A BRADFORD project, set up to offer new opportunities for young Muslim women in the UK, is appealing for votes for a national award.
Muslim Girls Fence beat off competition from more than 1,300 organisations to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards project of the year category, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects which do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding.
It is one of 17 shortlisted finalists from across the UK, all of which will compete in a public vote to be named the National Lottery Project of the Year. Winners will receive a £5,000 cash prize for their project and a National Lottery Awards trophy.
Muslim Girls Fence is a collaboration between Maslaha and British Fencing which aims to facilitate spaces at a grassroots level for Muslim girls and women to challenge assumptions and narratives relating to their gender, racial, religious and other identities through both physical and creative methods. They hold workshops in Bradford, London, Doncaster and Birmingham.
Muslim Girls Fence received £218,808 of National Lottery funding through Sport England and £299,953 from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Fencing has usually been viewed as an elitist sport reserved for those from privileged, white backgrounds, but Muslim Girls Fence seeks to change that. This programme physically confronts the stereotypes of fencers while also working to skewer society’s misconceptions about Muslim women, a group who face complex discrimination on the basis of both faith and gender.
Before they fence, they begin sessions with workshops exploring themes of identity and self-expression through creative exercises such as collaging, drawing, photography and poetry. The young women report feeling more confident and enjoy being immersed in a new activity afterwards.
Allia Fredericks, Muslim Girls Fence at Maslaha senior project manager, said: “We are delighted that Muslim Girls Fence (MGF) is a finalist in this year’s National Lottery Awards – even more so because there are so many incredible projects.
“National Lottery funding meant that we could continue to deliver and facilitate spaces for girls during covid – and particularly Muslim Girls – to verbally, creatively and physically challenge assumptions related to their identities which negatively impact their wellbeing and experiences.”
The voting has been suspended during the national period of mourning, following the death of Her Majesty the Queen. It is expected to resume around September 20.
To vote for Muslim Girls Fence until 5pm on October 7, go to lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards or use the Twitter hashtag #NLAMuslimGirlsFence
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