Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Zayneb Haleem’s journey from digital doodles to published success

New book celebrates identity and representation of hijabi women

Zayneb Haleem’s journey from digital doodles to published success
Zayneb Haleem

FOR Zayneb Haleem, digital illustrating began as a way to pass time while expecting her second child, but her artwork has since attracted a huge social media following and a first book, titled Dear Moon.

Often paired with inspirational quotes from the Qu’ran, her illustrations are especially popular within the Muslim community.


Dear Moon features a collection of her most loved as well as brand-new illustrations.

“I’ve been into art since I was a child, doodling here and there, but as an artist, my interests changed over time into things like weaving and needling,” Haleem told Eastern Eye.

“When I was expecting my daughter, I couldn’t do a lot of things because my movement was limited. I couldn’t do traditional art with paint, so I just picked up my phone and I drew something digitally with my finger and sent it to my husband who was really impressed. And that’s how it all started.”

Initially, she admits she was “self-conscious” of others seeing her work. She created an Instagram page, but didn’t disclose she was the author nor use techniques such as hashtags to promote her artwork.

“I didn’t want anyone to know who I am. But little by little, the support and attention grew, people wanted to see more and more, and my confidence grew,” she said.

Her Instagram page, Idotdoodle, has almost 270,000 followers now. She gives an insight into her thought process when creating her illustrations and accompanying quotes.

“It’s my art journal. When I see something in the Qu’ran and I get inspired, or a message I needed at that time, I keep reminding myself of the quote whilst I draw and that’s how they come together,” she said.

Her first project outside of her Idotdoodle was Maymoona’s Moon:

A Special Eid Story – a children’s picture book about the end of Ramadan, and waiting for Eid to begin; it was written by Razeena Omar Guta and Haleem did the illustrations.

Dear Moon, a project that took a year to complete, has been written and illustrated by Haleem. The book follows the journey of Zayneb’s recurring character from Idotdoodle of a young hijabi girl and encourages readers to reflect on their own journeys, celebrating how far they’ve come, appreciating where they are right now, and looking to the future.

“I’ve always wanted reminders, messages, inspirational quotes in a book form, but also combining that with illustrations, because I’ve always been a visual learner,” she said.

“The book goes in a seasonal journey which is reflected in the illustrations. And we’ve accompanied them with nice quotes from the Qu’ran and my personal quotes as well that are there to inspire people and help them get through the good and bad times in life.”

The young hijabi character in Dear Moon doesn’t have a name – it was a conscious decision on Haleem’s part as she wanted to the character to be relatable to anyone.

“I always get asked about the character’s name,” she said.

“As an artist, when I draw an illustration and put it out, I feel like it’s to the person who is looking at it. It’s up to them to consume the art and relate with it.”

The cover of her new book

Haleem was born and raised in Sri Lanka. She has been living in the UK for a decade and said one of the reasons for focusing on a character who wears a hijab was to break stereotypes around the garment. She said non-Muslims wanted to find out more about her artwork and faith.

“I know the importance of being seen and heard,” Haleem said.

“Women that wear a hijab are no different to any other woman. They are smart, courageous and are pushing boundaries in all walks of life.

“When I started the page, I wanted people to see a side of our faith that had a little bit of humour, inspiring quotes, everyday life – it (representation of Islam) doesn’t always have to be harsh and strong, it can be a soft and little bit playful too.”

Haleem added that representation has always been important to her as growing up, as she did not see hijabi characters in bookstores.

“As a child, it would have been so inspiring to me. It’s like giving that little bit of hope and little bit of guidance, a little bit of inspiration to anyone who is looking at my book, it’s really important to have that in our community,” Haleem said.

She’s seen the impact her artwork on the community.

“The other day, I got a DM (direct message) from a young adult who said her grandfather wants her to be an artist, like a digital illustrator or an animator. She showed my account to him to show there are people like me who are doing what she wants to do and he was really impressed,” said Haleem.

“It’s those things that really touch my heart,” she added.

 Dear Moon is available to buy from December 5.

More For You

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
Tarek Amin

A visual dialogue between flesh and spirit

Manzu Islam

Tarek Amin's 'Echoes of Existence' showcases bodies caught in time and reaching for escape

Manzu Islam

Highlights:

  • Woodcut prints that explore the fragile threshold between body, time, and transcendence
  • Inspired by Baul mystics like Lalon Shai and Shah Abdul Karim, as well as sculptural forms from Michelangelo to Rodin
  • Figures emerge from black holes and womb-like voids — trapped in time yet reaching for freedom
  • A visual dialogue between flesh and spirit, rootedness and flight
  • A bold continuation of South Asian metaphysical traditions in contemporary form
  • Paradox becomes the path: muscular bodies dream of escape through light, memory, and love
  • Expressionist in tone, haunting in imagery — a theatre of becoming


I imagine Tarek Amin (Ruhul Amin Tarek) has a singular vision as his hands work on his craft, his measuring eyes, the membranes of his fingers. They are mostly woodcut prints on the threshold of becoming, from darkened holes. A human figure dangling in space, yet not without gravitational pull, the backwards tilt of the head is like a modern-day high jumper in the fall position, the muscles and ribcage straining to keep the body's mass afloat. A clock is ticking away in the background of a darkened rectangle. Is it the black hole, the womb, or the nothingness from which the first murmurings of being, its tentative emergence into light, can be heard?

Keep ReadingShow less
INSET 2 Tony Jayawardena Winston Churchill Michael Sheen Nye Bevan in Nye at the National Theatre c Johan Persson 15153
Jayawardena as Churchill
Johan Persson

Tony Jayawardena’s Churchill: A bold performance that challenges history and representation

WHAT is it like for an Asian actor to be cast in the litmus test role of the great wartime leader and India hater, Sir Winston Churchill?

“I always start with the script,” Tony Jayawardena told Eastern Eye, just before going on stage to play Churchill in an evening performance of Nye at the National Theatre.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Hobbit first edition auction

A rare first edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit

Auctioneum

Rare first edition of JRR Tolkien’s 'The Hobbit' fetches £43,000 at UK auction

Highlights:

  • First edition of The Hobbit sold for £43,000 by Auctioneum in Bristol.
  • Only 1,500 copies were printed in 1937; few hundred believed to survive.
  • Book was found during a routine house clearance without a dust jacket.
  • Bound in light green cloth, it features original black-and-white illustrations by Tolkien.
  • Copy once belonged to the family library of Oxford botanist Hubert Priestley.


A rare first edition of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit has sold for £43,000 at auction after being discovered during a house clearance in Bristol. The copy, uncovered by Auctioneum, was part of the original 1937 print run of 1,500 copies and is considered “unimaginably rare”, with only a few hundred believed to still exist.

The book was bought by a private collector based in the UK. Auctioneum, which handled the sale, noted that bidding came from across the globe, pushing the final sale price to more than four times the original estimate.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gen Z’

Tone, clarity, and intention matter more than following trends

iStock

10 emoji rules you need to know to keep up with Gen Z

Highlights

  • Gen Z views several common emojis as outdated, overused, or passive-aggressive
  • Emojis like 👍, ❤️, and 😂 are still widely used, but may carry unintended tones
  • Cultural and generational context matters, especially in British Asian households
  • Alternatives like 💀, 🙌 and 🥲 are gaining popularity among younger users
  • Tone, clarity, and intention matter more than following trends


Emojis have long been a quick way to express tone, mood, and personality. But with each generation, interpretations change. Gen Z—roughly defined as those born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s—are now driving new emoji norms, and some symbols once considered friendly or expressive are now seen as outdated or awkward.

Keep ReadingShow less