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Amaliah •

What to Watch at BFI London Film Festival

Film festivals have become meeting points for stories near and far, and over the next few weeks, the spotlight is on the BFI London Film Festival 2026. 
Marking its 70th edition, the BFI London Film Festival is back this Autumn, showcasing a spectacular lineup of films from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. Running from October 7th to 18th in venues across the UK, the festival is bringing exciting stories with 251 films spanning 88 countries, highlighting new voices as well as est...
Amaliah •

Big Chicken: How Ethical Is the Halal Food Industry?

At some point in your life, you’ve probably eaten fried chicken from a box. Unwrapping a box of golden chicken wings, seasoned with a slight kick, on a bed of steaming double-fried chips is the ultimate comfort food. There’s this particular type of hunger that can only be cured by eating it – well, for me anyway. 
And I’m not alone in that feeling. British comedian Mo Gilligan’s recent Netflix documentary, Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy, captures how Britain became obsessed with fried chick...
Amaliah •

Hamed Amiri on the Other Boy, Finding Refuge and Belonging

There’s something almost universal about the way we remember children’s books. They’ve always been a way of making something unfamiliar or unrealistic feel imaginable. From wizards and superheroes to enchanted forests and princess adventures, these stories have become staples on young readers’ bookshelves. But refugee stories, displacement and crossing borders are often missing from books we place in their hands. We hear plenty of these stories through the news, documentaries or political discou...
Amaliah •

Rising Above Tragedy: Finding Bosnia Beyond Genocide

The smell of coffee brewing in copper džezvas, the sound of turquoise rivers running beneath Ottoman bridges and the endless consumption of fresh ćevapi was what stayed with me after my visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024. 
When travelling across Europe, Bosnia often skips bucket lists and is overlooked in favour of the more familiar destinations. Yet the country has much to offer beyond its history – things that aren’t confined to museums but embedded in cobbled streets and daily life.31 ye...
Amaliah •

Football’s Coming Home: How 52 Blue Reimagines Belonging

“Sometimes we are not brave enough to talk about ourselves in our cultures,” Egyptian filmmaker Ali El-Arabi tells me, sitting beside Indian actress Neha Dhupia.It’s a sweltering Thursday morning in a busy Dishoom in Covent Garden and an unexpected way to begin our conversation about his film, 52 Blue, opening this year’s London Indian Film Festival at the BFI Southbank. 
The film is a coming-of-age drama that follows a football fan, Ashish (Yadav Shashidhar), chasing his dream to meet his idol,...
Hyphen •

Don’t ban social media for under-16s, young Muslims urge

Religious educators and young Muslims who were raised on social media have warned that banning access for under-16s could hinder the development of their faith.

It comes as the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) calls for Muslim communities to back a proposed ban, which it says will protect children’s safety and wellbeing online.

“I was seven years old and remember defending Islam in the comment section of YouTube videos,” said Amman Nawaz, now 22, from Romford, east London. “I wanted to clarify...
Hyphen •

The hijab was never meant to be a brand, but a symbol of faith

When I first decided to wear the hijab in 2023, I learned the meaning behind Allah’s commandment for me to wear it. I fell in love with it instantly. Throughout my journey, I explored different styles and fabrics that I felt comfortable with. Lightweight modals, slick jerseys and my favourite style, the silk bandana tied over chiffon. My relationship with the hijab has always felt like an extension of who I am. It anchors my identity.

But recently I’ve seen a particular archetype appear across...
Hyphen •

Women-only tube carriages petition: Muslim women speak out

Muslim women and girls have spoken out about sexual harassment on the tube as a petition urging the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to introduce women-only carriages gains momentum.

The petition has attracted more than 13,000 signatures since its launch on 30 September. It is the work of Camile Brown, a 21-year-old University College London student, and follows a report by British Transport Police (BTP) that found that more than a third of women in the UK had experienced harassment on public trans...
Hyphen •

Dialogue Express Cafe: the coffee shop run by deaf baristas

In the shadow of the Carpenters Estate in east London sits a former train carriage. Now a cafe, inside baristas take orders from customers while a group of local women — both hearing and hard-of-hearing — sign and chat away at a table in the corner.

