Dr. Sofia Rehman is a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds and a member of the Musawah Knowledge Building working group. A scholar of Islam, author, and educator, her research re-examines classical Islamic scholarship through an inclusive lens.

Dr. Rehman has published widely on gender justice, climate change, Islamophobia, and decolonizing translation. She is known for bringing marginalised voices into contemporary discourses on Islam, particularly through her work recentring the role of Aisha bint Abu Bakr in the Hadith tradition. Her current research explores disability theologyand what autistic experiences can contribute to theological discourses in Islam. She is also part of the Musawah inheritance project, working alongside an international team of scholars and activists.

Dr. Rehman is the author of A Treasury of Aisha bint Abu Bakr (Kube Publishing) and the highly regarded monograph Gendering the Hadith: Recentering the Authority of Aisha, Mother of the Believers (Oxford University Press). She has contributed to Mapping Faith: Theologies of Migration (ed. Lia Shimada), Cut From the Same Cloth? (ed. Sabeena Akhtar), Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation (Tilted Axis), and Gathering: Women of Colour on Nature(404Ink).

Beyond her academic work, she actively engages in community outreach, advocating for inclusive and equitable interpretations of Islamic teachings.

Learn more at www.sofiarehman.co.uk

Dr. Naila Althagafi is originally from Makkah, the program curator and the founder of The Retreat, a company dedicated to enriching women’s spiritual journeys through meticulously crafted Umrah pilgrimages and reflective retreats rooted in the prophetic tradition and excellence (ihsan). With a lineage of Mutawefeen – caretakers of pilgrims in the holy lands – her family’s service during Hajj inspired her path. A filmmaker with an MFA and PhD in Communications, she’s also a certified Saudi tour guide from the Saudi Ministry of Tourism. Combining her expertise in convert care and organizing spiritually immersive retreats, she blends practical guidance, cultural wisdom, and profound historical insights to create transformative journeys to pilgrims. Her passion for amplifying Muslim women's narratives through film and research further enriches her holistic approach, ensuring every journey she curates is both deeply personal and authentically rooted in the Islamic tradition and the heritage of the holy lands.