Rabina Khan

Emerging British Somali writers express their poignant experiences of being Somali, living in Britain, and the issues that have affected them in their lives in this anthology.

Silent Voices

'Ayesha's Rainbow' by Rabina Khan is about a young angelic seven year old Bangladeshi girl, growing up in an inner-London City borough, who meets her elderly neighbour.

Ayesha's Rainbow

Ayesha, an angelic seven year old Bangladeshi, is growing up in an inner London City and meets her elderly neighbour. Mrs Peters, a white woman, has lived in the East End all her life. She is lonely and prejudiced against change, especially people different from herself. A most unlikely, yet beautiful friendship develops between them, bringing their two contrasting families together, crossing religious, cultural and racial barriers. Only Graham Peters, the youngest sibling, wants to make a different crossing with a view to join a racist political party. When Mrs Peters is attacked in her home, a chain of emotions unfolds, affecting both families and the rest of the community. A time for questioning loyalties, divisions, prejudices and friendship begins, in order to discover what really happened to Mrs Peters and more importantly, why.

Rainbow Hands

It was in 2015, when Rabina Khan was standing as an independent candidate in the Tower Hamlets’ mayoral elections, that a male candidate asked her what colour her hair was under her veil. She said it was pink. He smiled, so she smiled back adding, ‘Not really, it’s green.’ This interaction sparked the writing of an article, which developed into a talk at the University of Cambridge and grew into her first book. My Hair Is Pink Under This Veil reveals how a Muslim woman reconciles her faith with British culture to construct a successful political career against a backdrop of blame, bias, ignorance and misogyny – including from her own community. It shows how the hijab has become a symbol of the modern Muslim woman’s personal style and strength. Khan’s book challenges outdated views about Muslim women and shows that Muslims often identify more strongly with Britain and British values than most other British citizens. It explores misconceptions regarding Islam, inequality and integration, at a time when Britain faces its own issues with radicalisation, extremism and political divisions.

Rabina Khan

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