The 8th March marks International Women’s Day, this year the theme is #BreakTheBias.

Mahabba Network members have been working with women across the UK (and the world!) for several decades. As a network, we have a heart for every Muslim person in the UK, and we love to hear stories of how people across the network have taken the time to gain trust and build relationships with Muslim women in their local area.

Women are at the centre of many Muslim families, and at the centre of their communities. They hold the responsibility of maintaining and passing on faith, and it is often a heavy responsibility. It may be the men who take the children to their Qur’anic classes, but it is likely a woman has organised it.

Obviously, no two Muslim women are the same, just as no two Christian women are the same. Getting to know someone, their anxieties, their background and how they practice their faith, will give us so much more fuel for praying than a google search! 

Here are three areas for prayer, as shared with us by members of Mahabba.

• Family: Muslim women often worry that now they are living in the UK, they will struggle to pass on their faith to their children. They can’t understand how, in this Christian country, there are so many secular influences. What can they do to protect their children?

  That certainly sounds familiar to us as Christian parents.

  Finding common ground is so important. Many times in school playgrounds groups of mums and caregivers gather in separate groups, based on nationality. It takes courage to break a few social barriers!

  One of our members tells the story of a mum doing just that. She started intentionally chatting to mums from different backgrounds when she was picking up her children from school. From that came playdates, and from that came international cooking get-togethers.

  Pray that you will find an opportunity to engage with women in your community, perhaps using that shared language of parenthood, and build relationships.

• Ramadan: Ramadan is fast approaching, with all the excitement it brings for the community. It’s a corporate renewal of faith, an enormous sense of belonging. It’s likely the Muslim women you know will be run off their feet with cooking, planning and shopping for Eid gifts. They may not be able to see you. But you can send a text occasionally to encourage them.

  Pray for the women you know, that as they seek deeper spiritual understanding, they would find it in Jesus.

• Faith: Finally, let’s pray that we, as men and women who know the love of Jesus would recognise the opportunities around us. That we would grasp those opportunities to be a faithful witness. And that we would take time to spend ‘doing life’ together and getting to know each other.

  Let’s pray that for each Muslim woman in the UK, there would be a Christian woman praying for her.

Network Survey

We’d love to check in with Mahabba prayer groups across the country, find out how you’re doing, and how we can support you moving forward. The pandemic has changed the way we gather and connect and we would like to find out more about how groups are adapting to the challenges.

Please take a few moments to CLICK HERE and fill in the survey.

Ramadan Prayer

During Ramadan, we have lots of prayer events happening across April. Don’t miss out! Click below to find out more about what’s on.