Khola Hasan is a writer, broadcaster and public speaker. Her first short book, The crumbling minarets of Spain, was written at the age of 17 and was later published in England, and then translated into Arabic and Urdu abroad. She holds a Masters degree in International and Comparative Legal Studies from SOAS. Her MA dissertation on Social and Medical effects of consanguineous marriages within the British Mirpuri community is in the process of being published with the support of the Islamic Shariah Council. Her article entitled Hijab: A symbol of modesty or seclusion? is in the process of being published by Gloucester University as part of a larger study on the hijab.

She is currently Director of Albatross Consultancy Limited, which is involved in research and outreach programmes on issues related to Muslim women, especially human rights, forced marriages, FGM, education and Islamic Law. She is an executive member of the East London Three Faiths Forum, and involved in Scriptural Reasoning with St. Ethelburga’s Centre for Peace and Reconciliation. She is a regular contributor for Radio 4’s Beyond Belief series of programmes, and a debate that she took part in 2005 with Irshad Manji on the subject of women in Islam later won the Sony Gold prize for Best Speech Programme. She also took part in one of the renowned Doha Debates on the issue of equality for women. Sadly, she was on the losing side of the debate!

Khola lives in Essex with her husband and four children.