THE Muslim Women’s Council launches its first national report on the impact of COVID-19.

Muslim Women’s Council established the Think Tank programme in 2019, aimed at enabling Muslim women to represent their lived experiences and needs. The first study looks at the impact of the lockdown on Muslim women in the UK, including issues such as home-schooling children and the impact on mental and physical health to views on government handling of the crisis and challenges to civil liberties.

With many pieces of research currently being undertaken about the impact of the pandemic on the general population, the Council's researchers felt it was important to examine the impact of the pandemic on their lives as Muslim women, in a timely and relevant manner.

Further analysis and reflection is yet to be revealed.

The researchers formulated questions around distinct themes relating to the impact of the pandemic, culminating in a nationwide online survey.

This is a preliminary report, the aim of which is to convey the views and voices of Muslim women about COVID-19. A further analytical reflection on these findings will follow.

Bana Gora, CEO of Muslim Women’s Council, said: “Our aim is to ensure that new relevant research is produced directly by Muslim women on issues that they feel are important to them & their communities, building trust between communities and research institutes.

"The evidence, recommendations and solutions generated by them will be used to demonstrate how the government and both the public and private sectors can help create conditions that allow Muslim women to thrive. The results indicate many common concerns and experiences amongst Muslim women across the UK."