I talk quite openly about the times I have struggled with my Muslim identity. When I first became Muslim, it felt like an add-on to who I was. It took many years to feel that my ‘Muslimness’ was truly part of me.

We do come up against difficult hurdles when it comes to being proud of our Muslim identity – distancing ourselves from people who use the faith in order to terrorise or oppress; not always agreeing with our fellow Muslims on certain issues of faith; and having to consider our own safety in our outward expression of our Muslimness.

But, Alhamdulilah, there is a great portion of the Ummah who do a wonderful job of continuing to show up without apology. Today, I’d like us to ask Allah to make us all one of these people – to proudly call ourselves Muslims, and to be amongst those who our Prophet (pbuh) will recognise as part of his Ummah, Ameen.