Have you ever wondered why there isn’t a Muslim female singing band, and yet there are many Muslim males dominated the market?
Well now you can stop questioning, and start admiring the sound of three talented singers known as the Ulfah Collective.
Britain’s first Muslim female band are based right on our doorstep with amazing performances in rock, gospel and even rap.
Dubbed as the Muslim ‘Sister Act’, the pioneering band, consisting of Shakeelah Younis, 39, Zenab Kahtoon, 31 and Abida Rahim, 25 are creating an unadulterated excitement amongst their followers.
These kind hearted women, who are from different backgrounds have brought their love of music and faith onto the big platform.
Shakeelah, one of the oldest members of the group has been singing since she was a teenager. “I’ve been singing for most of my life. I jumped at every chance at school to sing. I’ve always thought to myself why there isn’t a female group. There are many solo artists but I wished there was a group too.”
Shakeelah, a house mother and a full-time baby-sitter was intrigued by the opportunity Naz Koser, the founder of Ulfah Arts offered. “I came across Ulfah Arts through my sister, who knew a lot about what they do. When she told me that they were looking to put together a band I felt it was ideal for me.”
The versatile singer, has since never looked back and is now rapping lyrical rhymes. “I love listening to rap, I think it’s something different and all part of the fun too. I do like listening to 50 Cent and Nelly.” The trio, who have performed at many high-profile events including the UN International Day of Peace highlighting a two-year campaign called “Just-a-minute”, where they performed on the same stage as Bee Gees legend Robin Gibb.
Going from strength to strength, the group are still finding their sound and believe there is so much to come in the future. Having defeated the challenging stereotype of Muslim females in today’s society, the talented women are adamant that they can be an international success. “Since the old collective got together when the group first established itself, we have definitely seen a progression. At one point there was 15 members but now we are down to three as we believe commitment is key.
“It’s been easy for some and very hard for others. We get loads of feedback from audiences and we think we can go all the way."
Abida went onto say: “The world is our oyster. This is a great platform for us and we have a window of opportunities.
“We are very blessed to be together as part of a band. We are all leaders in this group and we all share our ideas.”
The Islamic-inspired songs are performed with Urdu, Arabic and English lyrics with the main message of the Collective being peace and harmony (Ulfah means harmony in Arabic). The group are receiving performance requests from all over the world including Morocco, Norway, Jordan and Canada. Zenab added: “The great thing about it is we haven’t pushed or approached anyone, people have come to us and that is very rewarding because they are recognising our talent.”
The Ulfah Collective is part of a bigger organisation known as Ulfah Arts, which has previously presented The Journey to the Great Mosaic -a collection of stories brought together by the Collective, exploring women telling stories through the use of poetry, comedy and Islamic songs.
The group is now looking forward to their next event which will be held in Hounslow and are already in talks with other artists in a bid to try and get onto the bigger stage. “We just want to thank everyone who have supported us. We enjoy what we do and are very excited about future projects.”
Interview by Kamran Hussain