A pioneering new mental health initiative has been formed in Oldham and Manchester, which aims to support Muslims across the country.

The Muslim Voice (TMV) will initially facilitate Zoom meetings for people who have heard or do hear voices. Their family members or carers are also welcome to attend meetings.

There is a lot of stigma around mental health challenges in the Muslim community, so the founders wanted to start a safe platform where people can speak openly about their experiences and problems. By doing so, many people will potentially benefit.

The group will be held every fortnight. The meetings will be informal and friendly and there will be no judgement or criticism.

It is the brainchild of Safia Aslam and Muhammad Khan who are both mental health activists and advocates. Safia is a successful businesswoman who is passionate about helping vulnerable women.

She said: “TMV will host a place where Muslims can connect with people who have similar experiences. There will be separate groups for women and men.

"Our co-facilitators have been selected from a wide range of professions to work with us in ensuring appropriate support for all who attend.

“Muhammad had the idea of having an online group. When he suggested it, I thought it was a fantastic idea, but we needed segregation to begin with as it is a safe space for brothers and sisters to be able to talk openly without having the opposite gender present.

“It has been hard work planning and preparing for the group while working and juggling my business, but it's been worth it as we have secured funding which we have already put into good use by a Zoom subscription and other expenses.

“Anyone who is a voice hearer, sees things others can't or had a diagnosis of some form of psychosis will benefit from attending the group. Yes, it is a Muslim hearing voices group, but anyone can benefit.

“We aim to help members of the Muslim community who have mental health issues such as psychosis. Many members of our community assume all mental health challenges are spirit related issues and not an illness.

"We want to change that narrative and this group will be one way to do that.”

Safia said that they have many objectives, however they will focus on getting the group up and running initially on a bi-monthly basis.

She added: “When I was unwell, there were a lot of comments made by my community such as “she's possessed, it's black magic, or the evil eye.”

“It may well have been one or all of these possible spiritual causes, but medication, meditation, and prayer helped me get better. Doctors say I made a miraculous recovery.

“My family tried to keep my illness secret but at the same time were approaching spiritual healers who claimed they could get rid of demons.

Since Safia started to hear voices, she has achieved a lot including running two successful businesses, graduating with an upper second-class BA (Hons) degree and had the same job since 2018.

She is also passionate about horses and she created a support network for women and set up walking groups for women to be able to enjoy the countryside safely in groups.

Hanif Bobat of the Ethnic Health Forum said: “TMV will be a resource for like-minded voice hearers to connect and feel part of a community often discriminated against due to the taboo nature of mental illness.

“I will share my personal experiences of being diagnosed with the hope that my journey to recovery becomes a strength for others.

“This is a first and unique opportunity for Muslims all over the world to connect and  feel they have a voice to contribute to the destigmatisation of mental illness.

“My role at Ethnic Health Forum has always been to advocate and strive to improve mental health support to local communities facing multiple barriers to access a culturally sensitive service.”

The first session will be held at 11am on Wednesday 28 August.

To find out more about the information you can email: themuslimvoiceuk@gmail.com