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Fifth Word’s ‘See Me’ Podcast is a weekly show that will provide you with an insight into the lives of some of the most inspirational Muslim women living in Nottingham.
The original interviews were recorded on camera between February- March 2024 by Muslim girls aged 12-15. You can view the filmed interviews on each of the episode pages here, and in person at Nottingham Local Studies Library where they are archived for future generations to access.
See Me celebrates inspiring women of Muslim heritage in Nottingham. Their stories, their voices, have been captured by the younger generation to be treasured.
This project was part of Fifth Word’s ‘SEE ME’ living history project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, in partnership with Nottingham Libraries and supported by Nottingham Playhouse.
All episodes are available for free on major listening platforms. Some interviews contain sensitive subject matter including references to violence and racism.
This project has been supported by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund.
From influencers and artists to teachers and even a firefighter, each episode will feature an interview between a young creative of Muslim heritage, and an inspirational Muslim woman from Nottingham.
This podcast is part of a living history project aimed at capturing the stories of Muslim women living in Nottingham today. You are invited to learn about how each of these remarkable women have overcome barriers in life to pursue their dreams and find their authentic purpose in life.The episodes are inspiring, honest and, at times, funny and infuriating as they explore what it feels like to be a Muslim woman today.
Hello. My name is Haniya.
Maryam:And my
Haniya:name is Maryam. And welcome to the See Me podcast.
Maryam:A podcast where we speak to amazing Muslim women in Nottingham and find out how they got
Haniya:to where they are. This podcast is a part of the See Me project.
Maryam:And it's funded by the National Heritage Fund.
Haniya:We're hoping to speak to influencers, artists, teachers, and even a firefighter.
Maryam:So watch this space. In this podcast, we spoke to Maliha Ali. Who is a businesswoman.
Rufaida:Hello. My name is Rufaida
Lamar:This is Lamar
Rufaida:So how's your how's your day?
Maliha Ali:My name is good. It's a
Maliha Ali:little bit nerve wracking.
Lamar:What do you spend your time doing?
Maliha Ali:So if I'm not looking after my children, I'm here working at the salon.
Rufaida:What was your journey to becoming a hairdresser?
Maliha Ali:So I remember, like, being at school. So I was probably about 14, and me and my friend used to go to the shop and buy a box dye. And literally, we had, like, a little salon in, my mom's house. So I'd spend my spare time literally foiling her hair, trying out new styles. I'd use kitchen scissors to cut her hair.
Maliha Ali:We'd just always experiment. And that was, like, my first kind of introduction into hair.
Rufaida:Do you still know her today?
Maliha Ali:Yeah she's literally my best friend.
Rufaida:So, what is what what does being a business owner mean to you?
Maliha Ali:It's a little bit daunting actually like when I think of it like that it's like oh my god, a title. The a business owner, like, it's more of a passion for me. So I don't always seem to look at it as a, like, business perspective, which sometimes can be a bad thing. But I don't know really.
Lamar:What what is the name of your salon and why did you choose it?
Maliha Ali:So it's actually a running joke. My husband used to call me Malloyage, because my most popular service that I do is a balayage. And, obviously, my name being Malia, he just merged them together and it was like a nickname around the house. He'd be like, balayage, come here. And then when we got the salon, I was like, what do I call it?
Maliha Ali:Do I call it Styled by Malia, which is, like, my Instagram name for my bridal and stuff? And I put a little poll up on Instagram, and I was like, what should I call the salon? Because previously, I'd put it on Instagram like this is what my husband calls me, and everyone found it hilarious. And I generally thought people would think they'd say, like, Malia's Hair Salon or Here by Malia or, again, Styled by Malia. But literally everyone voted for Malayage.
Maliha Ali:And I remember telling my husband, like, why the hell would they think why would they choose that? Like, it's just a it's a funny name. Like, it's a funny word. And he was like, well, I don't care. If if you choose to call it Malloyage, I want some sort of credit.
Maliha Ali:So here's your credit, Hassan. I'm giving you credit now.
Lamar:So that's how it how it came about. How did you start your business?
Maliha Ali:So I started off from a little tiny room, which was a dining room, at my mom's house. She had it built into, like, a mini salon. So I had, like, 1 sink, 1 chair, and a really big mirror. To be honest, it was, at first, like, my mini dressing room. I could go downstairs straight with my hair, curl my hair in there.
