As a marriage counselor and mediator for the Islamic Sharia Council of UK, psychotherapist Salia Islam has sat across from hundreds of couples at the breaking point of their relationships — and has spent decades reflecting on why so many marriages, across every background and education level, quietly unravel.

In this episode of the Kianistan Podcast, host Tafhim Kiani speaks with Salia Islam about her pioneering role as one of the first female directors of a major UK mosque, her firsthand experience of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and its aftermath, and her deep expertise in marriage counseling within British Muslim communities.

The conversation also turns to the wave of far-right riots that followed the Southport attack in the UK, the rising Islamophobia she has witnessed over decades of interfaith work, and her critique of how Western psychology often overlooks the role of spiritual and religious frameworks in genuine healing.

It is a candid, wide-ranging conversation that moves fluidly between community leadership, personal faith, psychotherapy, and the pressing social tensions facing British Muslims today.

Key Topics Discussed

Breaking Ground as a Female Mosque Director

Salia Islam reflects on her nineteen years as a founding trustee and eventual director of Al-Manaar Mosque, becoming one of the first women in Europe to hold such a leadership role.

• Helping build the masjid from the ground up as a founding trustee
• Becoming the first woman director of a major mosque organization in Europe
• Adopting the inclusive Madinah model of community service for all, including non-Muslims
• Building bridges with far-right individuals who visited the mosque

Witnessing the Grenfell Tower Tragedy

Islam recounts her connection to the Grenfell Tower fire, including the loss of a close staff member’s family, and the mosque’s central role in the community’s emergency response.

• Losing a close friend’s wife and two young children in the fire
• The mosque’s rapid mobilization as a hub for search efforts and aid distribution
• How the mosque’s kitchen became a long-term support space for displaced families
• The community kitchen project that later grew into a published cookbook and small businesses

The Southport Attack and Its Aftermath

The conversation turns to the far-right riots that followed a tragic attack in Stockport, and the false rumors that fueled attacks on a local mosque.

• How false rumors about the attacker’s religion and immigration status spread rapidly
• The targeting of a local mosque by rioters based on these false rumors
• The community response to repair and rebuild after the attack
• Her broader reflections on the persistence of underlying racism in British society

Islamic Versus Western Psychology

Drawing on decades as a psychotherapist, Islam offers her critique of how Western psychological frameworks differ from an Islamic understanding of the self and healing.

• Her view that Western psychology has largely lost its connection to spirituality
• The limitations of figures like Sigmund Freud’s theories from an Islamic perspective
• Why she believes true healing requires reconnecting with God-consciousness
• Solution-focused therapy as a practical, faith-compatible approach

The Realities of Marriage Counseling

Islam shares candid insights from her work mediating divorces and marriage counseling through the Islamic Sharia Council, highlighting recurring patterns behind relationship breakdown.

• Why the vast majority of divorce cases she handles are initiated by women
• Communication failures as the single biggest issue she encounters
• How unrealistic expectations, often shaped by social media, strain modern marriages
• The importance of premarital counseling and asking difficult questions early

Marriage Registration and Legal Protections

The discussion closes with a look at the legal complications facing many British Muslim couples whose religious marriages are not formally registered under UK law.

• Why Islamic nikah ceremonies are not automatically recognized as legal marriages in the UK
• The financial and custodial risks this creates for women in the event of divorce
• Her advocacy work with the Register Our Marriage campaign
• Why she urges couples to register their marriages before problems arise

Major Takeaways

• Salia Islam was one of the first women in Europe to serve as director of a major mosque organization.
• The Grenfell Tower tragedy deeply affected her community, prompting a long-running mosque-led support effort.
• False rumors following the Southport attack fueled far-right riots targeting a local mosque.
• She argues Western psychology often overlooks the spiritual dimension central to genuine healing.
• Communication failure is the most common underlying issue she encounters in marriage counseling.
• Unregistered Islamic marriages leave many women legally unprotected under UK law in the event of divorce.

About Salia Islam

Salia Islam is a marriage counselor and mediator for the Islamic Sharia Council of UK, and a certified psychotherapist and social worker. She was a founding trustee and later director of Al-Manaar Mosque in London, becoming one of the first women in Europe to hold such a leadership role within a major Muslim community organization.

Through her practice, Sirat Coaching and Therapy, Islam combines Islamic spiritual principles with psychotherapeutic training to support individuals and couples navigating personal, marital, and spiritual challenges.

• Marriage counselor and mediator for the Islamic Sharia Council of UK
• Certified psychotherapist and social worker
• Founding trustee and former director of Al-Manaar Mosque, London
• Founder of Sirat Coaching and Therapy

About Kianistan Podcast

The Kianistan Podcast is a geopolitics-focused interview show hosted by Tafhim Kiani, though the show regularly features conversations that explore the social, religious, and community dimensions underlying broader global and domestic tensions.

This conversation with Salia Islam reflects Kianistan’s interest in the lived experience of British Muslim communities, offering listeners insight into how issues like Islamophobia, community resilience, and family life intersect with the wider geopolitical themes the show regularly explores.

Frequently Asked Questions

What role did Salia Islam play at Al-Manaar Mosque?

She was a founding trustee for nearly nineteen years and later became the first woman director of the mosque, one of the first women in Europe to hold such a position at a major Muslim organization.

How was Al-Manaar Mosque connected to the Grenfell Tower tragedy?

The mosque, located near Grenfell Tower, became a central hub for community support immediately after the fire, and a close friend’s family were among those who died in the tragedy.

What does Salia Islam see as the biggest issue in marriage counseling cases?

She identifies communication failure as the most common underlying issue in the marriage breakdowns she encounters, often compounded by unrealistic expectations and a lack of premarital preparation.

Why does Salia Islam advocate for marriage registration?

Because Islamic nikah ceremonies are not automatically recognized as legal marriages under UK law, unregistered couples, particularly women, can face significant financial and custodial risks in the event of divorce.

Conclusion

Salia Islam’s conversation on the Kianistan Podcast offers a rare blend of community leadership experience, professional psychotherapeutic insight, and firsthand reflection on some of the most difficult moments faced by British Muslim communities in recent years.

Her candid discussion of marriage, faith, and healing provides listeners with a deeply human perspective often missing from broader geopolitical conversations.

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