Student sets up running club so Muslim women feel safe exercising

LONDON: A 21-year-old who set up a club so other Muslim women could feel safe and comfortable when exercising said she is proud to have inspired a group to take part in the Vitality Big Half later this month.

Sahra-Isha Muhammad-Jones set up the ASRA running club after feeling uncomfortable running outside.

She told the PA news agency: “When I was 18, I had just finished my A-levels and decided I wanted to get back into running because I used to do it when I was younger. However, by that time I started wearing the hijab. And I didn’t really feel comfortable running outside, just as a young woman in general.”

Ms Muhammad-Jones tried to find running clubs that she felt comfortable enough to be part of, but could not find one where she felt like she “fit in”.

The idea to start her own running club came after she sought support from other Muslim women on social media who felt similarly.

It was important to Ms Muhammad-Jones to listen to their voices when setting up ASRA, she said, adding: “I wanted to make sure that whatever I was going to create actually represented what they wanted and basically make it a space for us, by us.”

The club provides a space for Muslim women to feel safe without needing to run on public roads and allows them to take off their hijabs should they wish to during exercise. The group also hosts panel discussions on mental health and overall wellbeing.

Ms Muhammad-Jones said she wanted to create a space “for women who don’t want to run with men” and to create an environment where women can feel “comfortable in what they’re wearing” and not “worry about any one other thing than running”. Some members plan to participate in the 13.1 mile Vitality Big Half in London on Sunday, August 22 and, while Ms Muhammad-Jones is unable to take part herself as she has been concentrating on her university dissertation, she said she is proud of the group who have been dubbed “the half marathon ASRA crew”.

ASRA runner Fatima Mohamed, 27, will take part and is helping to prepare other members for the race.

She told PA she is “really excited” to get back into racing but added the most rewarding part of being in the club has been being able to “support people over the past couple of months”.

She said: “Most of the runners haven’t run a half marathon before, so it’s going to be momentous for them. We’re looking forward to the environment, the atmosphere, the cheers and even the crowds.”