This year Maslaha is embarking on a pioneering online exhibition which will explore the role Muslim women have played through history in parallel with the powerful achievements of Muslim female role models today.
The idea for this exhibition emerged from conversations with young Muslims who have specifically asked for related resources and sources of inspiration.
Maslaha will also offer advice for the modern Muslim woman, on fitness, education, health, motherhood and more.
This unique exhibition will feature:
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Essays, biographies and articles showcasing a severely under-reported history of Muslim women
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Films of interviews with academics and other prominent Muslim women from the present describing historical figures in their own words
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A series of vox-pop films featuring the life experiences of modern Muslim women
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Contributions and think pieces from academics
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Slideshows and graphic timelines which also incorporate audio and film clips
We hope to make an impact with this project by:
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By filling a huge knowledge gap about the role of Muslim women in history
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Developing resources that can be used in the classroom to help teachers better engage with Muslim pupils, particularly Muslim girls
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Inspiring young Muslims through film and other media to reveal what can be achieved and the range of possibilities available to them
The women's section of Maslaha is currently being developed but you can find articles on renowned Muslim women throughout history in the features section of Untold Islam right now.
Did you know?
Rufaida al Aslamiya is credited as a highly respected nurse from the seventh century around the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Centuries before Florence Nightingale, she gained her acceptance as a nurse through nursing the sick and wounded during the holy wars. She was also the founder of the first school of nursing for women, is thought to have developed the first code of conduct and ethics for nursing, and was credited as a leader in health care.
Amina Sarauniya Zazzau (Amina of Zaria) is commonly known as the ‘warrior queen’ and expanded the territory of the Hausa people of North Africa to the largest borders in history. She is thought to have ruled for 34 years at the turn of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The legend of her persona became the model for the television series about a fictional warrior princess called ‘Xena’.
Umm Kulthum was one of the Arab world’s most famous singers of the 20th Century, considered by many to be the ‘voice and conscience of Egypt’. Born into a poor family at the turn of the 20th century, her father was an Imam who taught her the Qur’an and encouraged her to perform, beginning a long career which earnt her a position of great influence. “She had the musicality of Ella Fitzgerald, the public presence of Eleanor Roosevelt, and the audience of Elvis Presley.”
More coming soon!
Follow our progress here!