Dialogue Express Cafe in Stratford opened its doors in July this year and is the only cafe in London with staff who are all deaf or hard-of-hearing. Customers are encouraged to place orders using British Sign Language (BSL). I ask for an oat milk ca...
Hyphen •

Photo essay: the many rich stories of gold

As gold prices soar to historic highs against a backdrop of global economic instability, precious metals are capturing the attention of investors and collectors, offering a sense of safety and long-term value.

In South Asian households, gold jewellery has long functioned as much more than personal adornment or a store of wealth. Every painstakingly crafted clasp and intricate engraving carries stories of migration, celebration and whole family histories.

Usually given to mark life’s milestones...
Hyphen •

Weekend with Zain Ahmad: ‘I don’t shop at all’

Zain Ahmad, 29, is a fashion designer from Lahore, Pakistan. He is the founder and creative director of Rastah, a leading clothing label in contemporary South Asian design.

He studied political economy at the University of British Columbia before launching Rastah in 2018. In 2023, Rastah became the first Pakistani brand to be featured at London Fashion Week. It has been worn by A-list celebrities including Zayn Malik, Timothée Chalamet, Barry Keoghan, Justin Bieber and Anil Kapoor.

Ahmad is no...
Hyphen •

How the UK's first halal farm prepares for qurbani

Tucked within the rolling hills of Oxfordshire sits Willowbrook Farm, the UK’s first halal and tayib farm. It’s a humid May day, just over a week before Eid al-Adha, and 62-year-old Lutfi Radwan is busy prepping animals for qurbani, putting together the final touches for the celebration. Gripping a power saw with practised ease, he carves into a fresh length of wood.

Muslims around the world have started preparation for Eid-al-Adha and qurbani, commemorating Prophet Ibrahim’s unwavering faith a...
Hyphen •

Parcels and pani puri: inside the UK's post office takeaways

Post offices were once vital community hubs, depended on by the nation as places to buy stamps, send parcels and pay bills. Nowadays, paperless billing and payment services have streamlined our financial transactions, while email and messaging apps have drastically reduced the need to communicate by post.

According to postal services regulator Ofcom, 6.6bn UK-addressed letters were posted in 2023-2024, a 67% decline in 20 years from a peak of 20bn annually. There were more than 18,000 post offi...
Hyphen •

Faith, fasting and footy — a Ramadan diary in 24 hours

Film by Rob Gould

“My alarm has no mercy,” laughs Zainab El-Mouden as she slices a banana and drizzles some honey over her porridge for her suhoor — a pre-dawn meal that fuels her fasting and football.

It’s 4am and the street under her Brixton balcony is silent. El-Mouden, a 22-year-old football obsessive and midfield player for London Seaward FC, takes a deep swig of coconut water before fajr, the first prayer of the day.

Ramadan, a month of fasting and reflection for hundreds of millions of...
Hyphen •

Ola Labib: ‘I want to be the person who bonds people through laughter’

Looking back at her time working in a pharmacy, one summer in particular sticks out in Ola Labib’s mind. “Everyone was clearly on a rampage and we’d run out of morning-after pills,” she recalls.

The British Sudanese comedian, who back in 2022 was still performing late night standup after her day job as a pharmacist, remembers a woman in need of emergency contraception who asked, in all seriousness: “Why don’t you just make me one at the back?”

“I responded with, ‘Well, I don’t have a meth lab...
Hyphen •

Sohail Hanif: ‘If the wealth isn’t given out it’s as if it’s polluted’

Dr Sohail Hanif, chief executive of the National Zakat Foundation (NZF), has dedicated his career to advancing the vital practice of zakat, a cornerstone of Islamic charity.

