IslamicFinanceGuru Podcasts · Islamic Finance Guru

The Power of Pioneering in Muslim Tech | Arfah Farooq

·50 min·3 clips

Arfa Farooq says Muslim women should take more risks because a husband can be the provider.

1. IslamicFinanceGuru Podcasts centers this conversation on Arfa Farooq, Muslimic Makers, and Muslim Tech Fest. 2. Arfa Farooq is the co-founder of Muslimic Makers and Muslim Tech Fest, and she explains why those platforms matter to Muslims in tech. 3. The episode asks what it takes to build unapologetically Muslim tech communities without losing identity or sustainability. 4. Arfa says her aha moment came at 21 or 22 in the early London tech scene of 2012 and 2013. 5. She describes going to tech spaces and not seeing representation, then finding others like her through a Twitter chat with a co-founder. 6. She says the best community builders are 'selfish' because they build for their own craving. 7. She says the first goal was to 'bring people in a room, inspire people, make people believe that they can do it too.' 8. She names early community examples like Onfido and Shaz as part of those rooms. 9. Arfa says Muslimic Makers started as a free community project, which later created pressure around money and continuity. 10. She says sponsors often saw 'the Muslim thing' as a problem, and she has had to defend keeping the identity explicit. 11. Arfa says charging five pounds for tickets could have changed the mindset around value and food costs. 12. She says volunteer energy cycles made continuity hard because people would leave after about a year. 13. Arfa says Muslim women should take more risks, especially when marriage and household finances make that possible. 14. She says she and her husband did the sums before she went full time on MTF and cut back on holidays. 15. She says her first entrepreneurship experience came through a startup spun out of a youth charity and an investment decision after graduation. 16. Arfa says her daughter now uses ChatGPT for stories and that voice mode makes the interaction more creative. 17. The conversation moves in an interview style, with follow-up questions about money, motherhood, and identity. 18. The tone stays reflective and practical, with examples from London, San Francisco, and family routines. 19. Best for listeners interested in Muslim founders, community building, and creator-led tech ecosystems. 20. Skip if you want technical product talk with little discussion of community, gender, or sponsorship.

As heard by us

A clear call to start, take the risk, and build for the representation that is missing.

The piece frames risk, community, and faith as linked ideas, with the speaker arguing that Muslim women should take more risks and that building from personal need can strengthen the people around them.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if you need a nudge to stop waiting and start building.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from IslamicFinanceGuru Podcasts