 | | Ulfah Collective |
The ground-breaking Ulfah Collective have been dubbed a Muslim 'Sister Act' and these extraordinary women have been brought together by their love of music and their Islamic faith. The woman are from different backgrounds and cultures and have different musical tastes, but have united to promote peace and harmony through their devotional songs. Women, art and spiritualityOn Saturday 4th November they performed a women-only concert, 'The Journey to the Great Mosaic', at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery as a celebration of women, art and spirituality.  | | Ulfah Collective |
The concert is part of Art & Islam, a year long programme of exhibitions and events. The Journey to the Great Mosaic is a collection of stories from the women of the Ulfah Collective, and mesmeric Islamic songs (Nasheeds), gospel music, a Japanese peace song and even rap.  | | Ayo-ola McKenzie |
The devotional Islamic-inspired songs are performed with Urdu, Arabic and English lyrics and represent different aspects of the individuals of the group who come from a wide variety of backgrounds including Jamaica, Pakistan, and Syria. The gospel influence comes from Ayo-ola McKenzie who used to be in a gospel choir before she converted to Islam. Ayo-ola lead a gospel song 'Steal Away', about the power of prayer in difficult times.  | | Shakeelah Younis raps |
Leading the rap was Shakeelah Younis whose tongue in cheek performance saw her aping American hip hop stars. Shakeelah was decked out with a baseball cap on top of her hijab, plenty of 'bling' jewellery and a plaster on her cheek. The performance was lively and energetic, celebrating women as 'diamonds of creation'. The audience laughed, as much from the humour of the performance, but also because it's so unexpected to see hijab-wearing Muslim women performing a rap song. Challenging | | Islamic inspired devotional singing |
And challenging stereotypes of Muslim women is exactly what the Ulfah Collective are trying to do. Muslim women can - and do - have fun and enjoy themselves. Not only are these women enchanting singers but they have great fun with what they do. Their performances are humorous, uplifting, moving, and the appreciative audience clapped, laughed and nodded along with them. What the audience thought | | Ghazala and Aisha |
Aisha Downing watched the show: "It was a brilliant evening and a positive view of Muslim women. Some people might think Muslim women are oppressed and it was good that people can see we can enjoy ourselves and have fun." Ghazala Waris agreed that the concert challenges popular perceptions of Muslim women: "It brought people of different backgrounds together and got rid of stereotypes. The humour was a mix of different cultures it was really interesting, and to be here at the Birmingham Museum is wonderful, it’s a lovely venue." "It was really really good - it’s the first time I've ever come to something like this" said Jahanara "and it’s a really good experience to try a women only concert. It made me laugh, it made me feel happy."  | | Jahanara and Amina |
Amina shared the view that Muslim women do have fun and enjoyed the unique performance of the Ulfah Collective: "I found it very refreshing to see Muslim women performing and letting themselves go. You wouldn't normally see that as there isn't really a stage for it. It's really nice that other people can see Muslim women can have fun, they are allowed to smile and they do have fun!" Ulfah Arts is the organisation that encompasses the Ulfah Collective and the aim is to develop art opportunities for women with specific cultural beliefs. Ulfah encourages self-expression and is a pioneering group that breaks down stereotypes and encourages finding common ground between people.  | | Nour Norris |
"Ulfah is to me - and all of us - more than just a group" said Nour Norris, a member of Ulfah Collective "It's more than going out and performing. It's like a family really. We find ourselves when we're together and we really enjoy it when we perform." Faith and artThe main messages of the Ulfah Collective is that of peace, harmony (Ulfah means harmony in Arabic) and unity, and encouraging women to become involved in the arts - that faith and art can work together.  | | A women-only event |
"We try to make our performances for women only," says Noor. "Muslim women are very special, like all women, but people can sometimes understand them in the wrong way and Muslim women can seem very shy. "Being in Ulfah allows you to bring out your inspiration and try new things. We are having fun and it’s a pleasure to be here." Naz Koser - founding a sisterhood | | Naz Koser - Ulfah Arts founder |
Ulfah Arts was founded by one woman - Naz Koser - in 2004: "I needed a sisterhood and support network, just to know you're not alone. I never thought we'd one day be in the museum performing and sharing stories to this wonderful audience. "We don't have the most fantastic singers but that doesn't matter with the songs we're singing, we're just trying to reach out and touch people.  | | Singing in harmony |
"I'm passionate about women-only events. I know there's a huge percentage of women who wouldn't come and see a show like this if it was mixed. This element of our work to do with women only has to get stronger we'd like to see women-only festivals and women-only concerts on a larger scale where women around the country can get together and share. "I really hope people have gone away with a different idea around Muslim women - we're not all oppressed!" Want to see the Ulfah Collective? | | Ulfah Collective |
Ulfah has another performance 'A Tribute to the Burda' (Poem of the Cloak) at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery on Saturday 3 February 2007. To book call 0121 303 1966 or visit the Gas Hall Reception, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. | 
