SAHRA-ISHA MUHAMMAD-JONES

She started ASRA running club to help Muslim women enjoy running and to address the lack of adequate spaces for them to access sports safely.

The idea of ASRA came about when I was 18 and had just finished my A-levels. I realised that I missed running, which I had done when I was younger, and decided to start up again. However, I had started wearing the hijab and didn’t feel comfortable running outside. I tried to look for women-only running clubs in my area, but I struggled to find one where I felt that I could fit in.

I took to social media to see if any other women felt the same way. I had loads of responses from Muslim women talking about their experiences and the lack of safe spaces available for them in sports. ASRA stems from all of those women who spoke up because it’s about all of our experiences, all of our concerns, not just mine.

I wanted to make sure that we had a space that catered for us by us. For many people, the idea of a safe space is being able to go somewhere without feeling that there’s anyone to answer to while you are there.

I think that’s super important and one thing that we always try to create with ASRA. So, practically, we would exclusively book out the track. I have the key and lock the gate when the session starts. That creates a physical, safe space. It emphasises that we’re all there to run, we’re all there for our common interest in running, and we don’t have to prove ourselves in order to be in that space.

As a club, we don’t see what we do as eradicating challenges but rather as a way of making room in an industry that has not been properly set up for us. Especially as exercising is a practice taught for us to do in Islam. Even in Ramadan, for example, it isn’t a challenge as it is part of our religion. Instead, we find helpful alternatives or safer ways to run during the holy month.’