As well as running sessions in schools, MWN-UK also produces research reports, responds to government consultations on policy, runs campaigns and operates a national helpline, advising women on issues from divorce to mental health. Vaid describes the helpline as the network’s “frontline service, which supports women in crisis situations but also women who may just need information about their rights”.

The group also produces educational materials on women’s rights for smaller local organisations to use, such as information booklets and YouTube videos in multiple languages. “Often when you are a small local group, what you don’t have is time to produce resources,” Vaid explains. “For an activist on the ground running a coffee morning, they would simply press play on one of our YouTube videos and then that can be a stimulus for discussion.”

Assisting, rather than directing, the activities of grassroots groups is key. “We’re not trying to create an umbrella body that controls what’s happening around the country. What we’re trying to do is support local women in their local context to run projects in ways that only they can know is right for that community.”

Looking forward, Vaid hopes to continue to facilitate spaces for women to talk about their lives in a way that acknowledges the importance of religion and culture.

“There aren’t enough culturally and faith-sensitive spaces that allow Muslim women to talk about their faith and how it impacts their lives, and I think that’s really important,” she says. “There aren’t enough opportunities for women to have their voices heard in meaningful ways, and that’s what I want to try and support.”

The Woman of the Week series is part of Stylist’s Visible Women campaign, dedicated to raising the profiles of brilliant women past and present. See more Visible Women stories here.

Faeeza Vaid is here to prove that Islam and feminism are not mutually exclusive