans regardless of colour, religion or sex. The western media made a big fuss following the Twin Towers attack about Muslim women being oppressed and forced to wear the hijab, niqab and even the burqa.

However, my experience since then is that hijabi wearing women are some of the nicest people I have ever met. At this point I would like to make a few side observations. If we see a nun wearing a habit we do not take a second look, but think that she is a devoted servant of God. If we see a Sikh man wearing a turban we know he is being loyal to his religion and is certainly not oppressed. Even my mother used to wear a scarf when we used to go out when I was a young boy. Even then, no one thought anything about that. However, at that time of my life, I was more embarrassed to be wearing short trousers in the middle of winter than to worry about my mother!

In my working life I have come across a few hijabi wearing co-workers and can confidently say that the veil was not a barrier to them being able to perform their role. After all, what hindrance can a hijab be if you are, say, working as an accountant, fashion designer or even driving a bus? The answer is it is not a hindrance. Work is all down to your ability and not what you wear. I can easily work at the same level if I am in a t shirt and shorts in comparison to wearing a three piece suit! It is my ability that is important.

As a result of the GFC I started doing some part time evening work in a local call centre. I can easily say wearing headphones on a hijab was not a problem for my co-workers. Again, it was their mannerisms in dealing with irate customers that was important. Maybe Islam made them even better prepared to deal with customer complaints. As fellow workers they were the nicest people to talk to.

My optician is a hijab wearing professional. When she checks my ageing eyes she does so in a friendly and easy going way. Again, I can’t remember her hijab getting in the way of the optical equipment. Oh, I should add that she also wears an abaya. Does this change my view of my optician? No, in fact, it cements my opinion of her.

At my daughters Catholic school, I met a mother who is Muslim and wears a hijab but in a different style to most other hijabis. Over the past few years I have got to know her very well. She is now a really good friend to me and my family. She is a very hard working mother who wants the best for her family. She dresses moderately, prays 5 times a day and gives her time to help others when possible. When my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer she sent me a text message telling me she was praying for her recovery. Did I see her headscarf as being a sign of her oppression? No, I saw her as a truly wonderful giving human being.

The Quran states that women should dress moderately. Now I am sure there are many interpretations of what modesty means and how it should be interpreted. I am not going to make judgement on this as I am the last person to suggest how women should dress. However, I have seen young Muslim women wearing hijab, short skirt and leggings. I am not sure in my humble opinion that is what you would call dressing moderately.

As I have gotten older, but still young at heart I hasten to add, I have a greater respect for women who do not reveal their bodies to the public. I can’t say I respect women nowadays who show lots of cleavage and wear clothes so short that a barbie doll would struggle to fit into them! The fact that men will comment on scantily clad women is surely a sign that the wearer does not respect herself. To have a woman dress conservatively is surely a better way to go.

Interestingly, the majority of western female reverts to Islam dress more conservatively than those females born into Islam. Maybe they have seen that wearing revealing clothing is not the best option.

Finally, all of the Muslimahs that I know cover up because they want to, rather than being forced to. It is out of their respect to their religion and also their family as to why they do so.

As westerners we must stop looking at the material that a Muslim woman puts on her head but look at THE person beneath it. If we can do that then I am sure a lot of barriers will be broken down and we can all get on much more harmoniously than at present.

HIJAB PART 3 SABIHA

Happy New Year!!

So we begin another year. I've never been one for resolutions, i'm more into adventures, so I guess it will be another random year for me. However I couldn't start 2012 without treating you to another part of the Hijab project. Part 3 is Sabiha.

One of the wonderful things about doing this project is getting the chance to meet such inspirational women. A few months ago somehow and I do not remember who added who my path crossed with Sabiha on Facebook. During our interactions I got to know a little about this amazing sister, what she did, what she believed in and stood for. For me it was also brilliant to be able to converse with another Muslim female photographer. There's a few of us about and it's starting to become a little sister hood. So another member was more than welcome. So I was estatic when Sabiha agreed to take part in the project and I was just as excited to meet her as to photograph her. It was interesting to talk about how things were the same for us regardless of the difference on wearing of the hijab, it was noteworthy that regardless of this difference we are both facing similar barriers and stereotypes. Sometimes as Muslim females we forget that these are small differences that do not divide us, we all face the same struggle.

