Baroness Shaista Gohir balances life and work between Birmingham and London, leading the Muslim Women’s Network UK charity while also engaging in advocacy work in Parliament. Shaista is the founding member of the charity, which started more than 20 years ago.

Every week, I travel from Birmingham to London on a Monday and return home on Thursday.  My day starts with the morning commute from my apartment to Parliament on the London underground. By 8:30am, I’m on the underground, and by 9:10am, I arrive at Parliament. Since my first meeting is in the House of Commons, I skip my usual route to the House of Lords and settle into the seating area in Portcullis House to get a head start on emails. With two inboxes—one for my charity work and another for Parliament—it’s a constant battle to stay on top of them. I manage to get through a few before my first meeting at 9:30am.

It’s the Extraordinary General Meeting for the APPG on British Muslims. I’m not an officer of the group, but I want to show my support for Baroness Warsi and Sarah Owen, who chair it. Some leftover croissants from an earlier meeting catch my eye—since I didn’t have time for breakfast, I grab one. Bad idea. They are way too crumbly, and I make a mess while trying to discreetly eat. Meanwhile, the meeting focuses on the concerning rise in hate crime, and I emphasise the importance of engaging with those we disagree with whenever possible.

By 10am, I’m off again, rushing across Parliament to the House of Lords for my next meeting. My Parliamentary Assistant, Angela Dainton, who is also a trustee of my charity has already greeted my guests: one from the Premier League and another from Crystal Palace FC Charity Foundation. We are planning a roundtable in March, as part of Muslim Heritage Month (MHM), where several Premier League football charities will showcase their best practices for including South Asian and Muslim communities. After a productive discussion, we squeeze in a quick tour of the Parliament before they leave.

Next, I head back to the House of Commons, trying to catch at least part of an event on the challenges Muslims face in the arts, film and culture. I’ve already missed most of it, but I make it in time for the Q&A session. The speakers are, Farah Nabulsi, who directed The Present, and Javed Khan, who has founded a new Muslim think tank called Equi. After the event, I take a few minutes to chat with familiar faces before heading to the canteen for a much-needed lunch.

My afternoon starts with a roundtable discussion in the House of Lords, organised by the Social Mobility Commission, which is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Cabinet Office. I highlight the specific barriers experienced by Muslim communities. I focussed on apprenticeships, discrimination, entrepreneurship, and the lack of recognition for unpaid caregiving, which hinders upward mobility. Given my recent engagement with football clubs, I also mention how football charities are helping local communities by providing volunteering opportunities that can lead to employment. Before leaving, I invite the Commission to the event I am hosting on the 5th March.

Back to Portcullis House for an event on Kashmir, hosted by Imran Khan MP. I attend to show solidarity and ask a question, but I leave early to head to the chamber for parliamentary questions. In between, I try to catch up on urgent emails, approve designs for Muslim Heritage Month merchandise, and follow up on invites. Since the launch of a dedicated website for Muslim Heritage Month (MHM), have been inviting individuals and organisations to promote the month-long festival to be celebrated annually in March. So far, 20 organisations from various sectors have agreed to participate in the MHM initiative of amplifying positive Muslim stories.

The final meeting of the day is at 5:15pm with Home Office Minister, Diana Johnson. I raised concerns about the rise in hate crime and non-crime hate incidents, as well as, the issue of underreporting. We discuss police training and building trust to encourage more reporting. The meeting lasts about an hour.

By now, I’m ready to go home. But first—the rush-hour commute! I finally make it back by 7:15pm.

Day over? Not quite. I make myself something to eat and spend another couple of hours catching up on emails and urgent tasks, such as completing a funding application before the deadline, which is looming. Writing this has made me realise—I really need to block off some free days or even sections of the day to have time to think!  Or perhaps I need to be better at saying no to more things!