Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Zanib Mian: ‘I want to educate through non-preachy, real stories’

Writing from a British Muslim point of view was an opportunity to tackle misconceptions about the community, says the author of new children's book  Meet the Maliks – Twin Detectives

Zanib Mian: ‘I want to educate through non-preachy, real stories’

AUTHOR Zanib Mian said she wanted to give readers “a window into the lives of everyday Muslims” with her new children’s book, Meet the Maliks – Twin Detectives.

Aimed at primary school children, the story revolves around twins Maysa and Musa Malik who set out to solve the mystery of who destroyed their treats at a cookie-making competition at a local mosque.


Writing from a British Muslim point of view was an opportunity to tackle misconceptions about the community, Mian said.

“I never start with a misrepresentation and then try to correct it. I write quite organically so people learn through the story,” she told Eastern Eye. “It’s not preachy at all, it just intertwines in the story. When you are writing about a Muslim family, things naturally come up – praying, wearing the hijab, fasting during Ramadan.”

She added: “We’ve come a long way, but I still feel Muslims can be misunderstood and misrepresented even today. This book is for people who don’t have Muslim friends or someone they’re close enough to that they can ask questions and learn from.

Capture 14 Her latest book

“It’s important to iron out misunderstandings and educate through these kinds of books, and for me to feature a Muslim family, a mosque, an imam.

“People who only know about Islam through the lens of right-wing newspapers, for example, will have a completely different image of what an imam is. I wanted everyone to meet the imamnext-door kind of thing.”

Mian’s books have featured on BBC’s Cbeebies Bedtime Stories and in the Guardian for their contribution to diversity in children’s literature.

Her Planet Omar series revolves around a young Muslim boy who, in his imagination, builds rockets, rescues his friends from ‘aliens’ and saves his local mosque from closing down, among other adventures.

The series also deals with issues such as bullying and prejudice in a sensitive way.

“I love when I get messages from teachers and parents saying the kids learned so much about Ramadan,” she recalled. “Parents have said to me, ‘we’re not even Muslim, but my kids go around saying Assalamu Alaikum to everyone’.

“It’s just equipping children with information so they can build a better picture in their minds instead of building like a Daily Mail picture when they grow up.”

Mian said she ensures her books have characters from different backgrounds so it appeals to all children. In Planet Omar, the lead character’s friends are Charlie and Daniel. And in Meet the Maliks, the twins go on their adventures with their neighbour and friend Norman.

“There’s a lot that appeals to non-Muslim readers as well, because they are just everyday kids and doing everyday stuff. Even though there are things about Islam and Muslims, it’s more than that,” she said.

“It was very intentional (to have nonMuslim characters). Norman asks questions which provides me the opportunity to educate the reader. There’s a funny scene where Norman’s doing his wudu (ablution before praying) for the first time and the kids teach him how to do it. He asks, ‘why are you waking up in the middle of the night to eat?’. And we find out because it’s Ramadan and the kids are having suhur (pre-fast meal).”

She added: “Kids are going to grow up having Muslim and non-Muslim friends. The story is just organic. It’s just being real.

“We have a responsibility because if we don’t do it, then someone else is going to do it the wrong way. As a Muslim author I see it as a responsibility and I love doing it.”

Mian didn’t see Muslim characters in books when she was a child and this continued when she had children herself – she said they couldn’t relate to characters in books they read. After studying molecular cell biology at UCL, she worked as a science teacher before switching careers to write children’s books.

“As a little girl, I wrote lots of poetry and stories. I have got notebooks filled with stories and poems which my mum kept for me. Then at high school I followed my love for science and completely lost that side of myself until I had my own kids,” she said.

“I told my children stories and realised there’s literally no ethnic minority characters in fun stories. You’ll find them in stories about Ramadan or Diwali, but there was nothing in mainstream, fun stories.

“I published my first book in 2009 while I was still teaching. That was when nobody was talking about the lack of diversity in books or on screen. But I was self-publishing books featuring families from minority backgrounds.

“In 2014, I realised if I wanted to really make a go of this and get the books on the shelves and do it properly, I was going to have to give up my teaching job and focus on it as a full-time thing.”

Planet Omar was originally called The Muslims. Main admitted it was a struggle to get publishers on board, so she published the book herself, although that meant struggling to get it in the mainstream.

“My vision was to open up my tiny little independent publishing house and publish books by other authors,” she said.

“In 2013, the hashtag We Need Diverse Books really took off and it became a conversation where publishers were addressing this issue. But it took a while. I was still publishing my own books. It was really hard to get them on the shelves because they weren’t being published by one of the big five publishers.

“Then in 2017, Planet Omar won the Little Rebels Children’s Book Award which got the attention of the publishers and they told me they were interested.

