I have over two decades of experience teaching children in the supplementary education sector and parents through Adult Education courses. During this time, I've also delivered workshops to groups of women and children in community settings, creating bespoke content and resources.
All those I've delivered courses to have their minoritised status in common and the challenges this throws up.
Through my work with teens and parents, I decided to dedicate almost two years to researching and writing about the experience of Muslim mothers and their children's schooling in England.
This empirical research is the basis for my book Muslim Mothers and their Children's Schooling - MMCS - (Trentham Press/ UCL IOE Press) which was published in 2017.
This book brings the voices of Muslim mothers into the discourse on parent–school relations. What they say is essential reading for teachers, student teachers, sociology of education students, policymakers and those working with families.
The study gives voice to over 50 women from a wide range of African, Arab and Asian backgrounds, all social classes, some of them immigrants but many of them born in the UK. They speak about the hijab, choice of schools, religious festivals, the curriculum, the Prevent strategy, sex and relationship education and much else.
The book sheds light on their identities, experiences and challenges as they support their children through state schools in Britain.
"...this timely and well researched book 'lifts the veil' on the mythology of 'bad Muslim mothers', with powerful stories of love and educational commitment against the odds."
Heidi Safia Mirza, Professor of Race, Faith and Culture, Goldsmiths,
"This groundbreaking book gives us a rare and compelling insight into the views of Muslim mothers about their children’s education at a time when there is a paucity of research in this area. It is an essential read for all professionals who work in education and wish to understand better the needs of the increasingly diverse pupil population they serve."
Sameena Choudry, Founder of Equitable Education
Cut From the Same Cloth (Unbound 2021)
Muslim women on life in Britain. A collection of twenty-one essays covering experiences ranging from spirituality, Islamophobia, work environments, hijab, anti-Blackness and much more on their lived experiences.
My chapter 'A Cartography of Motherhood' depicts a few experiences in my own mothering journey, navigating the school system and my children's identity.
