Photo essay

‘Home is a safe space’: a photo essay by Ash Islam

In this exclusive documentary project, the photographer takes an intimate look into the lives and homes of a small but growing UK Muslim community

–

Pot plants on a windowsill in the sun
The photographer’s mothers’ plants line the windowsill in the dining room. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam

Photographer Ash Islam is drawn to things that often go underdocumented: everyday lives and quiet moments that still tell us a great deal about the world we live in. For him, home is a sanctuary: a place to unwind after a long day and escape from the outside world.

He is part of a small but growing Muslim community on the Isle of Sheppey, just off the north coast of Kent. The island itself has a population of around 40,000 and, according to the 2021 census, Muslims make up 1.2% of the wider Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency. The Sheppey Islamic Cultural Centre opened in 2012.

Islam moved back into his family home on the island in 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, after 10 years in London. Asked about the personal significance of this photo series, he says that Sheppey was once just a place he returned to sleep and that his friendships and social life remained in the capital. Photography changed that. Documenting local Muslim families has helped him to feel rooted.  

He wants people to see that his family — and others of religious and ethnic minority backgrounds — are just like any other, and that home forms the centre of all of our lives.

“A lot of people I spoke to for this project said the same thing — that home is their private space, their safe space — and I feel that too,” he says. “It’s also made me look more closely at my own home and family. Before, I used to just do my own thing. Now I’m observing moments: my mum in the kitchen, the dynamic between her and my dad, or just how we move around the house. It’s made me reflect more on my family and the people I know here in Sheppey. Before this, I don’t think I ever would have.”

Firuza, Matizul, Ash and Habib

Islam’s parents, Firuza and Matizul, moved to Sheppey in 2002. Now, they live in a house purchased by their two sons, Ash and Habib, in 2023. The family needed the space as they are often visited by their sister, Rezwana, her husband, Shaf, and twin grandchildren Musa and Mika. For Habib, home is a space of belonging and a place where he finds strength “in being part of a small but growing community”.

Dining table with a vase of flowers on it
The dining room of the Islam family’s home. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Islam’s mother, Firuza, with her daughter Rezwana and twin grandchildren, Mika and Musa. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Islam’s brother Habib. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Firuza and Matizul, in the garden and by the window.
Firuza and Matizul, in the garden and by the window. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Mum holding a photograph of my brother, my sister and myself (left to right), taken in the home in Burgess Hill, which we lived in before we first moved to the Isle of Sheppey. The photograph was taken during my 8th Birtday party. I am holding a Spider-Man comic, which was one of my presents.
Firuza, pictured with a photograph of her three children when they were younger. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
The Islam family kitchen, with a calendar from the local mosque and artwork by the photographer’s nephews.
The Islam family kitchen, with a calendar from the local mosque, souvenir magnets and artwork by the photographer’s nephews. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam

Vamba, Jameel and Na’eem 

For Vamba, the Isle of Sheppey represents a fresh start. Moving there in early 2024 with his two sons, he is building a new life and home for himself and his family. Islam approached Vamba after jummah prayers and asked if he could photograph him in his house. Vamba welcomed the idea. Having an en suite bathroom next to his bedroom is, he says, a small everyday luxury — a symbol of the stability and personal space he is creating.

Vamba preparing lunch for his sons. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Vamba training his son Jameel in muay thai. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Vamba’s eldest son, Jameel, after his muay thai training. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Vamba’s sons Na’eem and Jameel watching TV. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
A street on Sheppey. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam

Tahmid, Tahmina, Taniyr and Shah Saida

Tahmid and Taniyr, who share a house with their wives, are new to Sheppey and are slowly making it their own. For Tahmid’s wife, Tahmina, “home means comfort, love, and belonging — a place where I feel safe”. For Taniyr’s wife, Shah Saida, it is also a place of rest and reflection. “Home is a space for family and spiritual growth in Islam,” she says, referencing a verse in the Qur’an.

Tahmid in the kitchen, while his wife Tahmina and Shah Saida prepare iftar. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Taniyr speaking to someone on the phone. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Shah Saida cooking Iftar for the house. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Tahmid showing Tahmina something on his phone. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Taniyr’s trainers drying in the garden, after he cleaned them. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
A high concrete bridge
The Sheppey Crossing, one of the bridges that connects the Isle of Sheppey to the mainland. Photography for Hyphen by Ash Islam
Topics
, , , ,

Get the Hyphen Weekly

Hyphen is the leading media platform on Muslim life in the UK and Europe. Sign up to our newsletter to receive our top stories straight to your inbox every week.

This form may not be visible due to adblockers, or JavaScript not being enabled.