Amira the Wanderlust

Takeover Talent

Building community and supporting outdoor creatives, back during the lockdowns, the BMC handed over the reins of its Instagram account to talented local adventurers and we ended up interviewing the most popular of them for Summit magazine: Amira Wanderlust!

Photographers, videographers, bloggers and joggers, many professionals of the outdoor industry were victims of the many lockdowns. The necessary yet restrictive combination of social distancing guidelines and lack of access to the outdoors hit those of the outdoor industry harder than others in our community. We wanted to extend our support to as many in the industry as we could, and so, for the duration of the early 2021 lockdown, each week the BMC handed over its Instagram account to a different creative or outdoor professional.

The plan was for them to share their images and stories of past adventures and future plans, inspiring those of us that yearn for the trails, mountains and crags that are still there, waiting for us to be released. We hoped it would bring the community together and the number of positive comments we’ve received since it started has been amazing to see.

Outdoor Creatives

Marc Langley, photographer and writer with a number of features printed in Summit magazine kicked off the takeovers and you all asked some amazing questions to find out the ins and outs of being an adventure photographer. Next up, Rory Southworth, the king of finding local adventures, showcased his unique knack for coming up with fun and difficult challenges – we particularly enjoyed the Home Athlete series!

Other contributors like creative Jessie Leong and paraclimber Abbie Robinson were really popular, and one particular highlight was the takeover by Amira, founder of The Wanderlust Women, a hiking group for Muslim women.

Her posts were some of our most seen and engaged, with over 200 people taking her polls on the stories. We were so impressed that we wanted to find out more, so we got in touch for an interview. Here she is to tell us about herself. Please note, this interview is from the Spring 2021 edition of Summit Magazine.

It’s Amira here I’m 28 years old and I’m based in the North West. I’m a Muslim British Indian. I currently work at a Spa retreat, and when I’m not working, you’ll find me somewhere in the mountains or on an adventure. I’m the founder of The Wanderlust Women which is a hiking group for Muslim women. I combine my two passions of hiking and photography together.

For readers of Summit who haven’t heard of The Wanderlust Women, could you tell us a bit about the group and how you came to found it?

We are women, majority Muslim women from different backgrounds, who have come together to create an avenue for exploring the great outdoors. My aim is to connect and to encourage Muslim women to be engaged with nature. In doing so we have been breaking barriers for, and stereotypes of, Muslim women. Going into an established hiking group can be daunting, as I know; when I joined groups in my early hiking days me and my mum were the only brown women. Originally it was my mother who encouraged me to join her on hikes and outdoor adventures.

The great outdoors is for everyone and everyone should feel welcome and represented. It can be daunting if you don’t see many people who look like you in the outdoors, which make people in minority communities feel like hiking and camping is not for them.

That, of course, is a harmful stereotype that must be eradicated. My aim is to encourage and inspire other women, especially Muslim women, to get out there and see the world.  Since I started the group, I have had such a good response, our group is expanding every day and I have been able to inspire many women to start their journey in the outdoors, whatever their level of faith or fitness.

Following a divorce, I felt a need for soul searching and healing and I found this through connecting with nature – I felt at peace. I wanted to create a space for other women who may have been through similar situations, who may have needed to heal and find themselves. This is when I decided there needs to be a group for Muslim women to connect to God through nature and see the beautiful creation God has given. I believe being active in the outdoors is good for your mental health as well as your physical health and this is why I wanted to encourage other women to get outdoors. Nature’s beauty is one the most wonderful blessings gifted to mankind.

What has the feedback been like from the women who have attended your meetups?

It has been amazing – so many Muslim women have been inspired. They have built up their confidence from when they first started hiking. I get so many messages from the women who are in the group, as well as women who are not in the group who have started hiking by seeing our hikes and adventures. I feel grateful that I have been able to inspire them.

Here are what some have had to say:

“Thank you for motivating so many of us to use the nature on our doorsteps and helping us not just with fitness but to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation. Forever inspirational”

-        Halima

“Thank you for organising this group. It is a much-needed safe space just for us to be in an environment that could be perceived to be unwelcoming. In creating this group, it enables a group to be seen, heard and welcomes people from diverse backgrounds.”

-        Meri

“I love the outdoors but didn’t have the confidence to step out of my comfort zone alone- this is just perfect. Yesterday’s walk was by far a brilliant experience as I’ve never done anything like it beforehand it gave me time to reflect. I know this journey is just the beginning of something beautiful with amazing likeminded ladies.”

-        Naffisa

These are just few messages that I received, it was overwhelming to see how many people wanted to join and how many members we have. The lovely messages I get every day motivate me to do more for the group.

You’ve been exploring a lot locally in the recent national lockdown, are there any places you’ve come to appreciate more where you live?

I am so grateful for where I live, there is beautiful countryside all around and I appreciate it so much more now. The West Pennine Moors surround where I live and I discovered so many different walks and explored all the different routes. I made a book where I noted down all the places I found; I couldn’t believe how much was on our doorstep. I also brought a drone in lockdown, this motivated me to explore every day and to wander the local hills.

