Photographs chart time and place for Muslim communities in Britain

Short-listed entries include stunning images of everyday life

Winner: 'British Muslim' by Touseef Ahmad. 'I took my camera into work and decided to take it out during my lunch break. It was snowing at the time ...' All photos: Everyday Muslim Heritage and Archive Initiative

Winner: 'Fajr Awrad' by Hana Horack-Elyafi. 'This is my eldest son, Hassan. Sitting in a very atmospheric-looking corner of our old house. I painted the mural and laid the parquet floor. Nostalgic moment that looks so peaceful. Photos don't show the suffering. This boy has been through hell and back, he and his twin brother both. Thankful for the beauty and peace.'

Winner: 'The Family at 34' by Dale Harvey. On May 13th during Eid a community demonstration prevented an immigration raid from detaining members of the community. After successfully securing the release of the detainees the community marched through the street together while celebrating. This family were on the route celebrating Eid and the success of the community.

Shortlisted: 'Lockdown Blues' by Zaid Ahmed. 'I took this image during lockdown, I feel it really tells the shared story of most parents, Muslims or otherwise, during the initial lockdown. I think this was taken during Ramadan close to iftar time where my wife is trying to steal a moment's rest. I like that it captures parallel experiences within the same frame seemingly disconnected from one another.'

Shortlisted: 'We are Human Too' by Syed Jazib Ali. A Palestinian woman holding a placard saying "We are human too" at the 'Million Women Rise March' in London on 7th March 2020.

Shortlisted: 'Cards and coffee' by Erdal Redjep. Shot as part of the project 'Heartland', this shot shows a group of elderly Turkish Cypriot men around a table at a community centre to play their regular afternoon game of cards and to drink Turkish coffee.

Shortlisted: 'Eid at the Foodbank' by Saira Mir. "The image was taken on the day of Eid Al Adha 20th July 2021. Eid fell on the day we normally operate the foodbank."

Shortlisted: 'Park Picnic and Prayer' by Touseef Ahmad. 'I was in the park and spotted this man praying. His devotion was admirable and his clothes matched up with the bag in front of him.'

Shortlisted: 'Family and Friends' by Saifuddin Beejay. Henna celebrations.

Shortlisted: 'Bangladeshi elder reading newspaper on Fournier Street' by Saif Osmani. Part of a photographic series that documents the relationship between built heritage policies and the Bangladeshi-Muslim cultural spaces in Brick Lane's Banglatown. The photographer captures a place experiencing immense change where the layered cultural heritage of the Spitalfields area is threatened by gentrification through 'hipsterfication'.

An organisation dedicated to archiving the lives of Muslims in the UK has launched a new project that hopes to ‘empower’ Muslims to document their history and representation in the country.

The Everyday Muslim Heritage and Archive Initiative launched its first photography competition earlier this year with the aim of collating a contemporary visual narrative of Muslim communities in Britain.

Short-listed entries were photos taken in the past five years and included a man praying in the park with a supermarket bag beside him, a woman in a headscarf walking to the bus stop in the snow, and a table full of playing cards, coffee cups and prayer beads.

Sadiya Ahmed, who founded the initiative in 2013 to address the “noticeable absence” of a distinctly Muslim narrative from the exhibitions of historical and educational institutions in Britain, says she wants to create a central archive of Muslim lives, arts, education and cultures in the country.

“Photographs are a visual representation of our stories and memories. They provide a snapshot of a particular time, place or event and evidence of both physical and emotional details of a particular moment. They are integral to an archive collection as they are an official record of our existence,” Ms Ahmed told The National.

The theme of the inaugural photography competition was ‘everyday Muslim life’ and entrants were invited to share photos from personal collections and family albums. The purpose, says Ms Ahmed, was to allow the Muslim community to “take ownership” of their stories.

“The focus on collecting the ‘everyday’ images is vital as we want to ensure the collection does not just focus on the great leaders or scholars," Ms Ahmed said.

"Engagement and investment of individuals exists throughout the community and we want to emphasise this with our photographs.”