Zakat is the obligation of giving 2.5% of one’s wealth to those in need once a year. Hanif emphasises the importance of localising donations to foster stronger connections and support within Muslim communities.

Drawing from the rich history of zakat’s implementation in early Islamic society, the NZF is working towards buil...
Hyphen •

Inside Krept & Konan’s new supermarket

Rap duo Krept & Konan have made an unlikely move into retail with the opening of an “inclusive” supermarket in Croydon, south London.

Casyo Johnson (Krept) and Karl Wilson (Konan) hope Saveways, on Beddington Lane, will be a one-stop shop for the local Black and Asian communities. The 15,000 sq ft store offers a halal butcher, bakery and wide range of produce and seasonings from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. There’s also a large hair and beauty section catering to the needs of its diver...
Hyphen •

Professor Muhammad Abdel Haleem: ‘The Qur’an is with me every day’

As a child in Egypt, Muhammad Abdel Haleem learned the 30 chapters, 114 surahs and 604 pages of the standard Arabic version of the Qur’an by heart, laying the foundations for his lifelong dedication to Islamic studies.

His perfect recitation of the Qur’an at the age of 11 secured him a place at Cairo’s prestigious Al-Azhar University, and he was later awarded a fellowship to study at Cambridge University, making the UK his home for more than half a century.

In 2004 Oxford University Press publ...
Hyphen •

Behind the seams with TikTok tailor Riddz

“On Monday I might be extravagant, but on Wednesday I’m back to being plain. My style is quite juxtaposing,” says Ridwan Fadlu-Deen as we get on the tube to his favourite fabric store on Balham High Road, south London.

Known online as Riddz, Deen, 22, is the creative force behind the fledgling upcycled clothing brand RRIPZ, which he has introduced to a growing audience on TikTok. “Fabric shopping is my creative haven. I can be in a shop for hours with limitless ideas,” he says.

Fashion and tai...
Hyphen •

Jummah Aesthetics turns a lens on men’s Friday prayers style

“Growing up I used to see Muslim men either wearing a three-piece suit to jummah, a shalwar kameez or a kurta under a jacket. Now, that’s all gone,” says British Pakistani documentary photographer Rehan Jamil. We are speaking at Oxford House, a community and arts centre in Bethnal Green, east London, at an exhibition featuring his work, Jummah Aesthetics: British Muslim Men and Their Sartorial Choices.

“Everybody wears thobes now. Since when were we Asians Arabs?” Jamil laughs, just before the...
Hyphen •

‘We often forget that women have always been involved in science’

As a child, Bana Shriky recalls being fascinated by jelly: eating it, playing with it, experimenting with any gel-like substance she could get her hands on. Her obsession drove her to a career studying things that jiggle and wiggle.

Shirky, 26, is originally from Syria and now works as a post-doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Engineering & Digital Technologies at the University of Bradford. There, she looks into how the properties of soft, flexible materials change depending on their enviro...
Hyphen •

Fatima Rajina: ‘Language and clothing form a crucial part of our identity’

Fatima Rajina still remembers her naniji picking her up from school as a little girl in Luton, her maternal grandmother dressed in a brightly-coloured sari, wrapped in a soft cardigan. The academic holds this distant memory as the foundation of her fascination with how cultural aesthetics within the Bangladeshi diaspora have transformed over the years.

That interest formed the basis of her new book, British Bangladeshi Muslims in the East End, focusing on the intersection of dress, language and...
Hyphen •

Aihtsham Rashid: ‘Halal doesn’t just mean what you eat, the whole process needs to be halal’

Last year, Aihtsham Rashid came home one winter evening with boxes of treats for his cats Ivy and Coco. To his surprise, he was met with concern from his wife and daughters. “You can’t bring that inside, it’s haram,” they told him. Even if it’s not for you to eat, they explained, non-halal food can’t be purchased or brought into the home.

Rashid, who runs a construction company that builds mosques, began a hunt for cat food that he could guarantee was 100% halal.

In his research, the 45-year-o...
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