ABOUT US.
The Muslim Northern Women Society Committee at the University of Manchester (academic year of 2023/24).
Our origins, story and next steps...
Muslim Northern Women started off as a project in November 2021 - July 2022 as part of the Virgin Money Foundation Young Change Makers Fellowship. Our Founder, Roukagia Afan, later set up Muslim Northern Women as a student society at the University of Manchester Students' Union in January 2023.
Muslim Northern Women Society was formed with the support of the society's founding committee members, all of whom are young Muslim women based in the North of England with lived experience of the Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism plaguing today's society. Muslim Northern Women will always be grateful for the support of our founding society committee members: Judi, Maryam, Aaminah, Mariam and Anisah.
Since late 2023, after organising and delivering several training programmes, events and projects, our collective has grown and the demand for it has increased. Therefore, with the support of our funders, we are now in the process of transitioning from a student society into a more independent legal entity to meet the demands of our community and become a more sustainable collective.
This critical transition will support us to stand in solidarity with Muslim women and girls in the North and build power with them to organise against Islamophobia and dismantle racist systems rooted in oppression. Our mission is to win change for them in order to begin the journey of achieving true inclusion and belonging for Muslim women and girls in the North.
Stay up-to-date with the next steps in our growth and transitional journey in 2024 and 2025 by following us on our social media pages linked below!
Our definition of Islamophobia and commitment to anti-racist and care-centred approaches and practices.
We define Islamophobia as a set of narratives about Muslim people, places, ideas and things we attribute with ‘Muslimness’ as inherently barbaric, violent, other, unenlightened, patriarchal, etc. (based on the definition provided by Dr Maha Hilal, an expert on institutionalised Islamophobia and the War on Terror).
Formed in 2021 in response to the surge in Islamophobia following the Manchester Arena Attacks in 2017, Muslim Northern Women is committed to challenging these harmful narratives and dismantling the systems that perpetuate them. Islamophobic attacks are rooted in racist sentiments and must be addressed through an anti-racism approach at all levels of society.
Muslim Northern Women exploring The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trusts' archives on race, identity, activism and culture as part of a series of creative writing workshops with Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan.
Muslim Northern Women winning the Community Campaign of the Year Award at the University of Manchester Students' Union Awards 2024.
Our dedication to community organising and collaborative working.
We are committed to community organising and working in partnership with individual organisers and educators, collectives, campaigns, organisations, funders, public bodies and schools that are committed to building community power, dismantling Islamophobia and winning change for Muslim women and girls.
All our work is delivered in collaboration with other organisations and organisers that work in our local Northern communities.
We are also proud to be fiscally hosted by our long-term Northern friends, RECLAIM Project.
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