About Me
Let’s become true vicegerents of God and create a kind and fair future where the beauty of Islamic values becomes a guiding light for all
A Brief Bio
I bring with me nearly two decades of experience in teaching and research as well as leadership and management experience at a prestigious UK university.
I completed my doctorate in Islamic finance from the University of Leeds in Autumn 2022. You can read my thesis here. This was a complex piece of research where I delved into the sociohistorical reality of riba (usury) prohibited in the Qur’an and developed a fresh definition of riba. My research brought together the economics and finance expertise I had developed in my MBA and my knowledge of usul al-fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). I currently hold a visiting researcher fellowship at the same University. In addition, I have extensive experience in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, public engagement and community education.
As a leader and manager, I bring experience of strategic leadership, operational excellence, creating high performing teams with exceptional levels of professionalism, and one-to-one coaching and mentoring to create empowering spaces. My leadership practice has been shaped by a sense of accountability to God and the Qur’anic values of compassion, fairness, truthfulness and commitment. I try to embody these values in all aspects of my work.
All of us bring life experience and talent to the table. I subscribe to a strengths-based model of working with people and you will find me valuing your experience and insights with deep empathy.
I believe that the Qur’an gives us a powerful moral framework in which justice and compassion are the highest values. When you join my website, we will walk together to discover the balance and beauty of Islam and find solutions to the most pressing challenges of our times.
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In this video on my YouTube channel, I make the case for creating a womb-centric world where compassion, justice and love for all humanity are core values guiding politics, economies and societies. Central to this vision are Muslim women - the keepers and guardians of the Islamic way of life and its diverse cultures, resilient beyond measure, spiritual and wise, holders of ancient wisdoms and folklore. But for too long Muslim women have been forced to live at the periphery, watching helplessly from the margins as the knowledge tradition of Islam is shaped and reshaped without their input.
As a Muslim woman joining me on this journey, you are choosing to reclaim your agency as a believer and become a changemaker, tapping into the strength of your belief, your wisdom and your commitment to God to create a world of nurture. You will feel empowered to exercise leadership and raise brave leaders of tomorrow, those who will be orientated towards God and use their talents and abilities to create a kinder world.
Together we will uphold what we have been commanded to do in Surah Al-Nisa – to revere the bonds of connection, kinship and shared humanity to create a world of nurture and warmth.
O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you. [Q4:1. Translated by Yusuf Ali]
The Transformative Power of Education
Traditional Islamic education has existed in a bubble for a long time. Divorced from reality and in denial of the forces of modernity that have shaped our world, it cannot offer answers. Lack of critical thinking continues to hamper new knowledge creation. Crucially, traditional Islam remains bereft of the creative abilities, intellectual rigour and emotional depth that Muslim women can offer. Sadly, traditionalists do not want to open space for Muslim women so we must claim this space, bravely and unapologetically.
Through this website, I offer a new Islamic education model that will create an empowering space for Muslim women who have a deep connection with Allah, are oriented towards justice and are disturbed by the deep intellectual and moral decline in the Muslim world. I bring my work to Muslim women who often find themselves conflicted between faith and ambition.
If you are ready to exercise your agency as a believer, demonstrate personal leadership, engage in understanding and refreshing the knowledge tradition of Islam, and raise future leaders and scholars who will create a fairer and more compassionate world, then this space is for you. If you are ready to exercise courage and make just decisions in personal and professional lives, then this space is for you.
I love learning. I am always on a learning journey. The metaphor of walking the path – sirat-al-mustaqeem – is my inspiration [Q1:6]. Through this website, I hope to inspire you, my fellow Muslim women, to walk with me in true allyship and collaboration.
I was born and raised in Pakistan, a stunningly beautiful and resource-rich country where, sadly, millions live in conditions of abject poverty. I am a Punjabi speaking Muslim, proud of my language, heritage, and food. I grew up in a background of relative privilege, in a household with lots of books but one where we couldn’t afford many luxuries. We were a household that valued reading. My love of knowledge-seeking comes from my love of reading.
At the age of 10, I started writing a book titled the Social Problems in Pakistan, a book that I never finished but the memory of which is still vivid. As a sensitive child, I couldn’t get over why so many children went around barefoot, never having enough money to buy a pair of shoes.
When I look back on my childhood, I am struck by how radical my parents were. In a society where racial and religious prejudices often manifest as cruel actions and othering, my mother strictly forbade condescending or demeaning behaviour against non-Muslims and those in hardship. “Non-Muslims are human beings like us. Allah has created us all equal.”
Lying was not tolerated. Commitments were to be honoured. It was only later in my life that I connected this code of conduct with the code of ethics set out in Q2:177: the believer fulfils her promises.
At a young age, I was given a translation of the Qur’an and told that understanding the Qur’an was more important than perfecting the Arabic language recitation. Islam was about good ethics and fairness, I was told, and God did not like overt religious piety that people displayed to impress others.
When I migrated to the UK, I understood the power of the Christian ethic of compassion and humility. Compassion and humility have gone entirely missing in the rules-and-regulations version of Islam in the last three decades. We have forgotten that Allah introduces Himself as Al-Rahman and Al-Raheem in 113 out of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an. I want share with you all how I discovered the power of compassion and humility.
