Speech extract from the day…

“Maslaha started I Can Be She less than a year ago.  We had some ideas around a project we wanted to do with women, and the need for this became every clearer from the conversations we had through our work in health, in education, and in general.  In fact, one day when I was talking to Muna and one of her friends about their thoughts on Maslaha so far, their comments had a perfect resonance with our thinking.

They said – “I think you should do something with women.  I know Muslim women must be doing great things and have done great things, but I don’t know what they are or how they got there.  I want to know more about that diversity, the range of stuff that is possible for someone like me to end up doing.”

Now we’ve had the EHRC Muslim Women Power list and the European Muslim Women of Influence awards, which are both fantastic.  But Muna and Fatheya weren’t talking about high flying political types and celebrities, they were talking about the less prominent stories, the women who are closer to our lives.

The portrayal in the media has often distorted the general perception of what it means to be a Muslim woman.  ICBS is about the practical; the everyday challenges and real life experiences.

I can talk about the statistics – the fact that Muslim women face the highest inequalities in health and housing in the UK, the fact that Muslim women are almost four times as likely to be unemployed as Christian women.  That they face double discrimination on the basis of both their gender and their faith. 

But there’s so much more in the narrative.  ICBS is for the young person who is aware of something she has inside herself that she wants to give to the world, who has a great urge to express herself and do something positive, but doesn’t quite know how to go about doing that.

It’s for the women who are already doing all of these things, quietly, in their own way.  The unsung heroes.  It’s about reaching out to those people, trying to support them and recognise them in some way, amplifying their voices.  And these women are not victims, in fact some of them are extremely scary.  They see something that needs to be done, and they get on with it.  They change the world every day.

We want to bring these people together, empower them further, and challenge all the misperceptions that exist around Muslim women.

And we’re also reaching into the past and telling the incredible stories of our ancestors, the stories that might not be as well known as they should be because they haven’t been taught in our history, science or literature lessons, and are not easily accessible in the public domain. 

But most of all, this project is about showing that none of these things exist in a vacuum, and that the sharing of these stories can inspire every single one of us.

So we took all of this and tried to do what Maslaha does best – using creative ways to address all of this in a way people can really engage with.

I hope you’ve watched the montage of some of the films we’ve made in our cinema over there.  You’ll find out about a human rights lawyer, a child psychologist, a national basketball player, a courageous youth worker, an artist.  You can watch the full films online.  On our website you’ll also find a series of essays and articles which represent the beginning of our work highlighting a rich and fascinating history of women in the Islamic world and how they have influenced and continue to influence key areas of society in inspiring ways.

There is a lot more exciting stuff to come.  We’re developing a resource section on the website to help direct women towards the services which are most useful to them.  We’ll also be running work shops over the summer with youth groups.  And then there’s TenSquared, which hopefully you’ll be getting the hang of by now.

TenSquared is an exhibition that captures the spirit of International Women’s Day from the perspective of Muslim women in Britain.  It will tell the stories of ten activists, visionaries and pioneers – their passions, their achievements, and the paths which led them to dedicate their lives to these causes.  These are not famous people, but simply extremely awesome people in their own right.

This is phase one, person one.  Muna Hasan, who you’ll hear from very soon, has an incredible spirit and we find not only her determination but also her wonderful sense of humour incredibly inspiring,  I won’t tell you too much about her now, you’ll soon find out for yourself.

Maslaha has a tendency to bring together a diverse and incredibly talented group of people, as evidenced by the people in this room.  I’ve got to say some more thank yous. 

To Liz Hingley, whose beautiful documentary photography truly captures the rich context of people’s lives.

To Emily Kirby, whose astonishing paintings never fail to bring out the vibrant colours in each snapshot of life.

To Angela Hobson, whose soundscapes tell these stories in such an eloquent way.

You should have seen the hard work that went into transforming this space yesterday, not to mention the weeks of preparation.  Maslaha has a magnificent team.  ICBS has grown through the passion of many people who have contributed to it. 

The event and all of the films you see were produced by Kate and Polly, planned and executed magnificently.  None of this would have been possible without them.  And Helena, who hit the ground running as soon as she joined our team to mobilise Maslaha for International Women’s Day. 

And of course Raheel, who is the life and soul of Maslaha, a visionary and a powerhouse, driving all of us to question and think what more can be done, keeping us on our toes with his wee idiocyncracies.

To everyone at the Young Foundation, the mothership.  Nazia and Helene from the Open Society Institution for believing in the project.

And Alveena,  chair of a fantastic group of trustees, who support us despite our occasionally mad ideas.  Our advisors.

Rushanara, without whom Maslaha would be a mere twinkle in the eye of some wishful person.  Around this room you have a glimpse into everything that Maslaha is capable of – health, education and Evliya Celebi.  We’ve recently also been working in Mulberry school for girls developing curriculum resources, and planning our next adventure with the British Council.

As for TenSquared, we’re taking nominations for the next nine women, this is only the beginning.  And we hope you’ll come back at the end of the year when it’s all finished.”