Maryam is a BA and MA Comparative Literature graduate from King’s College London and completed her Gold-Standard NCTJ diploma in December 2021.
She began her career as a trainee journalist in London, with a particular interest in social affairs and marginalised communities. Maryam is committed to elevating British Muslim stories and her goal as a journalist is to better reflect diverse communities.
Maryam has joined the Independent as a News Desk trainee, where she writes on a wide range of topics.
Nayeema graduated from SOAS in 2021 with a History and International Relations degree. Upon graduating, Nayeema wished to pursue her interest in economic inequality and disparity.
She is focusing on researching the impact of economic policy on marginalised groups, especially Muslim communities, and engaging these groups through discussions around their finances.
Nayeema is currently an editorial assistant at Economy, where she writes about the ways in which economic policy impacts the day-to-day life of different disadvantaged communities.
Syraat Al Mustaqeem is a BA English graduate from SOAS, University of London. She began her career as a trainee journalist, with a particular focus on environmental and international news.
Syraat is committed to uplifting communities of colour and working class people, who are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis. Her goal as a journalist is to report on issues that affect Muslims from various communities and shine a light on the positive work being done at the grassroots level.
Syraat is joining the Evening Standard newspaper as an editorial apprentice. She will receive day-release training for the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma during her 15-month apprenticeship.
Furvah Sayda read BA Media and Communications at Goldsmiths University of London and is currently a journalist based in the West Midlands.
She is passionate about increasing, bettering and diversifying representations of Muslims within mainstream media, especially in respect to Muslim women. Her undergraduate dissertation explored representations of Muslim women in Western television and film, and she intends to continue developing her portfolio of content, in addition to contributing to the social betterment of her community.
Furvah is joining the Independent newspaper as an editorial apprentice. She will receive day-release training for the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) Diploma during her 15-month apprenticeship.
Ibrahim is a multi-award-winning Education Influencer and Future Trainee Solicitor. His interest in human rights law and joining MLAG was inspired by his time at Cambridge University and Oxford University where he completed his BA and MSc, respectively.
Ibrahim’s unprecedented work at Oxbridge focused on widening participation, decolonisation, racial and class equity, social media communications and student empowerment. His work is featured in over 15 national news sources, and he has amassed an online following of over 130,000+ subscribers on his YouTube channel.
Hafsa Khalil is a BSc Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience graduate who has completed an MA in Newspaper Journalism at City University of London.
Given her background, Hafsa is passionate about the latest scientific discoveries, but also general features writing covering a variety of topics from culture to lifestyle. She enjoys a variety of mediums such as cartoon drawing and podcasting.
Hafsa has joined the Evening Standard as an editorial intern where she is writing across the different desks including working with the podcast team.
Maryam is a BA Jurisprudence graduate from the University of Oxford, and graduated from the London School of Economics with a master’s in Law.
Maryam is interested in specialising in Discrimination and Equality law. She has spoken at 10 Downing Street on the issue of the BAME attainment gap and wrote her dissertation arguing for the adoption of an intersectional discrimination framework in the cases of Muslim women from ethnic minorities.
At MLAG Maryam works as a research intern for the Public Interest Litigation team, and works on projects for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team.
Zeena Elhassan read for an MPhil in The Sociology of Marginality and Exclusion at the University of Cambridge.
Passionate about social justice and community-led action, Zeena joined EachOther as a Journalism Intern where she was able to apply her knowledge of human rights and developing key skills to help facilitate her career in Journalism.
EachOther is an online platform and UK focused charity that emphasises the importance of independent journalism and works hard to ground and amplify the voices of individuals who are affected by human rights issues.
Khadija Kothia studied for an MSc in the History of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Having a keen interest in global inequalities and a passion for journalism, Khadija joined EachOther as a Journalism Intern where she can further develop key skills to help her progress into a career in Journalism.
EachOther is an online platform and UK focused charity that emphasises the importance of independent journalism and works hard to ground and amplify the voices of individuals who are affected by human rights issues.
Hiba Noor Khan studied for an MA in Muslim Minorities in the Global Context at SOAS, University of London.
As an author of two children’s books, Hiba is passionate about social justice and activism, with a strong emphasis on issues surrounding refugee rights and migration. Joining the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) as a Migration and Development Intern, Hiba has been able to develop key research and project management skills to help facilitate her career further.
Established in 1951, the IOM is the leading inter-governmental organisation in the field of migration and works with a whole range of partners to ensure that the right approach can be taken towards migration issues.
Haseeb Qureshi studied for an MSc in Inequalities and Social Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
With a keen interest in the economic, gender and racial inequality of British Muslims, Haseeb joined the Centre for Media Monitoring as a Media Monitoring Assistant, with his role allowing him to develop key research and analytical skills.
Set up by the Muslim Council of Britain, the Centre for Media Monitoring works towards engaging with academics and specialists across the world to explore how mainstream media reporting of Islam and Muslims is contributing to an atmosphere of rising hostility towards Muslims in Britain.
Maira Khan studied for an MSc in Health Psychology at the University College of London.
Passionate about engaging in student activism and working with Muslim youth groups, Maira joined the Centre for Media Monitoring as a Training and Development Intern to help create an unconscious bias training programme for mainstream journalists and further develop her research and analysis skills.
Set up by the Muslim Council of Britain, the Centre for Media Monitoring works towards engaging with academics and specialists across the world to explore how mainstream media reporting of Islam and Muslims is contributing to an atmosphere of rising hostility towards Muslims in Britain.