Recently you ran a poll on our Instagram page during your BMC Instagram takeover week questioning: “Do you think there is enough representation of POC (people of colour) in the outdoors?” with an overwhelming 86% of our followers answering ‘No’. What topics would you like to bring to the discussion of what outdoor brands and organisations can do to encourage people from a wider range of backgrounds into the outdoors?

Whether it’s marketing, services and branding, the outdoor industry has done little to engage with POC in outdoor spaces. There is a lack of representation there and the outdoor industry has done little to engage with POC. More engagement is needed, speaking to POC and addressing the barriers that they face. By encouraging and engaging with POC to experience the outdoors in group settings, where they are likely to feel comfortable, it will create demand for outdoors products and services for these communities. Once this demand is created, marketing will naturally become more inclusive by advertising to these communities.

It’s often said that the countryside is open to everybody. But there are many barriers to access for BAME (Black Asian and Minority Ethnic) for example: fear of experiencing racism is a barrier, this is known to me from my research in BAME communities, as well as my own life experiences. Experiences of being stared at and singled out can discourage people from wanting to go back into the outdoors.

Claiming to care about diversity isn't enough. Large organisations and policymakers need to partner with smaller community and BAME groups to exchange their experiences and thoughts, increase participation in the natural world, and change hearts and minds.

Diversifying magazine covers and outdoor advertisement is not just about putting a person of colour in front of a magazine, it’s about making a real effort. To include images from all types of people. It’s important to keep coming together in new ways and making the outdoor community stronger. We need more stories of POC in the outdoors, featuring them so they can be heard and seen.

Brands should give opportunities to POC to become ambassadors, leaders and representatives. I believe steps like these can make a huge impact in diversifying the outdoors.

Barriers to the outdoors exist in a variety of ways, and in many circumstances, in ways that those who have not experienced these barriers may not imagine. Are there any particular ones that you have experienced before in your life?

Microaggressions. Sometimes I’m aware of microaggressions, such as being looked at or ignored or making me feel like I don’t belong here. That’s one reason why I wanted to get a group of like-minded women together so we don’t feel out of place.

It’s always related back to me being a Muslim female wearing the niqab. I don’t want to be seen as different from everyone else just because of what I cover. I know I look different to what a typical hiker would look like but I also have the same passions and love for the outdoors. As a woman and a Muslim woman wearing the niqab there are multiple things I need to think about when it comes to solo adventures. Even if I want to drone somewhere, I think twice as this looks ‘suspicious’ to others.

What does inclusivity in the outdoors mean to you?

Outdoors is for all no matter what size, shape, colour or religion. No one should be made to believe they don’t belong in the outdoors. It means being represented so everyone feels included and welcomed. It means I shouldn’t be judged for what I wear. To be inclusive, the people who run our national parks and wild spaces need to understand what the community needs and how they can change the outdoor narrative. It means eradicating racism, islamophobia and sexism in the outdoors and any other sort of discrimination.

Do you have any other recommendations of groups or brands readers can look up who are addressing issues of diversity and doing great work to encourage others outside?

There are some amazing groups who are doing some brilliant work for the community. ‘Mosaic Outdoors’ who have been around for many years, ‘Black Girls Hike’, ‘We Go Outside Too’, ‘Steppers UK’ and ‘Muslim Hikers’.

‘Kit Collective’ has been supporting access kits for groups like mine. ‘Our Shared Outdoors’ and ‘Outdoor Resource Hub’ are also doing great work to educate and talk on important topics via social media and also using their platform to support groups like mine.

Our group is currently sponsored by Salomon who provided us with kit for the group, we have some amazing projects lined up for the future.

Do you have any other observations you’ve discovered from being the founder of The Wanderlust Women?

I think there is a great need for people from all races, religion and backgrounds to disconnect with the digital lifestyle and connect with nature. I’ve found that Muslim women are connecting with their spirituality and to God through nature. The group has turned into a community where women are helping each other build confidence, listening to one another, sharing experiences and supporting each other. This makes me very happy that they have found somewhere where they can connect and be around like-minded people.

What’s been one of your favourite days out in the mountains and why?

This is a hard one as I have so many! I would say my favourite was Scafell Pike and my trip to the Scottish Highlands. Many things went wrong on Scafell Pike which led to so many beautiful moments. We set off very early in the morning, once we arrived, we performed our first morning prayer, surrounded by beautiful nature and praying was truly a wonderful moment. We watched the sunrise then made our way to Wasdale Head to start our hike. After some time of climbing, we stopped along a stream to perform our ritual wash which is called Wudhu, this is done before prayers. There’s something beautiful about performing Wudhu in the natural streams surrounded by nature and praying in the raw outdoors. I always like to meditate on the mountains. This brings me so much peace. Seclusion for worship is the close companion of silence, they go hand in hand and what better place is there than the mountains.

The lockdown has made me appreciate the beauty we have in the UK. I was in awe when I visited the Scottish Highlands, the outstanding beauty made me fall in love with Scotland. We were blessed with the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and had some breath-taking views from Ben Nevis as it was such a beautiful clear day.

You can follow Amira on Instagram: @amira_thewanderlust @the.wanderlust.women

Interview: Emma Travers