There was a time when Amira Patel had never hiked. Though she has always loved outdoors, the niqabi Muslim woman did not find the courage to explore the UK.
During the lockdown due to the pandemic, Patel moved from Bolton to the Lake District and became an outdoor walking leader.
“When it came to the pandemic, we did not really have much to do. I started to explore the UK and I realized this is what I actually want to do. I just loved being outdoor,” Patel told The BBC.
📚 Read Also: Muslim Hikers Set to Challenge Racism on UK’s Highest Mountain
Doing so, she inspired and created an outdoors community of over 1000 Muslim women in a social hiking group called ‘The Wanderlust Women’.
“‘The Wanderlust Women’ is targeted for Muslim women, but it is open to anyone who wants to join,” she said.
The 29-year-old said she spends her days rock climbing, wild swimming, and kayaking, hoping the group would encourage more women to become confident walking in the wild.
“The main aim is to encourage women, just generally, to become more confident in the outdoors,” Patel said.
“The reason why that I created this group was to have a safe space for Muslim women because there was nothing like this.”
Muslims’ approach to sports is often determined by religious, cultural, and ethnic factors.
In general, Islam promotes good health and fitness and encourages both men and women to engage in physical activity to maintain healthy lifestyles.
Recently, a growing number of Muslim women have been taking part in different sports recently, in a celebration of diversity.