She Speaks We Hear

It's been a while, but editor-in-chief of She Speaks We Hear Sharmeen Ziauddin is back with a special episode with MP Naz Shah, who is celebrating 10 years of being a member of parliament. Yes, that's right. Labour MP Naz Shah has been elected four times for Bradford West but resigned from her shadow ministerial position in November 2023 over her views on Gaza. In this episode, recorded 7th May 20...

Sharmeen Ziauddin, Akeela Ahmed and Aliya Zaidi share what they think about what has passed since the Southport stabbings. Riots and violent protests have taken England and other parts of the United Kingdom by storm. Triggered by the tragic murder of Bebe King, six, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in Southport on 29 July, white supremacists took the streets the followin...

The She Speaks We Hear Podcast is back for a brand new season! Season 2 starts with Sharmeen Ziauddin interviewing Dr Myriam Francois, a Franco-Irish journalist, writer and filmmaker. At the time of recording 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza, by Israel since 7 Oct, many of them women and children. Off the back of the helplessness and trauma many people are feeling globally, it was important...

In the first episode of 2023, you can listen to a candid conversation with the She Speaks We team. Akeela, Aliya and Sharmeen talk about the pressing issues affecting Muslim women and society in general. There is discussion of Andrew Tate, how social media has shaped modern society and the polarisation of politics. Aliya shares some absolute gems about a range of topics including the significance...

Most of the narrative around Afghanistan is politically charged, especially regarding women's rights. But how often do we get to hear from Afghan women themselves? In this special episode, Sharmeen interviews Councillor Peymana Assad and Afghan women’s rights activist Sveto Muhammad Ishoq who explain what is really going on in Afghanistan. What is everyday life like for Afghan girls and women? Sve...

Have you ever wondered why so many women convert to Islam? This episode is an honest, spiritual conversation with Aysha Mercedes and Ameenah Shaw about their very personal journeys to Islam. Both women became Muslim in adulthood and share their experiences which led to that moment, and what has happened since. Aysha (a counsellor) and Ameenah (a natural hair product business owner) present the Sis...

In this episode, Sharmeen speaks to doula and perinatal wellness professional Anisah Abdullah. Anisah specialises in mindset mastery and birth trauma support for expectant and postpartum mothers. She explains what this is and how she is passionate about offering holistic personalised support, putting the power and autonomy back in the mother’s hands. As a black, Muslim veiled woman...

Sharmeen speaks to Tabassum Awan about how she swapped her successful career in investment banking for her dream of sharing Kashmiri tea with the world. She explains how lack of fulfilment led her to start her own business - the Pink Tea Café. Holder of two masters' degrees, Tabassum talks about her experience on the trading floor and how her banking career helped start her business. She also talk...

In this episode, Sharmeen and Layla Hassanali aka Halal Girl About Town, a pioneer in the halal food blogging scene, talk about the ups and downs of being a blogger and influencer, being an entrepreneur, parenting and of course the conversation is dominated by food and restaurants which is Sharmeen’s favourite subject anyway. What does BW stand for and what is Layla’s favourite restaurant? Find ou...

We hear a lot about diversity and inclusion but why is it so important and what does it really mean for employers and employees? Rukasana, a DEI practitioner, speaks to Sharmeen and breaks it down, explaining its evolution and importance in the corporate world. Rukasana currently works at Warner Bros but has done this work for large organisations such as Ernst Young and Google. You can find her on...

TW: There is some talk about domestic violence, abuse and suicide. Sharmeen speaks exclusively to the inspiring co-founder and strategic leader of global online community Muslim Mamas aka the ‘Muslim Mumsnet’ – Nafisa Rahimi. Nafisa explains how the group started and what she went through to win the Facebook Accelerator Programme 2021 securing the funding and support of tech giant Meta to help gro...

