What is Makrooh?

Makrooh, first and foremost, is a celebration. It is a platform where people share stories of what it means to be British and Muslim, exploring how they navigate society whilst struggling to come to grips with their dual identities. Being a Muslim in Britain can be tough; struggling with never being religious enough, cultured enough or British enough, and the balancing act people have to do to be all three!

Why the name?

The direct translation of Makrooh in Arabic is “allowed but disliked,” and it can be loosely interpreted as “grey area.” As artists tackling subjects deemed as taboo in nature, this term seemed fitting. Many Muslims creating work around the above themes won’t get the recognition they need through their communities as they’re of that taboo nature, but that doesn’t change the importance of the work or the need for it to have further reach. Makrooh intends to encourage discussions around these subjects that are often brushed under the carpet in our homes, communities and institutions.

What’s the launch about?

We wanted to curate a showcase of their work-in-progress through which they could host a series of talks around some of the above-mentioned themes in a more open but intimate and homely environment.

The idea is that we can use this time to gain direct feedback from our audience and to ask them what they feel we might be missing. Our goal is to make Makrooh as inclusive and diverse as possible, and we can’t achieve that without listening to what our audience wants and needs from this project

On Friday 22nd September Makrooh hosted their launch event, which was a huge success. Guests enjoyed homemade Kashmiri chai, samosas and pakoras (courtesy of mama Khalid) while performing artists Zmaraks, Firdos, Rabiah Hussain, Zia Ahmed, Usaama Minhas, Fahima Hersi, Mizan the Poet and Shazad Khalid took to the stage to share deeply personal, heart-touching poetry. As a special touch, Makrooh ended the evening with an incredible acoustic set from the diverse punk band The Tuts. The response since the launch has been incredible and proves that there is a need for more diverse and accepting spaces in the Muslim community.

Makrooh have lined several small events over the next two weeks including:

A Conversation with ‘Cut from the Same Cloth’
Wednesday 27th Sep, 7PM at Ziferblat, Old St.
Sabeena Akhtar (Editor), Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, Hodan Yusuf, Sumaya Kassim and Rumana Lasker join Makrooh to talk about their new crowdfunded anthology, featuring ground-breaking essays written by British Hijabis.

Bringing Young People Back into the Conversation
Wednesday 4th Oct, 7PM at Ziferblat, Old St.
A talk with member(s) of Khidr Collective and Inclusive Mosque Initiative on re-engaging with young people around topics many have long felt excluded from including themes of faith, masculinity, feminism and community.

How to Create Your Own Spaces and Support Structures
Thursday 5th Oct, 7PM at Ziferblat, Old St.
A conversation with Nafisa Bakkar (Amaliah) and Najwa Umran (Female Muslim Creatives) about the importance of safe spaces and support structures, and why people should be creating their own.

Keep an eye on the Makrooh Facebook page for more information on upcoming events.

Makrooh is all about equality, diversity and solidarity in Islam, and our aim is to create spaces where people, especially POC, don’t feel they have to justify their presence or even their existence

Who’s behind Makrooh?

Shazad Khalid @ShazadVA is a freelance artist, photographer and creative producer. Since graduating in Photography Media Arts he has been working with B3 Media as Production Co-ordinator across their projects and development programmes. He has worked on and produced a number of short films and cross-platform projects around the theme of cultural identity. As a British Muslim artist he has become increasingly frustrated with the political and social circumstances surrounding his community and feels a deep sense of responsibility in using his acquired skillsets in amplifying narratives that are often buried.

Saima Khalid @sk_sophia is an intersectional feminist, writer, entrepreneur and founder of FFC (Feminist Film School). She also works in human rights, supporting her international development charity with their work towards equality for girls. Her passion is human rights and storytelling, so naturally, a project like Makrooh was born. Her drive in life is to create safe spaces for people of colour to support each other and celebrate themselves, their roots and their work without fear or judgement.

How can people keep up to date with what you’re doing next?

For further information find us on:
Social: @MakroohUK (including Instagram/Facebook/Twitter)
Email: info@makrooh.co.uk
Web: makrooh.co.uk