Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan at WOW – Women of the World – Review – ★★★★★
Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan: Tangled in Terror at Women of the World Festival | 10-13 March 2022 | Southbank Centre
Main Pic: Shahed Ezaydi
The atmosphere is electric, the stage is set, and when Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan arrives the energy pulsates with a hope and relief that there is someone brave enough to voice the concerns of young Muslims around the world.
Suhaiymah’s new book – Tangled in Terror: Uprooting Islamophobia – is part of the Outspoken series published by Pluto. The book charts the history of Islamophobia through human voices and stories, and ultimately challenges us to help stop the hate against Muslims in the UK and throughout the world.
Muneera Pilgrim is a delightfully warm, passionate and punchy host, who to much audience excitement performs some of her own poetry towards the end of the evening: some exciting work from her new collection That Day She’ll Proclaim Her Chronicles. Her questions to Suhaiymah cut straight to the important issues and responses the book raises into the consciousness of those who read it.
Suhaiymah’s calls to action are brave, not least request that we not to use the language of terror when discussing acts of violence, thus removing the prejudice of the term against the ‘other’s violence.
The room resonated with a deep and embracing support for the politics of hopeful resistance that Suhaiymah’s work encourages. The questions from the audience were thoughtful and gave a safe space for people to share their views. All in all, this was a thought-provoking, challenging, yet uplifting event which spoke strongly to common progressive values and the importance of collective action against historical and contemporary prejudice.
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like free, cheap & offbeat London, especially: cabaret, art, theatre, pop-ups, eating out, quirky films, museums, day trips, social enterprise & much more.
