Publications
Essays
This is what your life has become
Rowayat | 16 November 2023
You’ve become adept at deciphering the language of glances, the silent judgements that fall upon you the moment you walk through the door. It’s a language you never asked to learn, but one that has become as familiar as your heartbeat.
Unheard Stories
The Unheard Stories Anthology, Peepal Tree Press | 16 November 2023
What is it about our stories that made them so difficult to place? This is not to say some stories aren’t difficult to place but having been on the receiving end of such feedback, I know how subjective, fickle and sometimes ‘lazy’ the industry can be in its dealing with Black and Muslim stories.
Reclaiming, Repurposing and Remembering Black History
Bad Form | 10 February 2022
I remember sitting in History class in Year 10 learning about world wars and wondering why Black people didn't exist in this so-called world my textbooks referred to.
On Books: Reviews & Showcases
Black Muslim Publishing Showcase
Sapelo Square | 7 March 2023
It’s a known fact that publishing is rife with inequalities, and although there have been improvements, there remains a lack of books by Black Muslims. Yet, when Black Muslims are given a space at the table, it is sometimes at the detriment of the whole parts of our identities: You either can’t be too Muslim or too Black or both. Otherwise, the story is considered niche and ‘difficult to connect to.’ Yet, a world of Black Muslims out there want stories about them, featuring all of the nuances of being Black and Muslim.
You Truly Assumed - Laila Sabreen
AMALIAH | 9 February 2022
Although this book addresses serious themes of Islamophobia, racism and online harassment, family and friendship remain at the core of the story. It shows us how far we can go when we have a strong support system, and we are made to feel loved and encouraged. We learn that with the struggle of vulnerability comes freedom and joy.
When We See Ourselves: Black x Brown Love - Jonah Batambuze
Bad Form | 12 November 2021
As an advocate for interracial love, ever ready to whip out the many reasons love should and must transcend race, the accounts in this book are eye-opening. They re-affirm what I’ve come to learn of the difficulties involved in interracial love…
What Strange Paradise - Omar El Akkad
Bad Form | 15 September 2021
This book is reminiscent of Helon Habila’s Travellers, a moving novel on the Black migrant and refugee experience. I love that Omar El Akkad chooses to tell this story from the children’s perspective; it preserves the innocence, curiosity, hopefulness and a certain naïveté in the way children see the world.