Hyphen

10/07/2025

Football, tacos and a Copacabana cathedral have all been influenced by Muslim culture, as travel writer Shafik Meghji discovered while researching his new book on the continent.

Small Earthquakes is out on 24 July via Hurst Publishers.

Football, tacos and a Copacabana cathedral have all been influenced by Muslim culture, as travel writer Shafik Meghji discovered

10/07/2025

‘I’m finding less time for reading in my daily life... that’s why summer feels so important — it’s a chance to break that cycle’.

If you also hope to get back into reading this summer, has picked five novels to suit every holiday mood→https://hyphenonline.com/2025/07/08/book-recommendations-best-summer-holiday-reads-2025/

09/07/2025

For many people who’ve migrated for opportunity, the question of 'home' is not a simple one.

This poignant essay explores what it's like to return to the place you once called home — and feel like a stranger there→https://hyphenonline.com/2025/07/07/i-hold-on-to-the-memories-of-our-flat-in-uzbekistan-a-family-home-that-will-always-be-part-of-who-i-am/

✍🏽 Diyora Shadijanova

09/07/2025

A report by DinarStandard finds Muslims worldwide spent £1.77tn on halal goods and services in 2023 — a 5.5% annual rise despite inflation and war-related disruptions.

Weronika Strzyżyńska has more on the financial clout of Muslim consumers. Link in the comment.

09/07/2025

The UK’s longest-running Arab arts festival, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival, returns on Friday.

Visual art, a calligraphy workshop, stories of exile and a Jordanian supper club are just some highlights.

Check out Weronika Strzyżyńska’s top five picks, link in the comment⬇️

09/07/2025

Despite the growing popularity of women’s football since the Lionesses’ Euros win in 2022, participation by Muslim and minority women and girls remains limited.

Barakah LDN and Sisterhood FC are trying to change that.

As Euro 2025 kicks off, women's football is thriving at a local level too thanks to the groups opening up the sport to everyone

08/07/2025

Stuck for summer reads?

Here are five books, from moving coming-of-age stories to political fiction, to accompany you on your holidays.

Check out the recommendations by Diyora Shadijanova👇🏽

08/07/2025

On the release of her debut novel Vulture — a satire of war journalism set in Gaza — Hyphen’s Phoebe Greenwood reflects on how the conflict has destroyed the place she once knew and fiction is only way to preserve it.

Out now in the UK with Europa Editions UK.

08/07/2025

Madrasas in are helping combat child obesity by integrating physical activity into faith-based education — and now other local authorities are adopting the health initiative.

Aisha Rimi has more👇🏽

Pizza bans and stretches before studying the Qur’an are among the ways Bradford’s Muslim supplementary schools are improving kids’ health

08/07/2025

You thought chillies came from South Asia? Think again.

Samir Jeraj traces how a fruit native to South America became a global symbol of heat, masculinity and resistance⬇️

Now chilli's fiery flavour is loved around the world, but the spice was initially embraced by the working class

07/07/2025

What happens when a German DJ stumbles across half a million forgotten Libyan tapes? A label is born.

Habibi Funk isn’t just reviving songs — it is restoring stories

✍🏽 Ammar Kalia

From Libyan reggae to Moroccan rock and Sudanese jazz, the Berlin-based label keeps on discovering hidden musical gems

07/07/2025

What happens when your childhood home becomes just a memory?

In a personal essay, Diyora Shadijanova reflects on childhood in a Soviet-era apartment block in Uzbekistan — and the emotional complexity of returning two decades later.⬇️

Illo: Kristina Tzekova