After staying away from the internet for most of Ramadan and then having the computer crash after Eid, I have not been able to blog or reply to e-mails. Today my brother-in-law brought home a rather nice laptop which is now mine and which I hopefully will manage to keep away from the kids long […]

I have been mulling over the awful attack this week outside Parliament and on Westminster Bridge. I can’t imagine the pain of those who have lost family members and the terror of those that were injured. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones and who have been hurt: I pray that […]

I was born and grew up in this city and unlike all of those that complain about England having gone to the dogs, I love living in this city. London must be one of the easiest cities in the world to be a Muslim in, or whichever faith you choose to follow. I feel comfortable […]

I had some news at work yesterday, which gave me pause for thought. After having worked here for only four months, I was called to see the senior manager with the rest of my team – a lesson in that; senior managers only call staff to meetings for bad news. We were told that our […]

I had some nice news today. I recently asked my new employers about a prayer space or room and my manager said she would for arrange me a temporary space and ask the planners for the new building we are moving to about a more permanent area to pray in. She told me today that […]

I had some news at work yesterday, which gave me pause for thought. After having worked here for only four months, I was called to see the senior manager with the rest of my team – a lesson in that; senior managers only call staff to meetings for bad news. We were told that our […]

My apologies – after posting I found out this morning from the masjid that today is the 8th not the 9th of Muharram.  The 9th will be tomorrow on the 12th of November. Tomorrow is the ninth day of Muharram in the Islamic calender. The month of Muharram is one of the sacred months for […]

I while back I wrote about why I withdrew my daughter from sex education at her primary school (Discussing the Birds and the Bees – Part 1: Setting Limits).  This was one of the most visited posts I have ever written and brought home to me very clearly that I am not the only parent […]

I attended Sheikh Alaa Elsayed’s seminar on marriage at the Twins of Faith conference and it gave me lots of food for thought. The seminar was engaging and very funny and I came away with some clear information. The seminar listed things that men and women should look for in a spouse and what things […]

My latest column for InCulture Parent has now been published: “What’s an Asian? Race and Identity for a New Generation” is my response after reading and thinking about another article in the same magazine by J. Claire K. Niala called “Mama, What Colour is Me? How My Child Defines Race”: My eight-year-old daughter did something a […]

One of our local masjids has recently built a daycare centre across the road from the masjid. I like the idea of attending talks and events, but have been unable to because I cannot take my children, or it is too far. The new centre means that as well as a place for Muslim groups […]

Having had my children quite close together (3 within 4 years), I found my teeth affected by the end of my 20’s. I had bleeding gums and also receding gums, something which tends to affect people who are much older. Naturally, I didn’t want to end up losing my teeth, nor did I want to […]

Alhamdulillah Eid day was lovely, with family gatherings, meals together and lots of presents for the babies.  I was so busy I didn’t get many photos, so these are a mix of mine and Shutterbug Sisters pictures. I started the day early by beginning preparation for lunch and cooking a traditional sweet breakfast of vermicelli […]

I really enjoy the annual practice of picking a Word for the Year and thinking about how I can use the word as a starting point to improve my life and the way I do things or to bring focus to something that matters to me at that time. (image courtesy of Harlequin Sister’s creative photography […]