by Rizwana Bi

After hearing about the recent opening of The Farmhouse Bistro in Birmingham, I felt compelled to write this blog. Across TikTok and YouTube, the owners, Vic and Sunny have posted sexist, demeaning and discriminatory content targeting women, particularly Muslim women.

I have listed some of their content for your perusal, though take caution as it features toxic masculinity.

• Gendered and demeaning comments about women, including framing women as needing "protection" through control, and comparing women to diamonds that should be hidden away - now, that's just classic coercive control dressed up as care; 

• Sexist implications about women working, suggesting that they are at risk of having affairs - frankly that's telling on themselves more than anything else; 

• Content reinforcing misogynistic narratives, including rhetoric aligned with “red pill” ideology that frames women’s autonomy and independence as threatening and problematic; purporting fear of men becoming emasculated and domesticated by “women making men put the kettle on;” 

• Content reinforcing rigid gender roles, presented as "gender roles 101" to promote fixed expectations of men and women;

• Associations with other individuals who have come under scrutiny for offensive content, including Abdul Zaman, Shakeel Afsar, Asif Munaf and Akhmed Yakoob. Munaf has been struck off the medical register after a tribunal found he posted antisemitic, racist and sexist content on social media. The brothers are seen collaborating with these individuals in a YouTube video here, which once again reinforces and platforms harmful rhetoric.

Misogyny isn’t just offensive, it shapes how women are treated in every part of life: socially, professionally and politically. 

When women’s choices, independence or faith are framed as a threat or a problem, it just reinforces harmful stereotypes that hold women back. For Muslim women, this hits even harder because it taps into existing cultural and religious stereotypes.

The bigger picture matters here - the war on women is real and content like this fuel it. Misogyny isn’t just offensive, it shapes how women are treated in every part of life: socially, professionally and politically. Every video, every post that paints women as lesser, dependent, or morally “suspect” adds to an environment where discrimination and abuse become normal.

Yet, people are celebrating the Farmhouse Bistro, doing food reviews without acknowledging their vile online rhetoric against women. It’s also disappointing to see that Selfridges, which has brought in Farmhouse Bistro, hasn’t responded to my written concerns to them. I was reassured that Selfridges “strive to ensure we are a welcoming and inclusive space where everyone is welcome” and that they are “looking into this matter with the brand and will take any appropriate action.” At the moment, though, the only appropriate action is silence.

We also need to be real about the fact that the Muslim community itself can normalise harmful narratives about women, through silence, complicity or by reinforcing restrictive gender norms. As a community, it’s on us to call out sexism, misogyny, homophobia and other harmful narratives wherever we see it; even when it comes from people within our own networks and to hold those responsible accountable. 

But I know how exhausting this work can be. It’s taken me 4 months since emailing Selfridges to finally sit down and write this blog as another outlet to tackle this, alongside everything else I do. Constantly having to push back against these issues, especially within our own communities, is emotionally taxing - but remaining silent only helps normalise them further.

Raising concerns like this may not always lead to immediate change, especially when large businesses are involved. But collective voices matter and when we speak up together, it becomes much harder for these issues to be ignored.

As a Muslim woman, seeing this content promoted by business owners operating within Selfridges is deeply disturbing. Given the current climate of a global war on women, it is alarming to see Selfridges associated with individuals promoting sexist, discriminatory and harmful views.

It takes collective action, and if more of us reach out, these issues become harder to ignore. That’s why I’ve shared a draft email below that others can use if they wish to contact them.

Collective voices matter and when we speak up together, it becomes much harder for these issues to be ignored.

draft email

customerservices@selfridges.com

Dear Selfridges Birmingham,

I am writing to raise concerns regarding The Farmhouse Bistro, which is currently operating within your store.

I have seen publicly available content from the owners which includes sexist, demeaning and discriminatory remarks about women. This content repeatedly frames women’s independence and choices as problematic, reinforces rigid gender roles and promotes misogynistic narratives that are harmful and deeply concerning.

Given Selfridges’ stated commitment to inclusion, equality and dignity, I am concerned that a business associated with this type of content is being platformed within your store.

I would therefore like to request clarity on whether these concerns are being actively reviewed, what due diligence was undertaken prior to hosting this business and what immediate steps Selfridges is taking to ensure alignment with its stated values.

Kind regards,
Your name