Shelina Janmohamed

Shelina Janmohamed is the bestselling author of Love in a Headscarf, a memoir about growing up as a British Muslim woman. Her subsequent book, Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World, is an exploration of the rising group of global Muslims who believe that faith and modernity go hand in hand, and that they are going to have a disproportionate influence on our future world. She is host of The Shelina Show, the ground-breaking podcast that look at the biggest news stories in depth and in detail – joining the dots between topics to arm listeners with the expert insight needed to help them make sense of the world.

Shelina is an established commentator on Muslim social and religious trends, particularly around young Muslims and Muslim women.

She writes for the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the National and the BBC. She presented a programme on AI and Religion for BBC Radio 4’s Beyond Belief.

Shelina is the Vice-President of Ogilvy Noor, the world’s first bespoke global Islamic branding practice for building brands with Muslim audiences. She was named one of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims, and specifically one of the UK’s 100 most powerful Muslim women. The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising named her as one of the ‘Future Female Leaders of British Advertising.’

In 2019, Shelina won Businesswoman of the Year at the first ever Arabian Business London Awards and was also named one of EMPower’s top 100 global ethnic minority executives.

Links & Credits

The Shelina Show

Available on Global Player

Business Daily: Girls, beauty and advertising

Shelina for BBC World Service podcast on how images in the media can affect girls

Shelina Janmohamed articles

The Daily Telegraph

Shelina Janmohamed articles

The Guardian

Shelina Janmohamed articles

The National

Books

Story of Now

Shelina Janmohamed

STORY OF NOW cover

Think the British Empire is ancient history? Think again.

It’s time to tell you an unbelievable story. One that spans more than 400 years and influences the world as you know it.

Instead of endless lists of Kings and Queens, battles and dates, this book introduces you to some of the hottest topics, ideas and experiences of real people. You will discover the forces behind the biggest empire of all time and you’ll answer some BIG questions. Like what does it MEAN to be British? What do people BELIEVE in? What makes us the country we are and WHY? Big questions, so how do we find the answers?

Let’s start by hearing from real children all over the world; children who may have lived at different times, had different experiences, skin colours and religions BUT they have one thing in common – the BRITISH EMPIRE.

Nominated for the 2024 Yoto Carnegies, the UK’s longest-running and best-loved children’s book awards.

Longlisted for the Jhalek Prize 2024, which seeks to celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers. 

‘a clear-eyed analysis of the after-effects of colonialism that could not be more compelling’

— The best children’s and YA books of 2023, The Guardian

BeYOUtiful: Radiate confidence, celebrate difference and express yourself

Shelina Janmohamed

This is NOT a book about what to wear, how to put on make-up or pose for a photo. This is a book about what it means to be beautiful. It will teach you how to decide FOR YOURSELF what beauty really is, give you the superpower to say, ‘I’m beautiful!’ – and mean it!

Funny, inspirational and from the heart, BeYOUtiful is full of practical tips on how to feel positive about the way you look. It breaks down why images you might see around you aren’t always what they seem and gives advice on how to navigate social media. You can also discover how ideas of beauty vary around the world from culture to culture and throughout history. Explore how people’s opinions and ideas are shaped by others and read real-life stories of amazing women.

The energetic and joyful illustrations showcase a huge diversity of women and girls, talking about their own experiences. Everyone will find something or someone they can relate to. Are you ready to start a girl-powered beauty revolution?

‘Inclusive, intellegent and inspiring, this is an empowering examination of a topic thast has been preoccupying girls for centuries’

— - LoveReading

‘A lovely encouraging book for girls!’

— - Lucy Worsley

The Extraordinary Life of Serena Williams

Shelina Janmohamed

The story of a game-changing tennis champion.

Serena Williams began playing tennis when she was just a child, and is now an Olympic champion who’s won more Grand Slam singles titles than anyone else. Throughout her life she’s battled many things, from life-threatening illnesses and sports injuries to sexism and racism in the tennis world. Now she’s an icon in sport, fashion and activism, an inspiration to every young person who has dared to dream big.

Generation M: Young Muslims Changing the World

Shelina Janmohamed

What does it mean to be young and Muslim today? There is a segment of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims that is more influential than any other, and will shape not just the future of Muslims, but also the world around them: meet ‘Generation M’.

From fashion magazines to social networking, the ‘Mipsterz’ to the ‘Haloodies’, halal internet dating to Muslim boy bands, Generation M are making their mark. Shelina Janmohamed, award-winning author and leading voice on Muslim youth, investigates this growing cultural phenomenon at a time when understanding the mindset of young Muslims is critical. With their belief in an identity encompassing both faith and modernity, Generation M are not only adapting to Western consumerism, but reclaiming it as their own.

‘A crucial book at a critical time… A must-read.’

— Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent

‘A milestone in understanding young, modern, and faithful Muslims’

— Reza Aslan, author of No God but God and Zealot

‘A compelling account of today’s young Muslim consumers.’

— - Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever

Love in a Headscarf: Muslim Woman Seeks the One

Shelina Janmohamed

‘At the age of thirteen, I knew I was destined to marry John Travolta. One day he would arrive on my North London doorstep, fall madly in love with me and ask me to marry him. Then he would convert to Islam and become a devoted Muslim.’

Shelina is keeping a very surprising secret under her headscarf – she wants to fall in love.

Torn between the Buxom Aunties, romantic comedies and mosque Imams, she decides to follow the arranged-marriage route to finding Mr Right, Muslim-style. Shelina’s captivating journey begins as a search for the One, but along the way she also discovers her faith and herself.

A memoir with a hilarious twist from one of Britain’s leading female Muslim writers, Love in a Headscarf is an entertaining, fresh and unmissable insight into what it means to be a young British Muslim woman.

‘[Shelina’s] hilarious first book…charts her ten-year journey to find ‘The One’, Muslim-style, with more than 50 dates and plenty of heartache, laughter and learning experience along the way.’

— Daily Mail