Capturing the spirit of London’s young Muslim women

The sisterhood — Photographer Lamisa Khan teams up with artists Zeinab Saleh and Sara Gulamali to show off the everyday lives of London’s ‘Muslim Sisterhood.’

It’s never been a more exciting time for Muslim women. From the likes of OOMK, Amaliah to Azeema, London collectives are finally reclaiming and reflecting the lived experiences of Muslim women.

While all have made much-needed strides in transforming the narrative, mainstream media representations of Muslim women still more often than not oscillate from one extreme to the other. On one hand, they have to contend with accusations of self-segregating themselves or being traditionally submissive, as former PM David Cameron suggested back in 2016. The only time these women can escape these tropes if they’re lauded as “stereotype breakers” – be it posing for Playboy wearing a hijab or winning The Great British Bake Off. There’s rarely an in-between.

It’s this lack of representation of “normal” Muslim women in the mainstream that led photographer Lamisa Khan and artists Zeinab Saleh and Sara Gulamali to co-found Muslim Sisterhood, the first photo series of its kind to capture young Muslim womanhood in London. Or as Lamisa says, “capturing normal Muslim girls who aren’t bloggers, fashionistas or ‘stereotype breakers’.”

While the project does seek to challenge preconceived notions of what it means to be a modern Muslim woman – “we’re reclaiming ownership over images of ourselves and how people perceive us,” Zeinab says – that’s not entirely Muslim Sisterhood’s aim. “Rectifying stereotypes is a lot of emotional labour that we shouldn’t have to do. Our intention is to celebrate the multiplicities of Muslim women,” she adds.

For Sara, the project is an opportunity to celebrate Muslim women unapologetically. “This isn’t for people who maintain misconceptions about us,” she affirms. “This project is for the sisterhood.”

Shot in Tower Hamlets, Southwark and Brixton, the portraits juxtapose their subjects’ rich ethnic heritage with contemporary London life. “I was fed up of middle-class kids appropriating working-class culture,” Lamisa says. “A lot of young Muslims that come from the global majority and end up growing up in the poorest parts of London. It was about reclaiming that aesthetic.”

The project also celebrates PoC-owned businesses in the process. “It’s important to support the business of people from our communities,” she adds.

Processed with VSCO with a5 preset
IMG_8611

With their subjects hailing from diverse backgrounds, from Somalia to Iraq, was it a conscious decision to celebrate the spectrum of Muslim women? After all, the community has long come under fire for its anti-blackness – just last month, #BlackMuslimahExcellence went viral after Dubai’s Modest Fashion Week excluded black Muslim models.

“I didn’t feel as though my identity as a black Muslim woman was represented enough so I wanted to create these images for the younger version of myself,” Zeinab says. “Representation is important. To see ourselves reflected for us and by us is a beautiful thing.”

As for their favourite image? It’s hard to pick one – after all, “our girls just serve face and slay.”

Learn more about Muslim Sisterhood on their Instagram.

Follow Salma Haidrani on Twitter

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Sport

From his skating past to sculpting present, Arran Gregory revels in the organic

Sensing Earth Space — Having risen to prominence as an affiliate of Wayward Gallery and Slam City Skates, the shredder turned artist creates unique, temporal pieces out of earthly materials. Dorrell Merritt caught up with him to find out more about his creative process.

Written by: Dorrell Merritt

Music

In Bristol, pub singers are keeping an age-old tradition alive

Ballads, backing tracks, beers — Bar closures, karaoke and jukeboxes have eroded a form of live music that was once an evening staple, but on the fringes of the southwest’s biggest city, a committed circuit remains.

Written by: Fred Dodgson

© Nan Goldin
Culture

This new photobook celebrates the long history of queer photography

Calling the Shots — Curated by Zorian Clayton, it features the work of several groundbreaking artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Sunil Gupta, Zanele Muholi and more.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Music

Krept & Konan: “Being tough is indoctrinated into us”

Daddy Issues — In the latest from our interview column exploring fatherhood and masculinity, UK rap’s most successful double act reflect on loss, being vulnerable in their music, and how having a daughter has got Krept doing things he’d never have imagined.

Written by: Robert Kazandjian

© Sharon Smith
Culture

Vibrant polaroids of New York’s ’80s party scene

Camera Girl — After stumbling across a newspaper advert in 1980, Sharon Smith became one of the city’s most prolific nightlife photographers. Her new book revisits the array of stars and characters who frequented its most legendary clubs.

Written by: Miss Rosen

© Eric Rojas
Music

Bad Bunny: “People don’t know basic things about our country”

Reggaeton & Resistance — Topping the charts to kick off 2025, the Latin superstar is using his platform and music to spotlight the Puerto Rican cause on the global stage.

Written by: Catherine Jones

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...