Maliha Ali:But like I said, I used to come home from school, and me and my friends used to just mess around in there, thread our eyebrows, which we wasn't supposed to do, but it was just messing around. And then I remember getting to, like, 6th form. And because I'd done a few of my friends, then a few other people would start asking, oh, why don't you do outer hair? So it became like a bit of a hobby. Ended up not actually liking 6th form, so I kind of left there.
Maliha Ali:And then I went on to do an apprenticeship in hairdressing. So I was working about 40 hours a week, finishing about 5 or 6, coming home, and then doing a client till, like, 12 o'clock at night. So I built up a little bit of a clientele. I didn't actually like working in mainstream salons that much because I felt like they didn't really cater for South Asian or Muslim clients a lot. Whether that was wearing hijab they never had any way to cater for them sitting in a room, or they just weren't comfortable with thick hair.
Maliha Ali:So they'd overcharge and say, oh, it's going to be this much. And I didn't really like that. So when I kind of came out of that, I was like, I want to do something where you don't feel singled out going to a salon. Like, I want everyone to feel inclusive, whether they wear hijab or not, whether they show their hair, or they have long or thick hair, like someone who's like them, basically. So I started traveling to people's houses at first.
Maliha Ali:That kind of broke my back. I'm not going to lie. I used to wash their hair in the bathtub, or I'd say, go and have a shower. But I'd be sat waiting downstairs in the house for hours on end. So I started renting chairs then at different salons.
Maliha Ali:That was a lot better, actually. And I just had my first child, so it was very convenient. So it's not like I had the burden of having a big salon. So I did that for a couple of years before getting my own. And now, alhamdulillah, I have my own team, so they kind of do hair as well.
Maliha Ali:I've, like, trained them up. So now I feel like I'm I'm still at the start, but I'm creating that safe space for South Asian and Muslim women.
Rufaida:What's your regular day like?
Maliha Ali:My regular day is I get up. I sort the kids out. I if I'm not at home, with the kids, then I come into work. We have a load of clients. It could be the day is always different.
Maliha Ali:It's not we're not always doing the same type of thing. So I could be doing a wedding here that day. I could be doing the wedding party, so, like, the guests attending the wedding, or I could be in the salon doing that or just doing color, so it's very different every single day.
Lamar:What do you enjoy, miss, about your job?
Maliha Ali:I actually enjoy the fact that every day is different. I get to meet so many different people, who have come from different walks of life. It's just being a part of the day, like, from you usually sat in the salon for about 7 hours. So seeing someone at the start who maybe isn't so confident in themselves and then them walking out and then being a 100% confident in the way they look and how they feel, it's a really, like, I don't know the
Lamar:word, rewarding experience. What happens if someone doesn't like their hairstyle?
Maliha Ali:Alhamdulillah, I've never really had that many experiences, but we are quite accommodating. So obviously, it's your hair. You know your hair more than I do. Especially if it's the first time I'm meeting you, you'll know what suits you rather than I do. I can only advise on, say, what I think suits you from my point of view, but you look at yourself in the mirror and you know your facial features.
Maliha Ali:So I find it very important that we work together so that you feel important and included in part of that. It's not always like it's my vision, what I say goes. It's also important about what the client wants to achieve. So if they don't like something, say their fringe is a bit too long, they want to go shorter, I'm always very accommodating to that. So we kind of just go with how the client wants to go.
Rufaida:When you meet someone for the first time who wants to start their own business, what would you tell them?
Maliha Ali:I would say it's not an easy process. You'll sometimes you'll wake up and be like, why the hell did I choose this journey? But you have to stay consistent and persistent, I'd say, and take every day as it comes because it's not easy process. So, yeah, like, you have to be consistent.
Rufaida:Did you find it difficult to become a business owner and a hairstylist as a Muslim woman?
Maliha Ali:I feel like there were definitely some, like, people kind of look at you different, like, oh, you're a hairstylist. You're not you're not much kind of thing. But I kind of strive towards getting rid of that kind of image. There's not a lot of us. I'm not going to lie.
Maliha Ali:Like, there's not a lot of, Muslim owned salons that kind of, like, want to push it out there. What was the question?
Lamar:Alright. Did
Rufaida:you find it difficult to become a business owner and a hairstylist as a as a Muslim woman?
Maliha Ali:So you you have a lot of negativity in the background kind of thing, and it's like, oh, why are you doing it? No one's gonna appreciate what you do. So I feel like you again, you have to be persistent in it and push forward and put that badness to the back. And when you have a goal, you have to achieve it no matter what you do, no matter what anybody says.
Lamar:What are the stereotypes you had to fight?
