A network built by Muslim women with lived experience, for Muslim women with ambition. We open pathways into leadership, public service, governance, and boardrooms, and work with the organisations and institutions ready to change alongside us.
The Muslim Women's Strategic Network exists to bridge a gap that Muslim women live every day: under-representation in leadership and a lack of tailored support.
We are led by Muslim women who carry the lived experience of these barriers, women who have navigated the compounded challenges of gender, ethnicity, and faith in professional and public life. That lived experience is not incidental to our work; it is the foundation of it.
MWSN brings together Muslim women, community organisations, employers, education providers, and public institutions across all six local authority areas of the Liverpool City Region, Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral, to build systemic, lasting change.
These are not abstract inequalities. They are quantified, documented, and felt every day by Muslim women in our region.
"Led by and bringing together Muslim women from across the Liverpool City Region who have lived experience of these barriers — because the women who understand the problem are best placed to build the solution."
— MWSN Founding Principle
We envision a Liverpool City Region where Muslim women participate fully and equally in leadership, enterprise, and economic life — where their presence at decision-making tables is expected, not exceptional.
Clear, accessible routes to leadership and decision-making roles in every sector — public, private, and voluntary — across the Liverpool City Region.
Tailored access to high-quality education, training, and labour market opportunities designed around the real lives of Muslim women in the region.
Support for Muslim women to start, grow, and sustain businesses and social enterprises — with mentorship, networks, and access to funding pathways.
Connecting emerging Muslim women leaders with experienced mentors from within and beyond the community — building the relationships that open doors.
Every programme and initiative is shaped by lived experience. We co-design with Muslim women rather than designing for them.
Working with employers, public bodies, and civic institutions to embed genuine equity in their structures — not just in their values statements.
MWSN is led by Muslim women with lived experience of the barriers it addresses. Our steering group brings together professionals, community leaders, and entrepreneurs from across the Liverpool City Region.
Partnership Lead & Co-Developer, MWSN
Born and bred in Liverpool and proudly of Yemeni heritage, Saba has a deep connection to community. Growing up in one of the city's most culturally rich neighbourhoods shaped her belief that diversity is one of Liverpool's greatest strengths and that lasting change happens when people come together.
At the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre, she has built a strong foundation in community development, earning trust, inspiring activism, championing entrepreneurship and creating opportunities.
As Partnership Lead, Saba builds relationships that bring people, organisations and ideas together across Liverpool City Region and nationally.
She is co-developer of the LCR Muslim Women's Strategic Network, serves on charity boards supporting pediatric healthcare in Yemen across 4 hospitals, and is a Director at Belong, a Church of England education trust.
Amina Ismail is a Senior Community Mobiliser at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, specialising in community-led approaches to tackling health inequalities across the Liverpool City Region. With a background in education and extensive community engagement experience, she builds trusted partnerships between communities, research, and public services to co-create inclusive, sustainable solutions.
Amina is passionate about co-production, community empowerment, and strengthening the voice of underserved communities in decision-making. She is Vice Chair of Blackburne House and a Trustee of The Comedy Trust, contributing to education, wellbeing, inclusion, and social mobility. She is committed to supporting women and communities to create lasting change.
A relatively recent transplant to the Liverpool City Region, Fez works in the UK charity and international development sectors. She has been working with local organisations since 2021, supporting them with monitoring, evaluation and impact communications. Outside of work, Fez coaches emerging Muslim women leaders through the Action Learning sessions she facilitates.
Fairoz has lived and worked in the Liverpool City Region since 2001. She trained at the Royal Liverpool Hospital before becoming a GP, working across both Liverpool and the Wirral.
She is Director of Two Seas Clinic, specialising in integrative approaches to endometriosis, and Lead Associate Doctor at a clinic specialising in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. She continues to work part-time in the NHS.
She is also a professional coach, co-facilitating workshops with Barakah Coaching.
Profile & bio coming soon
Leyla Mashjari is Assistant Director of the Al-Ghazali Multicultural Centre in Liverpool, one of the city's largest and longest-standing community centres. With over 30 years of grassroots experience, she is also a founding member of the Centre, which delivers transformative youth, health, and educational programmes for children, young people, and adults alike.
Holding a BA (Hons) in English and History and a Master's in Advanced Educational Practice, Leyla bridges academic insight with on-the-ground action. She represents her community on numerous statutory and community networks, ensuring local voices are not just heard but actively shape policy and provision. Deeply committed to social justice and empowerment, she continues to champion inclusive, accessible services that make a tangible difference in Liverpool every day.
Bilqis Shakil is a freelance filmmaker, videographer and photographer with a passion for meaningful visual storytelling. With five years of experience and a BA (Hons) in Filmmaking, she works across short documentaries, films, events and brand projects, combining a documentary approach with an artistic eye to capture authentic stories and experiences. Her work is presented under Aflam Bilqis, her creative brand.
