The Muslim Literature Festival - Birmingham 2024

Communities are brought together through something seemingly small - words. Wherever you may find books, you are sure to find those who love reading them. As Muslims, we are encouraged to seek knowledge and expand our intelligence. And there is no better way to do this than by reading!

Muslim literature must be highlighted and shared as much as any other literature. As an ummah, we're here to inspire and motivate one another on our journeys. And one of the ways we can do this is through exchanging and sharing books that have helped us along the way. Talented authors put so much effort into their work, and it's important we also support them too.

This month was an exciting month for Muslim Literature. The 17th and 18th of February were days Muslims gathered in Birmingham to share their love of books. Hosted by The Muslim Literature Festival, books of all age groups were displayed and sold by their passionate authors. This was the second Muslim Literature Festival to occur however, the very first to ever take place in Birmingham.

We had the pleasure of interviewing some excited visitors at The Muslim Literature Festival this year, and we enjoyed hearing what they had to say about this years event.

A translator who travelled all the way from France was very keen to share his thoughts:

"It was very well organised with some very interesting speakers. Every year I would come - even though I live in France! I came especially for The Muslim Literature Festival. Thanks to the magic effect of the algorithm, I came across this event on the internet. I was really interested by the list of conferences. I came to buy as many books as possible and I'm going back with a dozen of books and also some calligraphy!" 

Guests of all ages attended the festival, eagerly browsing every stall, searching for their next read. From young to old, reading is a habit and trait to be celebrated and always encouraged. And what better way to celebrate Muslim Literature than through these wonderful events?

Another guest explained how he brought two of his nieces along with him to the festival, telling us how he used to love reading when he was younger. 

"I was having a family meal and I actually asked my neices and nephews 'who wants to come with me to a book festival?' And the two who like reading both came with me."

"I would love to see more stuff like this and it's nice to see things like this happening in Birmingham. If I had planned it a bit better I would have brought more friends with me - I love this kind of thing." 

The Muslim Literature Festival is excited to share and host these events as much as guests love attending them. Keep your eyes peeled for the next one, insha'Allah!

Make sure to follow The Muslim Lit Fest on instagram @muslimlitfest for news and updates.