Maliha Ali:So again, working with majority of Muslim women is why do you do people's hair if they're going to cover it up? And I can't stress this enough, but just because you wear a hijab or me personally, I feel like hijab isn't always a scarf on your head. Hijab is a whole like, it's your persona. It's a part of you regardless of whether you wear a scarf or not. So just because you wear a material on your head, why should you not do your own hair?
Maliha Ali:Why should you not look after your hair? A lot of people think, oh, if you wear a scarf, you don't have to brush your hair. You don't have to look after it. But then when you take your hijab off and you look at yourself in the mirror, that can make you feel like you're not happy with the way you look. So if you can empower someone that wears a hijab, Okay, they can put their hijab on after.
Maliha Ali:But at least they know when they take it off, they feel happy with what they look at in the mirror.
Rufaida:I do that. I love doing it. Do you have to do things differently because a hijabi woman comes to the salon?
Maliha Ali:So we close the blinds. We now have a new private room. So I wouldn't say anything differently. Like, it's still Okay, we're respecting their privacy. But I don't necessarily do a whole different service just for them because then I feel like they feel like they're getting a different treatment to anyone else coming in the salon.
Maliha Ali:But at the same time, like, we're still doing the normal things we were doing the salon, but with respect and their privacy and giving them either a private room or closing the blinds.
Lamar:What has been the biggest struggle for you in your life?
Maliha Ali:I think every so often I have like an identity crisis like who the hell am I? Growing up being half Pakistani and half English, I feel like I've always battled finding which 1 I am or which area I fit into. And even now at the age of nearly 27, I still feel like I don't fit in a category. I'm either too white to do this, or I'm too Pakistani, or too Muslim to do other things. And it's I said too Pakistani.
Maliha Ali:It's always too Muslim. It's not even 1 part of my heritage. It's my religion, or I'm too white. And so I've never been put into I'm just who I am kind of thing. So So I think that is that is quite hard fighting with that.
Maliha Ali:But I'm learning that I'm never gonna fit in anyway, so I either just need to be who I am and the people that like me like me and the people that don't don't and that's it really.
Rufaida:Have you ever faced racism, like, throughout your life?
Maliha Ali:I don't wanna say racism, but I feel like people have a certain outlook on on you kind of thing. I don't want to say, like, actually racist. To be honest, if anything, if I've ever gone out wearing a hijab, I've faced it a little bit more. I've noticed that people speak to you in a different tone. But that really hurts me because underneath, I would think to myself, if I didn't have this hijab on and you saw me how I normally looked, you wouldn't have spoken to me that way.
Maliha Ali:But because I have a scarf on, you've spoken to me that way. But underneath, I'm exactly what you are. And that that annoys me a little bit.
Rufaida:Every single person's telling me, you should try this hairstyle. You should try this hairstyle. I mean, like, hijab style. And then at the same time, they didn't even wear hijab. Yeah.
Rufaida:So they didn't know, like, how I could do it. And, like, you didn't know how I was, like, wearing a hijab and what, like
Maliha Ali:People don't know until what's happening. They've worn it for themselves or found their own journey towards it.
Lamar:If you had a magic wand and could change 1 thing in the industry, what would it be?
Maliha Ali:The way people price their services when it comes to thick, dark, and long hair because I feel like it really singles us out. We're born with long, thick hair. We don't choose to have it. So a lot of people are forced to do their own hair or box either own hair or go to people that are maybe not qualified or they don't do they don't specialize in our hair type because of the prices that the leading salons charge. They will literally look at us and think, oh my god, she's got such thick, long hair.
Maliha Ali:Charge her £700. Charge her £1,000. And if they want it, they're going to pay for it. And I feel like that's not really fair because, Okay, we have long, thick hair, and it takes longer to do. But allocate that time and spend that time with that client, build a relationship with that client, get to know them like you would any other client.
Maliha Ali:But I just feel like when it comes to long, thick, dark hair, it's money, money, money, and I just hate that outlook.
Lamar:You also have a social media account where you share a lot of posts about your business. How do you think social media has changed how we think about beauty?
Maliha Ali:I think social media plays a very very big role in this. Like, when you look to, like, TikTok, Instagram, like, a lot of young girls, they find their trends from these, social media accounts. I think it works both on the flip side. It's really good for growth and finding new tips and tricks. And I love TikTok for recipes at the moment, like, lamb chops in air fryer for 10 minutes.
Maliha Ali:Wow. Even we've started sharing about hair care. It's really good, but then at the same time, there's kind of, like, a little bit of a bad side to it because it's always this pressure to, like, stay on trend. And sometimes you just you can't keep up so it's a little bit hard.