Drawn to stories that connect people and offer new perspectives, Bilqis is particularly passionate about working with communities and exploring narratives that might otherwise go unheard. Her creative approach is guided by a desire to share positive messages, inspire audiences and create work that resonates beyond the screen.
Alongside developing Aflam Bilqis, she continues to refine her craft, gaining experience as a camera trainee while building her own creative practice and pursuing new opportunities in filmmaking.
Full steering group profiles will be published shortly. Contact us to learn more.
We work alongside Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women and partner organisations to ensure a truly inclusive approach to equity — recognising that progress for Muslim women is inseparable from progress for all women facing structural barriers in the Liverpool City Region.
MWSN works alongside a network of community organisations, civic institutions, and initiatives that share our commitment to equity across the Liverpool City Region.
In particular, we are proud to work collaboratively with Muslim Women Liverpool and SHEEBA Sorority, alongside other organisations and initiatives working to strengthen and support Muslim women across our city and region.
A grassroots community group running events, meetups, and workshops for Muslim women across Liverpool since 2025 — the roots from which MWSN grew.
@muslimwomenliverpoolA community initiative working to strengthen and support Muslim women across Liverpool City Region.
@sheebasororityUmbrella network representing mosques and Islamic centres across the Liverpool City Region. Works with Merseyside Police, Diocese of Liverpool, the Metro Mayor, and local authorities.
lrmnet.org.ukOne of the oldest Muslim community institutions in Liverpool, operating Al-Rahma Mosque and running community leadership and women's programmes in partnership with Liverpool Citizens.
liverpoolmuslimsociety.org.ukFree enterprise programme for Muslim-led businesses in Liverpool — mentorship, workshops, and funding readiness. Open to Muslim women entrepreneurs.
lmsi.org.ukUmbrella community body representing the interests of Muslims across Liverpool — a key civic partner for organisations working on Muslim community wellbeing and representation.
liverpoolmuslimcouncil.org.ukSupporting Somali and other women and families in Liverpool since 2001. Runs FGM prevention, health advocacy, and community support programmes — a trusted community partner.
granbysomaliwomensgroup.orgThe LCRCA's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion panels — including the Women's Equity Panel and Intersectionality Panel (added 2024) — provide the civic infrastructure within which MWSN operates.
liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.ukMWSN's approach is grounded in published research on Muslim women's health, economic participation, and social inclusion in the Liverpool City Region and nationally.
Lead author Ashraf Tannerah with researchers from Liverpool John Moores University, Alder Hey Children's NHS, and Mersey Care NHS. Consulted 27 women from Yemeni, Somali, Sudanese, Egyptian, Algerian, Pakistani, and Moroccan backgrounds in Liverpool. Key finding: culturally unsafe encounters, low service literacy, and stigma combine to delay mental health help-seeking.
Read the study (Wiley)Published via PubMed Central in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University and NHS trusts. Examines structural health inequalities affecting Muslim communities in the Liverpool City Region — inequalities that disproportionately affect Muslim women.
Read the study (PMC)The 2021 Census recorded 25,763 Muslims in the Liverpool City Region — a growing community that remains significantly under-served by leadership and enterprise development infrastructure.
ONS Census 2021Co-convened by Professor Catherine Durose and Dr Catherine Queen at the University of Liverpool. Part of the LCR Women Together initiative which hosts regional International Women's Day events — providing an academic anchor for women's equity work across the city region.
University of LiverpoolMembership is open to Muslim women across the Liverpool City Region — whether you are starting your career, running a business, working in the public or voluntary sector, or seeking a leadership role. Allies, mentors, and partner organisations are also welcome to get involved through mentorship and partnership routes.
No. Joining the network is free. Register your interest through our Get Involved page and we will be in touch to welcome you.
The network serves all six local authority areas of the Liverpool City Region: Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral. Events are held at venues across the region.
MWSN launched on Thursday 16 April 2026 at Sefton Park Palm House, Liverpool — a landmark event bringing together Muslim women entrepreneurs, professionals, community leaders, and educators from across the region. The network grew out of the grassroots work of Muslim Women Liverpool, which has been running community events, meetups, and workshops across the city since 2025 — including the EmpowHer women-in-business markets at Sefton Park Palm House, described by the venue as "a vibrant celebration of local Muslim women entrepreneurs".
Employers, education providers, public bodies, and community organisations can partner with us to co-deliver programmes, host events, offer mentoring, and embed equitable practices. Email lcr.mwsn@gmail.com or use the partnership form on our Get Involved page.
Whether you want to join as a member, attend events, offer mentorship, or partner with us as an organisation — there is a place for you here.