In this empowering episode, Sharmeen speaks to entrepreneur Khalila Lister about her journey into Islam and how she found her voice again. They talk about her business, her niqab (face veil) and how her family reacted when she became Muslim at 19-years-old. It’s not a long episode but it packs a punch. Listen to her incredible story now. You can watch Khalilah’s TED talk that she talks about here...

This episode is a bit controversial! Sharmeen speaks to poet, writer, and educator Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan about her work. They talk about her experience at Cambridge University as a woman of colour and the impact of Islamophobia and how she thinks it motivates policy-making and new laws. They also discuss how she became a spoken word poet and about her recently published book “Tangled in Terror –...

This episode is slightly different because it's a candid discussion between Sharmeen Ziauddin – Editor-in-chief and Aliya Zaidi – Head of Content Strategy of SSWH. They give their views about some of the major issues of the day – the war on Ukraine and refugees, Islamophobia in India, Muslim Women's Day, The Oscars and of course the upcoming month of Ramadan — so definitely a mixed bag! As promise...

No expletives in this episode but there is some discussion about sex workers and suicide bombers. In this episode Sabbiyah talks to Sharmeen about life as a BBC reporter. They talk about what makes a good journalist, representing Bradford and the North as a communities reporter and what it's really like working for the BBC. You can find Sabbiyah on Twitter @sabbiyahpervez Please subscribe and foll...

TW: There is a detailed discussion about the loss of a child, infertility, and trauma. No swearing but the word p*ki is used when talking about racism and immigration. This deep and heartfelt episode with Tazeena Dhunna, an transformational life coach and media trainer, discusses grief, spirituality, gratitude and trauma. Tazeen shares her journey from being a successful trader and financial journ...

In this episode, Sharmeen speaks to writer and podcaster Tasneem Abdur-Rashid. They talk about her debut rom-com book, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine, and about the podcast she co-hosts. There is talk about marriage and how difficult it can be to find a partner which forms the inspiration for her novel. Tasneem gives her tips on how to get published if you are an aspiring writer and we talk about some...

Warning: There is a tiny bit of swearing in this episode.  In this episode, Sharmeen interviews the first hijab-wearing Sudanese female comedian on TV, Ola Labib, about her double life as a pharmacist by day and comedian by night. Ola tells us why she became a comedian and what her journey into stand-up was like. She talks about her Sudanese family, what they think of her new job and what it is li...

In the first episode of 2022, we speak to Julie Siddiqi MBE about activism and what drives her to keep going, the importance of interfaith work, problems with traditional feminism and the difficulties Muslim women face when calling out issues in their communities. So nothing too heavy then! You can reach Julie on Instagram  - @Julie. Siddiqi You can Find out more about She Speaks We Hear on the we...

In this episode, we speak to life and relationship coach Aamna Khokhar of leafcoaching.com. Aamna is also the resident life coach for She Speaks We Hear and has done several workshops with us in the past. She explains the difference between coaching and therapy, how to find a good coach and how relationship coaching can help couples achieve better understanding. You can find out more from the webs...

In this episode, Sharmeen speaks to inspiring PE teacher and ex-professional sportswoman Dana Abdulkarim. Not only was Dana the first Muslim hijabi to play for England (rounders) but also the first hijabi to become a PE teacher! Dana, who is from Yorkshire, goes deep into her experiences of racism whilst growing up and playing sport, being the only Muslim in the village and shares her thoughts abo...

We speak to the incredibly honest influencer and paediatrician, Dr Kiran Rahim, about going through burnout and working in the NHS through the pandemic. We also talk about mental health, tips for working mothers to avoid burnout and self-worth.  You can find Kiran on Instagram @themunchingmedic  Find out more on our website: https://shespeakswehear.com/ Produced by Sharmeen Ziauddin    Hosted on A...

Welcome to the first episode of the podcast. In this episode, you’ll hear from the core team – Sharmeen, Akeela and Aliya and also find out what SSWH is all about. There is some chat about social media, feminism, the police, and how some children’s programmes are not what they seem.. You can find out more on our website: https://shespeakswehear.com/     Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...