Lamar:What do you think you would do for a career when you were 12?
Rufaida:I actually wanted to be
Maliha Ali:a lawyer. Yeah, I never would have envisioned this, what I have now. I wanted to well, I was obsessed with Law and Order. Was it NCIS, I think? And I watched too much of it as a kid, to be honest.
Maliha Ali:And I was like, yeah, I wanna put murderers away. I wanna do this. I wanna do that. And then it wasn't until I got to 6th form, and I was like, okay, I can't do anything fun. I have to get my head down.
Maliha Ali:So I chose double geography, double science, law, and I was so bored. The only 1 subject that I did was fashion, and I distinction star and then failing all my other subjects. And that was another thing that kind of pushed me to do my apprenticeship because I was just so bored of reading. And I wanted to do something creative. And I feel like everyone thinks that you have to go to uni.
Maliha Ali:You have to do this. You have to study. But not everybody is like that. Some people are a little bit more creative, and they learn in different ways. And that was definitely me.
Maliha Ali:I was kind of pushing myself to become a lawyer because of what I'd seen. And oh, no 1 else in the family went to uni. I went I was the first granddaughter. I wanted to set an example, but I didn't in the end. But I still feel like my grandparents are proud.
Rufaida:If you could get back in time and
Maliha Ali:tell your story of yourself about something, what would it be? I would definitely tell little me that you don't have to think about what anyone's gonna think about you because regardless, they will think what they think, whether you do good, you do something that you don't like they don't like, just do it again anyway.
Lamar:How do you think your 12 year old self would respond?
Maliha Ali:Probably with why because that was like my favorite my grandma used to always say why do you say why? Why can't you just do what you're told? And I'd always say but why? Why? Why?
Maliha Ali:So that would probably be my response.
Rufaida:Do you like Nottingham?
Maliha Ali:I do. It's it's my hometown and it's very very central.
Lamar:Have you ever thought about wanting to leave Nottingham or move anywhere else? Yes.
Maliha Ali:I do want to move to Dubai eventually, Insha'Allah.
Lamar:What what's it like being a Muslim woman living in Nottingham?
Maliha Ali:It's very multicultural here. So I don't as much as I say that I I don't fit somewhere because there's enough of it's very diverse. At the same time, I still feel comfortable here. I don't know if I moved somewhere else if I'd feel even more like I don't fit into a sector.
Rufaida:Who and what inspires you the most and why?
Maliha Ali:My mom. As she would if she was here, she'll probably be like, why she said me? Me and my mom, we we fight like hand dog. My mom went through a lot. When was younger, it's not very common for a Pakistani woman to be with an English man, so my mom got a lot of stick for it.
Maliha Ali:Growing up and being an older child, I obviously I didn't understand it because I've just seen her being with someone that she wanted to be with. I didn't understand why people couldn't just allow it to happen. But, like, even growing up, I've never come across anyone else whose dad is white and their mom is Pakistani. So that again made me feel very singled out. And for my mom to be with someone who was white back in those days, it was very like you never saw it.
Maliha Ali:And she kind of just you never saw her be put down by it. She still did what she wanted to do, and she got through it. That perseverance, I feel like it was kind of instilled in me to get through anything really. If she could get through that, I can get through anything.
Rufaida:I don't know. I I
Lamar:I'm just saying you're not you look
Rufaida:wait. Do you know what I'm saying? I'm saying okay. Wait. Nothing's come to my head now.
Rufaida:I think, yeah, your mom would act. If she was right here, she'd be so proud of you. Probably give it, like, a massive for free now.
Maliha Ali:Like I said, me and my mom, we're not even, like, huggy type of people. We she works in the salon and we fight like cat or dog.
Lamar:You
Maliha Ali:can ask to yourself. We have more of a relationship like we're sisters, so physical touch. It's not a thing that we do, so we don't we don't hug. We never say, like I I'm not type 1st. If
Lamar:if she
Maliha Ali:was to say she loves
Haniya:me, I'll be
Maliha Ali:like, ugh. No. Never say that to me. So yeah, we
Haniya:we have a bit of a
Maliha Ali:I think it's because she had me when she was quite young. So we grew up like sisters. So not every sister has that lovey dovey relationship. Even my own my own sister, she's 6 years younger than me. Again, if I were to hug her, she'd be like, ew, get off me.
Lamar:Knowing that your mom has, from Pakistani culture has married a British man, in this generation, do you think she would face the same struggles?
