Muslim Women in Architecture (MWA) is a network and collective working to empower, inspire and celebrate Muslim women in the architecture and built environment industry. In this episode, I talk to Tahin Khan, Zahra Mansoor and Rim Kalsoum about MWA as it aims to provide a platform to not only support Muslim girls and women who want to pursue a career in the field, but to encourage an open discussion amongst those within the profession and outside.

Tahin Khan is a British Bangladeshi Part 2 Architectural Assistant at ArchitectureDoingPlace. She completed her Part 1 and 2 at the University of Westminster. Over the years, Tahin has worked with a number of architects on projects ranging from private residential to healthcare to the preliminary design for the Tower Hamlets Town Hall. Currently, she is working on several social housing projects for local authorities in London. Tahin understands the importance of communities, and how the wellbeing for an individual correlates to the communities they are a part of. She explored this in depth in her Master’s thesis, which she continues to do research on. Tahin is keen on tackling social, political and environmental issues through architectural interventions.

Zahra Mansoor is an independent architectural designer currently based in India. She met fellow co-founders Rim Kalsoum and Tahin Khan while doing her Part 1 at the University of Westminster. During her term as president of the Westminster architecture Society (WAS), she and Rim organised the AF Megacrit under the theme "Architecture and Power". While studying in London, she realised that the lack of diversity in the industry affected the way students were supported in their education and careers. Her interests include the influence of power and social systems on architectural ethnography as well as the use of digital fabrication in architectural practice.

Rim Kalsoum is a British Syrian Architectural Assistant based in London. Having completed her RIBA PART II at the University of Westminster, she currently works for Golzari NG Architects and Architecture Doing Place. As Ex-Vice President of the Westminster Architecture Society, she co-organised the Megacrit in 2019 with Zahra Mansoor. She is a researcher for Palestine Regeneration Team (PART) and is currently working on a range of research projects, most recently the Secrets of a Digital Garden, in collaboration with RIWAQ which was exhibited at the Chicago Architecture Biennial in 2019 and the Berlin Film Festival in 2020. Her work arches from examining methods of urban landscape annihilation in conflict areas to erosions of public space in London.