Zainam Bostan tells us about discovering her faith with Al Isharah who provide accessible services for Deaf Muslims (BSL)

My name is Zainam, I am profoundly deaf and I am based in London. My role in Al Isharah is several; I teach BSL level 1, I teach Islamic studies to deaf children and teenagers and I work in the deaf club service provided by Al Isharah.  

I don’t know exactly how many deaf Muslims there are in the UK. I can only personally say I have seen large communities especially in London and Birmingham. 

Generally, a lot of hearing services are not accessible to many deaf Muslims especially those whose first language is BSL. I’ve seen many times where my friends would go to religious lecture events only to find there are no interpreters (even though they requested for it) just to show lack of deaf awareness.

Many deaf Muslims lose interest or don’t feel any spiritual connection with Allah (God) because of the lack of access to the language. They don’t understand nor can they read the Qur’an (the Holy book). 

However, Al Isharah’s services help many deaf Muslims. For example, they offer Friday lectures in BSL, a special BSL Quran translation project that helps deaf Muslims understand the Qur’an in BSL, resources like “How to pray in BSL” is out on YouTube to help deaf Muslims pray and build a spiritual connection with Allah.

For all Al Isharah events, there are interpreters to make it accessible for deaf Muslims. Every service they offer is made fully accessible. 

For over 20 years, I neither understood nor practiced my religion because I lacked the necessary teachings and access. I didn’t grow up in a practicing household and my surroundings, friends and environment didn’t help. I constantly felt this profound sense of being ‘lost’ only to realise that it was because I didn’t have Islam in my life. 

In 2018, I discovered the BSL Qur’an on YouTube which led me to Al Isharah. That was a turning point in my life. I began practicing Islam and it was only because of Al Isharah.

I was now around people with knowledge and I was learning from them. Al Isharah provided me with full access to learning my faith. Embracing my religion literally transformed my life for the better. 

Before Al Isharah, I had few Muslim friends. It was only when I joined this beautiful community that I began to make friends with the other deaf Muslims.

These friends have stood by me through my darkest times. Whenever I faced difficulties I found strength in my faith. Islam was my anchor and my faith was only nurtured by Al Isharah. 

At Al Isharah there are a variety of deaf staff/volunteers. The age range starts from 16+ onwards. There are around over 30+ deaf Muslim staff that work for the services in Al Isharah and over 26+ deaf volunteers. The age range differs up to the age of 64. 

The most memorable moment of working with deaf Muslims was Al Isharah deaf Umrah back in November 2023 when we traveled to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage called ‘Umrah’. You can see a little highlight reel on Instagram I helped create about this here. 

During my time in Makkah (the city where the Holy Kaaba is) a group of deaf ladies asked if I could lead the ‘tawaf’ (which means circumbalating the Holy Kaaba 7 times) at night, signing the supplications in BSL.

I was overwhelmed with happiness, knowing I could lead and help them sign while being in the presence of our most holy site. It was an incredibly honourable and rewarding experience. 

Ramadan is also the most important month of the year for Muslims around the world. It’s a month where Muslims fast for 30 days. It’s a month where the Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings be upon him (messenger of Allah). It’s a month where Muslims reflect, ask for forgiveness, repent their sins, give charity, and practice self-discipline. 

Al Isharah is wonderful throughout Ramadan. They release supplications such as what to say before and after breaking the fast and host yearly deaf iftar (breaking fast) gatherings with the deaf community.

They also offer special Ramadan Friday lectures and release weekly BSL Qur’an videos on YouTube. Lots of deaf Muslims feel even more in their spiritual state because of Al Isharah and especially what they offer to the Muslim deaf community during Ramadan. 

If someone would like to know more about Islam or Al Isharah they can get in touch by emailing info@alisharah.com, checking out the website or finding us on socials. The door at Al Isharah is always open if anyone wants to get in touch with us. 

Al Isharah’s office is based in East London, Whitechapel and inside of London Muslim Centre (floor 4, room 403.)

Instagram: @alisharah 

Facebook: Al isharah 

Tiktok: @al_isharah