Shelina Zahra Janmohamed

Shelina Zahra Janmohamed is a British writer. She is the author of Love in a Headscarf, a memoir of growing up as a British Muslim woman. She is also a blogger: her blog is called Spirit 21.

She grew up in North London and is a graduate of New College, Oxford.

Janmohamed has written articles for The Times, The Guardian, The National, The Muslim News and Emel magazine focusing on Islam and current affairs. She has a particular interest in Muslim women and Islam in the West.

In her role as an influential commentator on British Islam, she is a columnist for EMEL magazine, and a regular contributor to the Guardian and the BBC. Her blog, Spirit21, has won several awards, including the Brass Crescent Award for Best Blog. Janmohamed lives in London and has appeared on numerous British television networks.

She has travelled with the British Foreign and Commonwealth office to Darfur, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Qatar and Turkey under its programme to build links with British Muslims and encourage dialogue. She is a creator and organizer of social and cultural events for young British Muslims, as part of creating a new British Muslim culture and identity, and the host of the annual ‘Eid in the Square’ event which is held in Trafalgar Square. She is a trustee of the Windsor Fellowship which encourages minority ethnic students to excel in education and employment.

Janmohamed was named by The Times and the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission as one of the UK's 100 most influential Muslim women, and most recently she was named as one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world.

In January 2014, Janmohamed was nominated for the Services to Media award at the British Muslim Awards.

She is married and currently lives in London.