A Night of Soulfulness: Dar Aminah 10 Year Anniversary

A Night of Soulfulness: Dar Aminah 10 Year Anniversary

tasneem abdur rashid

You know how sometimes, life can be exhausting and sad and stressful and heavy… …and just rubbish? And then something happens and for a couple of glorious hours, your load is lightened and you experience utter and complete joy and fulfilment?

Yesterday was that for me ❤️

I had the honour of participating in a panel with some of my FAVE people on Instagram – @sofia_reading @readwithsamia@tasneimzyada @imr4na.m to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Luton’s renowned Dar Aminah Book Club. 

The conversation and room was full of love and laughter – we spoke about books (of course), the arts, faith, community … we ate delicious food, we prayed, we signed books, we got to watch @tasneimzyada perform hard-hitting spoken word poetry… AND we were given the most beautiful gift of olive trees being planted in our names in the West Bank.

Honestly – I don’t think I could have asked for more! 

A massive thanks to @imr4na.m for organising the night and inviting me to take part – it was an absolute privilege, and thank you to everyone who bought tickets and showed up and had a good time – we honestly didn’t want the night to end and literally had to be kicked out 🤣🤣❤️

Until next time, Luton town xoxo

Leeds Lit Club – August 2024

Leeds Lit Club – August 2024

It was an absolute honour and privilege to attend Leeds Lit Club in person for the very first time to talk about The Thirty Before Thirty List! I first met Dr Sofia Rehman when the club read my debut, Finding Mr Perfectly Fine, two years ago. Since then I’ve run into Sofia at various events and she has been an absolute rock of guidance and support. Many readers in the Muslim Bookstagram community haven’t felt like reading fiction since October 7. It all feels so frivolous doesn’t it? In fact, I felt frivolous writing about romance when my brothers and sisters in Palestine are fighting for their lives. But Sofia reminded me that what I’m doing is important; I’m creating stories and worlds where Muslims can feel safe and seen, when there’s so much of the world where we feel discomfort.


The Book Club was full of love and laughter and despite meeting many of the lovely ladies for the first time, by the end I felt as though I had known them forever. We spoke about how my book helped them overcome reading slumps; we chatted through the various themes and characters in my book, how we met our spouses, my writing journey and process, where I find inspiration and what’s coming up next. We laughed loads, I signed books and had a gorgeous meal … if all book clubs are like this, then sign me up right now!
***BOOK REVIEW*** Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

***BOOK REVIEW*** Brotherless Night by V.V. Ganeshananthan

What’s everyone reading this bank holiday weekend? I usually read lighter books during the holidays, but I received Brotherless Night in my goodie bag at The Diverse Bookshelf Pod event and I’d been desperate to get stuck in. So while it’s not my typical August bank holiday read, I’ve not been able to put it down after the most epic opening line: I recently sent a letter to a terrorist I know.

Brotherless Night is a haunting exploration of the Sri Lankan Civil War through the eyes of Sashi, a young Tamil woman who dreams of becoming a doctor in 1980s Jaffna. It brilliantly weaves personal and political turmoil, shedding light on the devastating impacts of a conflict that lasted nearly 26 years. Which, I’m ashamed to admit that I knew very little about before. 

It’s not just a story of war though, but a powerful testament to the endurance of hope amidst unimaginable darkness. Sashi’s journey, marked by loss and resilience, embodies the struggle of a generation caught in the crossfire of history as they are forced to make choices that will change them forever. 

Play: Peanut Butter and Blueberries

Play: Peanut Butter and Blueberries

When I heard that the legendary Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan had written a play, I knew I had to go and see it. I love Suhaiymah’s poetry and have been an avid fan and reader for a while. 
Peanut Butter and Blueberries didn’t disappoint – it was brilliant in every way and it was the first time I had felt utterly at home at the theatre. The bar was dry (YAY!), there was a prayer space to pray Maghrib in after, and as we took our seats, we were greeted by nasheeds from Pearls of Islam and Lowkey’s Palestine playing in the background.
 
The play itself opened with Suhaiymah reciting a dua and then we met Hasfa and Bilal – two Pakistani students at SOAS who initially clash but as time goes on, they begin to win over each other’s hearts and minds.
 
Peanut Butter and Blueberries isn’t just a love story – there were strong themes of race, class, Islamophobia, family, injustice and so on. It sort of reminded me of my own books in the way that it was unapologetically Muslim, and I’ve honestly never felt so seen in a play before!
 
I’m so grateful to @thebrownhijabi and the crew for creating this wonderful experience. I can’t explain how validated I felt!!! 
 
There’s only a week left to see this – so run, don’t walk!! More info and tickets here: https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/peanut-butter-blueberries/
Short story: Speed Dating at the Mosque 

Short story: Speed Dating at the Mosque 

I’ve always struggled with writing short stories and I have the utmost respect for writers who are able to write them. It takes so much skill, being able to condense an entire story into a few hundred words! If you’ve followed my journey for a while, you’ll know that #FindingMrPerfectlyFinewas about 50k words over the limit and I had to butcher and hack those 50k words off during my first round of edits with my agent 😆🙊 it was by far the toughest edit I’ve ever done!

So yeah. I struggle with keeping things concise 🙊

But the other day, my editor asked me if I’d be up for writing a short story for #TheDailyExpress Sunday magazine, Love Sunday People.

I love a challenge… so yeah. I did it. I wrote a short story called Speed Dating at the Mosque and I did it in less than 900 words!!!

That’s one writing challenge off my bucket list, alhamdulillah!