Sometimes a book arrives at exactly the right time. The day after the suicide bombing in Manchester, I'm talking to Sabrina Mahfouz, the editor of The Things I Would Tell You, a new collection of short stories and poetry by British Muslim women, including Kamila Shamsie, Ahdaf Soueif, Leila Aboulela and Mahfouz.
We start discussing the protagonist in Chimeme Suleyman's hard-hitting story Us, who is racially abused in a bus in London. "Why you even here?," asks a venomous passer-by. "Terrorist [expletive ] … [go] back home and stop killing us."
Madeeha talks to her husband in despair. “Are we all responsible … all billion of us? Is it my fault there’s terror in this world … did I orchestrate the killings? Or think they are good?” Her husband mumbles: “They want us to apologise.”
These are words almost identical to those spoken by the University of Manchester’s Muslim chaplain Mohammed Ullah last week.
So with the media saturated with stories about, as Mahfouz puts it, "Muslim extremists; Muslim moderates condemning the actions of Muslim extremists; non-Muslims bemoaning the fact that not enough moderate Muslims are condemning the actions of extremist Muslims; the possibilities of your Muslim-next-door becoming radicalised", The Things I Would Tell You isn't just timely. It is vital.
It completely dispels the narrow image of how a Muslim woman looks and lives. It’s funny, sad, insightful and vibrant.
“Chimene’s one of my favourite writers in the world and it is such a powerful piece,” says Mahfouz, who was raised in London and Cairo, and is carving an impressive reputation for her insightful writing in a host of disciplines – be it poetry, theatre, television and even dance.
Generously, she’d much rather talk about other British Muslim writers.
“Chimene’s an amazing journalist, too – and she cuts what everyone’s talking about to a few lines: that once a politicisation of an entire identity has occurred, it is very difficult to find a balance.
“It’s positive, of course, when the press talk to Muslim women after events like the Manchester attack and hear articulate and hopeful opinions. But it is ridiculous that there should be any sense of collective responsibility: Muslims shouldn’t feel they have to make these statements to stop their community being abused.”
Mahfouz will no doubt be talking about some of these issues when she appears at the United Kingdom’s Hay Festival of Literature and Arts festival this weekend with two of the anthology’s contributors – Aliyah Hasinah Holder and Samira Shackle.
The collection came out from the creative writing workshops Mahfouz runs, where a lot of the students are of Muslim heritage. “They always ask me for writers I could recommend to them. So I thought it would be a great idea to have them all in one book,” she says.
Mahfouz is more than aware that a book with “British Muslim Women Write” on the cover will just speak to people who already have some understanding of the importance of diversity and identity. But she argues that the sheer variety of the contributors and their stories means it can have a wider effect.
“Seema Begum was 14 when she wrote her poem, and her family were quite reticent for her to be included. But now they all have the book, so does her school library – and they probably would never have picked it up otherwise. It is little things like that which give me hope,” says Mahfouz.
“You can only do what you can do – and if art is the thing you do, then you have to try and use it to make some kind of change, even if it is very small.”
Not that Mahfouz is content with the power of words on the page alone. A Little Bit of Luck – her stage play billed as "theatre to rave to" – melds a coming of age story with the music of UK garage and is back in London next week. The dance piece for which she contributed her poetry Rosalind, will be at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in June.
She is also working on an opera adaptation of Nawal El Saadawi's seminal feminist novel Woman At Point Zero – extracts of the adaptation will premiere at London's Shubbak festival of contemporary Arab culture in July, in a co-commission with Abu Dhabi Festival.
“Years ago, the Royal Opera House were encouraging different groups of people to write librettos,” she explains.
“Mine was performed in the studio, and then Bushra El Turk, a British-Lebanese composer, asked if I wanted to come on board with this project. I was thrilled – being half Egyptian, Nawal is one of my big influences.
“Right now, we are all in one room – the composer, choreographer, the singer, the musicians and me – and we’re just, well, creating it. It’s been amazing – I wrote a massive text and when you get into the room you realise how much one note from a singer can emotionally relay a page of writing.”
Which sums up most of Mahfouz’s projects really – direct and powerful.
“I’ve always wanted to write, always had these stories and characters I wanted to get out there,” she says.
“So whichever form they come out in is good for me.”
• The Things I Would Tell You is out now. For more details, go to www.sabrinamahfouz.com
artslife@thenational.ae
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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
How to book
Call DHA on 800342
Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation text message
Present the SMS and your Emirates ID at the centre
DHA medical personnel will take a nasal swab
Check results within 48 hours on the DHA app under ‘Lab Results’ and then ‘Patient Services’
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