Maliha Ali:I don't think in this day and age, no. I feel like, a lot of people out the newer age parents, they're understanding that being with someone, as long as they have a mutual connection, like, you you can't help who who you get with at the end of the day. And I feel like the cultural pressures are what causes the difficulty. So I feel like nowadays people are more aware of this, and they don't cause as much issues for the the other people. So cultural pressures I'd say is you have to marry the same, the same beliefs, the same the same everything, basically.
Maliha Ali:And because they feel like you're not going to get on. However, my my mom and dad, my dad is actually devout atheist, and my mom is a practicing Muslim. So my mom and dad aren't together now, but so for some people, they'll be like, see, we told you so. Told you so. But for me, I'm half white but my husband is full Pakistani and Muslim.
Maliha Ali:And we do have okay some disagreements but I don't think that stopped us from becoming stronger and kind of using those weaknesses as a strength. Yeah. The core to our pressures are it's just keep it within 1 thing just so you don't go through problems. But I feel like when you have pressure, pressure makes diamonds, right? So if everything's in the same environment, you're not going to have anything that advances.
Maliha Ali:You're just going to be in that same circle for however long until someone kind of breaks out of that cycle and introduces something new. And then only then will you see new perspectives.
Lamar:If you could broadcast a message to the whole world, what would that be? It would
Maliha Ali:be to raise more awareness on Palestine and the atrocities that are happening there. It just needs more awareness for what is going on and the genocide that is happening there. The children, the mothers, the young children that aren't able. So we're talking about you guys, what you could be. They're thinking about their next move, what they're gonna eat within the next, whether they're gonna live or not.
Maliha Ali:And it's sad to say that sometimes, like, we're sat here thinking about the future, whereas what future do they see? So I'd definitely raise awareness and broadcast to the world what is happening there.
Rufaida:I like to look like a blind eye to, like, whatever's happening. I'm not I'm not pointing at people, but, like, everybody, like, Rishi Sunak, I think Australia, and the USA. I don't I don't know. They they they're just assuming that just because, we're, like, Arab, we're Muslim, just because we're anything, they just think that we're the bad people, that we're the terrorists. Yeah.
Rufaida:So when Israel reaches out, even though they have more military, they are using weapons that you should use, like, during, like, bigger wars. They're using it against a country that can't even defend themselves. They they literally receive rocks against tanks. Children who have been lied to, who who were trying to literally survive, They can't didn't even have a home to sleep in, didn't have food, didn't have resources, and yet, Israelians are just pointing at them like, oh, you guys are the terrible people, weird, innocent people.
Maliha Ali:Yeah. But This is the thing with social media and media. They can portray whatever they want, and obviously appeal to the masses. But again, this is something that you should always do your own research on. You should follow the, follow the money trail of who is, supporting what and what they're actually doing because it's okay putting on this fake facade.
Maliha Ali:But again, on social media, there's loads of things that show what they are actually doing. They are the stuff they do to light the dead bodies. It's it's just disgusting. But if enough awareness is created, more people can see what they're actually doing. But again, this is all Qadr of Allah.
Maliha Ali:So these things were written as well. So as heartbreaking it is to see, this was all written to happen. So you have to keep your patience, and the miracles will come. To be honest, I I suppose I just want everyone to be their authentic self, really. Like, you shouldn't have to hide who you are or what you want to be for again, cultural or societal norms just to fit in.
Maliha Ali:Like, I always say this like you should always be yourself because the people who are going to support you, they're going to like you. They'll they'll find a way. And the people who don't, they don't. And even if no matter what you do, you could try your hardest to be liked, or to be supported. But if they don't want to, they won't.
Maliha Ali:They'll always find some something negative in you no matter what you do. So you should always be authentic because you're only proving it to yourself, not to them.
Rufaida:If you could give young girls like us any advice, what advice would that be?
Maliha Ali:Have fun, look after yourself, always think about yourself and your family and just be aware of what is around you and always use your login.
Lamar:Thank you so much for coming and being a part of this.
Rufaida:I have nothing to say.
Maliha Ali:Thank you for coming here and being a part of this.
Lamar:Oh, yeah. Okay. Wait. But like she's She has to drive from home safely. Yeah.
Lamar:I live up the road.
Maliha Ali:You guys came from
Rufaida:far? Yeah.
Haniya:Isn't Maliha such an inspirational woman?
Maryam:I learned so much about how it can take time to reach where we want to
Haniya:to be, but it's worth it. We hope you did too.
Maryam:Tune in next time to hear from other inspirational Muslim women in Nottingham.