So anyway back to the story.

Sabiha is a freelance photographer/journalist, speaker/activist, she runs her own online business, she's also a mother, and a wife. As well as all this, and as if it wasn't enough Sabiha main work is heading a war wounded children’s charity in which she helps bring children via medical visa’s who have been injured severely. They are provided with plastic surgery treatments to reconstruct limbs and facial features which were mutilated as a result of war.

1) What made you decide to wear the Hijab?

When, how, where and why I decided to wear the Hijaab I don’t think I know or perhaps I was too young to remember (however there is a photograph of me wearing hijaab when I was 4 years old).

I never really knew the significance of it or why I was wearing it. Until September 11^th. when I was aged 16. I was travelling home from Sixth Form on the same bus that I had taken, with the same old faces that I had seen day in and day out.

Earlier in the day during my lesson a student had barged into the classroom yelling ‘Twin Towers have been hit by a plane’ from that point onward until the moment I stepped on that bus there was somewhat of an eerie silence amongst friends, non-muslim and muslim alike.

The bus was completely full of passengers, three Caucasian men and a young lady boarded the bus. They made their way down towards the back. She walked up beside me and the next feeling I got was a tugging at my hijaab, the young woman was pulling at it and I asked her to let it go, she tugged it again and I felt like a dog on a leash. I held on to hijaab really tightly, I’m not sure why, I never knew what it meant...she tried to tear it off and I screamed ‘LET GO OF MY SCARF’ she lunged at me and her punch landed in my throat, gasping for air...I fell on the floor and she held me down by my throat whilst the three men surrounded me, kicking me wherever they could find room on my body to do so and punched me until I couldn’t quite see straight ...I asked for help ‘THEY’RE RIPPING MY CLOTHES OFF, MY HIJAAB I CANT BREATHE, DO SOMETHING’ ...nobody bothered to get up, perhaps they wanted to see what would unveil beneath my hijaab, the men shouted at the girl ‘GET HER RAG OFF, GET IT OFF THE FILHTY TERRORIST’...no matter how hard she tried it didn’t unveil. An old lady stood up I could just make out her feet and walking stick, she raised it up and with a fit of anger began to wave her stick about over me hitting one of them on the head. The bus came to a sudden stop and the driver had made his way, we were all haled off, waiting for police to arrive. Thankfully they were severely punished for what they did to me. I was escorted to hospital to the waiting comfort of my family’s arms, all torn and broken and I remember the very first thing I wanted to do was to take off my hijaab, it had suffocated me, chocked me, brought me agony, the pin left a cut in my throat but I took a deep breath ‘it didn’t unveil’...’I’m alive’ I thought...God protected my modesty to the very end and that is when I decided what wearing the hijaab meant to me, I chose instead to let the experience strengthen my belief in the hijaab and educate myself.

2) How does wearing the Hijab make you feel?

I feel extremely exhilarated, liberated, on top of the world, fearless, confident, free; words you wouldn’t think to associate with the Hijaab. How refreshing it is for me when I can slap ignorance in the face and show that I am not what you think I am. I somewhat love the feeling of controversy and the feeling that I get when walking into a room knowing that a million questions are flying/whizzing around in the minds of the people seated. I hold the key to their questions, they just have to open their minds and I promise they will feel exhilarated too when they search me for answers. Oh and you know that feeling when your hair sticks to your lip gloss, you're forever searching for the miniscule hair and it’s so frustrating well, I don’t have to worry about that anymore thanks to my handy hair trap, my hijaab.

        3) What have been the positives and negatives of wearing the Hijab?

My non-muslim friends found this insatiable quest to try to uncover the latest problem with my newfound love for the hijab, after that horrid day they couldn’t understand why I still bothered to wear it, but all their negativity empowered and made my resolve stronger. Negativity can go take a flying jump because I do not have the time to stop and listen to it from anyone. The positive events in my life and believe me my life is quite eventful are all done whilst wearing my hijaab, it does not burden me with any limitations and it has become a fusion of my head now. The list of positive reasons of wearing the hijaab is endless but I found a new positive reason about hijaab the other day whilst I was walking to my car, it served as a good protection from bird poop!

So that's the end of part three. Below you will see the word comment, if you click on it you can leave me some comments about the project so far. It would be really great if we could use this as a starting place for some discussions on the subject xxx