One Of My Kind, Championing Muslim Women in The Zine World 1 Favorite 

The questions that London-based collective One Of My Kind (aka OOMK) explore are those of identity and belonging—issues that are experienced by everyone regardless of whether they grew up defining themselves based on the music they listen to, the hobbies they enjoy, or the religion they practice.

At its core, OOMK is Sofia Niazi, Rose Nordin, and Heiba Lamara, three women from London who produce a highly visual, hand-crafted biannual zine under the same name.
Established in 2013 and with content that “pivots on the imagination, creativity and spirituality of women,” OOMK’s four issues have included a diverse raft of contributors, with each zine centered on a different creative theme (to date: ‘Fabric,’ ‘Print,’ ‘Drawing,’ and ‘Internet’).

OOMK plays an active role part in London’s small-press publishing community: as well as producing the printed zine and running a collective, they host regular creative events in the city, such as DIY Cultures, an annual day-long festival of zines, comics, talks, animation, poetry and workshops “in the spirit of independence, autonomy and alternatives.”

Through their work, OOMK encourages representations of Muslim women that challenge the one-dimensional depictions of us as the silent victims of a draconian religion. At a time when the climate of Islamophobia initially generated by 9/11 is becoming an ever more terrifying problem both in the U.K. and globally, navigating life as a young Muslim can feel like an onslaught of stereotypes, abuse, and alienation. Against this backdrop, a platform for us to express and define ourselves on our own terms feels more important than ever.