Ayesha Mian 

One of our hosts from Norton Rose Fullbright spoke about her volunteer work with the Utrujj Foundation, a leading religious educational institution in the UK.

Sharing an anecdote, Ayesha, who from a young age had always wanted to change the world for the better, once asked a group of a hundred guests at an Utrujj event, to raise their hands if they too wanted to change the world; hers was the only hand which went up as others seemed less interested.

That experience while disappointing did not discourage Ayesha from wanting to contribute towards positive change. Her view is, “If I cannot change the world directly, I will support those who can.”

Yet in her personal capacity, she and her husband live off-grid, have their own chickens, grow their own fish, and try to set a positive example of how to live better, for the environment. The effect of climate change is a major motivator for Ayesha, and she’s a firm supporter of improving life, one person at a time.

Special Guests

One of the guests for the evening Alysha Badiani, an accountant by profession, and author of the publication BeYoutiful You, spoke about an incident when volunteering to model on a catwalk which left her feeling insecure. She used that experience to learn more about herself and become better.

The charity partner for the night was Forgotten Women. Speaking on their behalf, a British Muslim convert, Lucy Rae, said that the charity’s efforts are “about giving women dignity, a voice,” helping them rebuild their lives. This philosophy fits within this year’s theme: each for equal.

Closing the event, AML representative Iram Iqbal said, “We can all lift each other up.”

Indeed, whether women or men, our success as a society, humanity, can only be achieved when we follow the Prophetic advice of wanting for one another what we want for ourselves.

AML’s efforts for International Women’s Day this year has certainly reminded us of this, and perhaps has brought us one step closer to doing so.