“It was a kind of a funny route into traditional publishing.”

More For You

Glowborne

Each character in the set has been carefully designed to reflect cultural narratives

Glowborne

Anika Chowdhury reimagines chess with Glowborne, reviving its South Asian and East African origins

Highlights:

  • British-Bangladeshi prop maker Anika Chowdhury has designed a handcrafted glow-in-the-dark chess set celebrating heritage and identity.
  • The limited-edition set, called Glowborne, launches on Kickstarter in October.
  • Each piece draws from South Asian, Middle Eastern, and African cultural references, re-rooting chess in its origins.
  • The project blends art, storytelling, and representation, aiming to spark conversations about identity in play.

Reimagining chess through heritage

When Anika Chowdhury sat down to sculpt her first chess piece, she had a bigger vision than simply redesigning a classic game. A British-Bangladeshi prop maker working in the film industry, she grew up loving fantasy and games but rarely saw faces like hers in Western storytelling.

“Chess originated in India, travelled through Arabia and North Africa, and was later Westernised,” she explains. “I wanted to bring those forgotten origins back to the board.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Piranhas’ police box

The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024

Getty Images

Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ police box heads to London Museum

Highlights:

  • Banksy’s ‘Piranhas’ artwork, painted on a police sentry box, is being stored ahead of display at London Museum.
  • The piece was originally one of nine works that appeared across London in August 2024.
  • It will form part of the museum’s new Smithfield site, opening in 2026.
  • The City of London Corporation donated the artwork as part of its £222m museum relocation project.

Banksy’s police box artwork in storage

A Banksy artwork known as Piranhas has been placed in storage ahead of its future display at the London Museum’s new Smithfield site, scheduled to open in 2026. The piece features spray-painted piranha fish covering the windows of a police sentry box, giving the illusion of an aquarium.

From Ludgate Hill to Guildhall Yard

The police box, which had stood at Ludgate Hill since the 1990s, was swiftly removed by the City of London Corporation after Banksy confirmed authorship. It was initially displayed at Guildhall Yard, where visitors could view it from behind safety barriers. The Corporation has since voted to donate the piece to the London Museum.

Keep ReadingShow less
DDLJ director Aditya Chopra earns UK Stage Debut Awards nod for 'Come Fall in Love'

Aditya Chopra (right) with his father, Yash Chopra

YRF

DDLJ director Aditya Chopra earns UK Stage Debut Awards nod for 'Come Fall in Love'

BOLLYWOOD filmmaker Aditya Chopra was last Thursday (21) named among the nominees of the UK Stage Debut Awards for his Come Fall in LoveThe DDLJ Musical, performed at Manchester’s Opera House earlier this year.

Chopra delivered a blockbuster in 1995 with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, popular as DDLJ, with Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan in the lead roles. It was adapted to a theatrical production and had its UK premiere in May.

Keep ReadingShow less
viral qawwali group UK tour

The group have introduced fresh orchestral elements and added instruments to expand their live sound

Qawwal Group

Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group brings viral energy and rich heritage to UK tour

Highlights:

  • The Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group return to the UK with a nationwide tour after viral success online.
  • The ensemble of brothers blend centuries-old qawwali traditions with fresh improvisations that connect with young audiences.
  • From Pakistan to the USA and UK, their performances have won acclaim for their electrifying energy and spiritual depth.
  • Fans can expect new instruments, reimagined classics, and the same message of love and harmony at this year’s shows.

From viral sensation to global stages

When a performance goes viral, it can change an artist’s career overnight. For the Shahbaz Fayyaz Qawwal Group, their stirring renditions of Bhar Do Jholi and B Kafara propelled them from local fame in Pakistan to global recognition, amassing millions of views across platforms. What set them apart was not just the power of their voices, but the way their music resonated with younger listeners who were hearing qawwali with fresh ears.

That viral momentum soon carried them beyond borders, leading to major performances in the United States and the UK. “It wasn’t just one track,” the group explained. “We revived older gems like Kali Kali Zulfon and Dil Pukare Aaja in our own style, and those went viral again, showing that qawwali still speaks across generations.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Annie Jagannadham

Born in 1864 in Visakhapatnam, Annie began medical studies at Madras Medical College, one of the few institutions in India then open to women.

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

How Dr Annie Jagannadham broke barriers in medicine

DR ANNIE WARDLAW JAGANNADHAM was the first Indian woman to gain a medical degree at a British university and have her name added to the UK medical register in 1890.

Her story has been revisited by the General Medical Council (GMC) as part of South Asian Heritage Month. Tista Chakravarty-Gannon, from the GMC Outreach team, explored her life with support from GMC archivist Courtney Brucato.

Keep ReadingShow less