With migration also came an acute awareness of what it meant to live as a minority in a new country. I began to understand better the importance of visual identity, the impact of Islamophobia and other challenges we encounter in the diaspora. I began to practice the hijab (headscarf), a practice I faithfully adhered to for almost a decade. It took two years of research to make an informed decision and take off the hijab. I have captured my research and experience in the Hijab playlist on my channel and in conversations I have had with Eram Saeed and Grace Song.
These are the formative forces that have shaped me: a value-oriented childhood, a love of reading, and the experience of migration.
Lessons from Motherhood and Caring
My most powerful and formative identity is that of a mother. Motherhood and marriage have been my healing journey. I gravitate to the Qur’anic narrative of creation a lot. The idea that all of humanity is literally connected via umbilical cords continues to shape my philosophy and values.
My twin sons were born in Pakistan and grew up in Britain. I have learned so much about British society through my sons’ lived experience of schooling, multi-cultural friendships and embrace of plurality. On the flip side, I have had to turbo-charge my learning of Islam so I could answer tough questions from my sons about morality and the Islamic way of life. Questions about migrants’ right to belong in Britian continue to rear their ugly heads in toxic mainstream media and political discourse and, as a parent, I learned to grapple with not only this immediate and urgent politics but also take stock of my personal history of growing up in a country only recently liberated from colonial rule. I have taken my learning as a parent to support my friends in raising their young children in Britain.
My husband and I have always had responsibility for my mother-in-law, who has lived with us for over two decades. She has played an instrumental role in my career and education by offering a connection to the Islamic way of life and culture and being an active carer for my sons. I have benefited deeply from this committed sisterhood of warmth, generous love and nurture. Sadly, she has been suffering from dementia. Caring for her has brought home to me a deep understanding of the Qur’anic verse: “and lower the wing of humility to your parents.” Caring for a frail old person is simultaneously a blessing and a trial. A blessing because we all benefit from her constant prayers for our well-being and reward in the Hereafter. A trial because I often find myself digging deep to find resilience and confronting my own shortcomings.
I have captured some aspects of these experiences of love, blessing, trial and growth in my YouTube videos.
Whilst my fellow classmates from business school were entering graduate trainee schemes in the corporate sector, I decided to turn to part-time teaching at universities in Pakistan after a brief stint in the corporate sector. Even at that time, the question of riba (usury) kept floating in my mind.
I migrated to the UK and entered the world of leadership and management. Working in an academic department with a social justice orientation was fully aligned with my value system. My day job continues to bring a great sense of meaning and fulfilment: I know that every day, I work to reduce educational inequalities.
When I started my doctorate in Islamic finance, a new world of knowledge creation opened up to me. I discovered the incredible depth in Islamic legal sciences.
Yes, I have taken two paths, but they converge at one point: commitment to justice and an unshakeable belief in the moral and ethical framework of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad’s noble example, who was a champion of the vulnerable and the oppressed.
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Saima Durrani
I have been following Dr Sitara Akram for about a year, and what I value most is the way she takes complex topics and explains them so clearly. With her knowledge and experience as a teacher and researcher, she makes learning both easy to follow and meaningful. Her work, including her new interpretation of the Qur’anic prohibition of usury, shows her deep understanding and her gift for sharing knowledge in a way people can truly grasp.
Eram Saeed
Sitara Akram is one of the brightest lights I have ever encountered when it comes to engaging with the Qur’an and Islamic teachings. What makes her extraordinary is not only the depth of her knowledge, but the precision and clarity of her thinking. She brings a sharp, methodical mind that synthesizes complex information with sincerity and grace — never for self-interest, but always with the singular goal of uncovering the truth. In a world where many voices are loud but not always clear, Sitara stands apart. She is a trailblazer and a role model for Muslim women everywhere — demonstrating that true empowerment lies in submission to Allah, and in embracing the independence and agency granted to women by Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. She does this while maintaining the wisdom to discern the pitfalls of modern agendas that often confuse women and leave them unfulfilled. Sitara embodies a path of faith, clarity, and authentic empowerment. In short, Sitara is someone I wish I had met 30 years ago. Her knowledge and clarity would have made my journey so much easier. She is a rare gift to our time and to Muslim women seeking a path of truth and purpose.
Maliha Sultana
It is truly refreshing and inspiring to come across the work of Sitara Akram, which speaks with such honesty and courage. Through her writings, I have a new way of looking at the Qur’an, as she has challenged dogmas and widely held belief systems with depth and sincerity. Her bravery, versatility, and tolerance shine through everything she does. What I value most is the way she addresses some of the most sensitive and controversial topics in Islam, especially around women’s rights, with compassion and clarity.
Leena El-Ali
Sitara Akram combines rigorous research with accessible presentation skills, thanks to a thorough understanding of her audience’s needs and pre-dispositions. She brings an energy and commitment to her study of Islamic law that is both engaging and sincere. One can only learn from listening to her.