How Na’ima B. Robert Pioneered the Halal Romance Genre in the UK

Na’ima B. Robert is an award-winning author, book coach, and motivational speaker whose work centres around identity, faith, and multiculturalism. Her cult classic, ‘She Wore Red Trainers’, pioneered the halal romance genre in the UK, offering a new take on love within the framework of faith, focusing on emotional over physical connections to give Muslim readers stories that reflect their values.

Alongside her YA novels ‘From Somalia with Love’, ‘Boy vs. Girl’ and ‘Black Sheep’, she has also written several children’s books. Though her last book was published in 2014, Robert remains immersed in the craft of storytelling, mentoring writers and guiding them in bringing their voices to the page. In a conversation with CairoScene, Na’ima reflects on her personal connection to Egypt, the evolution of her writing career, and her advice for those looking to share their own stories.

Can you tell me more about your journey into the halal romance genre?

I had been writing for children for a long time. I was sitting with my agent, and she asked, “What do you want to do next?” On the spot, I came up with an idea for a YA novel, ‘From Somalia with Love’, and she loved it. That’s how I started writing YA.

If you know YA, there’s always some romance because that’s part of young people’s experience. My YA characters are primarily Muslim, from different cultural backgrounds, where relationships can be complex. Even in my first YA book, there was always a romantic element. Each novel explored different aspects of the protagonist’s journey, but I couldn’t avoid a romantic interest.

After writing three novels, I was living in Egypt, where I spent 17 years. One night, I had a dream - a scene from a book. A boy played basketball and noticed a girl on the sidelines. They wore matching Converse sneakers. I used to wear red Converse - I still do - but I loved the idea of the girl in red trainers. That became the working title, and I knew then it would be a romance novel.

I wanted the story to centre on their relationship and how they navigate it. People think fiction is entirely made up, but my experience as an author is that stories often write themselves. It’s more about discovering the story than deciding everything in advance.

The scene from my dream was the first thing I wrote, and the version in ‘The Girl In the Red Trainers’ is almost identical. From there, I asked: Who are these kids? What are their backgrounds? Their families? What draws them together? The story evolved from that curiosity.

What I love about this book - and what makes me proud - is that while it’s a romance and halal by any standard, it’s more than a romcom. It’s deeper because the characters have full, developed lives beyond their love story.

How did living in Cairo shape your storytelling?

I love that question! We moved to Egypt in 2006, and my kids went to Hayah Academy. The high schoolers were actually my beta readers. I had a group reading the manuscript as I was writing it because I wanted to make sure it was true to a young person’s experience. By then, I was Gen X with four kids, far removed from their world, so their feedback was invaluable. They caught things I wouldn’t have noticed and helped shape the book - I’m incredibly grateful.

Most of my novels were written in Egypt. I’d put the kids and my husband to bed, then stay up writing until 3 AM. That was my life for years.

You were also the founding editor of Sisters Magazine. Could you tell me more about that venture?

Sisters Magazine is no longer in print - we published for ten years. Our ethos was to be a magazine for fabulous Muslim women, by Muslim women, celebrating and examining different aspects of our lives.

Writing for ourselves allowed us to be honest. We had inspiring, celebratory content but also tackled serious, often taboo topics - especially in the UK.

We built an incredible community of writers and readers worldwide. Even now, Sisters Magazine remains the only long-running Muslim glossy in the West. It was never replaced - media has changed, but people still cherish their copies, passing them down as heirlooms.

You still champion Muslim women’s voices today. Why is this so important to you?

Every one of us has a story to tell. I was at a TEDx event in Bradford, where people from all walks of life shared their experiences. Speaking to the woman on my left and someone on my right, I realized: everyone in this room, with the right training and confidence, could deliver a TED talk.

I believe we all have a book inside us. Whether we feel compelled to share it is another thing. But if you have a story, a message, or knowledge to put into the world, deciding to write a book is a huge leap. Most people lack that confidence and don’t know where to start.

Since 2018, we’ve coached women and men through planning, writing, and publishing their books. I can’t write on every subject, but if I can help others tell their stories, I get to be part of that. Seeing someone go from, “I think I can do this” to, “Wow, I’ve done it” - that makes it all worthwhile.

Do you have any advice for young writers looking to break into the industry?

It’s been a while since I broke into the industry, and the world was very different then. My route was unusual. I found my agent when she was still a publisher looking for an author. During our meeting, I mentioned wanting to write a book dispelling myths about Muslim women. She was interested and got me a deal at Random House for ‘From My Sister’s Lips’.

Today, finding an agent means doing your research. Most agents state on their websites or Twitter (X) whether they’re looking for clients. If you’re writing dystopian YA, for example, search “dystopian YA agent” and see what comes up.

Fiction writers need a finished, polished draft before querying. Nonfiction can be pitched with a proposal and sample chapters. Fiction is easier to get wrong because it’s a story - you need to fully embody your characters so they feel real.

Everyone dreams of the big publishers, but the real question is: what’s the right publisher for you? Just because Penguin or Random House isn’t interested doesn’t mean there aren’t reputable independent publishers producing great work.

It sounds like you have to balance being an artist with having a business mindset. How do you navigate that?

If you have an agent, they handle the business side - that’s why many want one. But without an agent, you need to be savvy.

It’s not just about selling books; it’s about getting your message out. Writers often think, “I’m an artist, I create things, I don’t want to deal with business.” But if your book is in the commercial world, you have to embrace that.

If you don’t want to engage with the business side, there are other options. But if you’re entering publishing, it’s in your best interest to reframe it in a way that feels right for you. It’s not about sales, it’s about impact. If you’ve created something, you want to share it with as many people as possible.

Has there been a reader moment that has stayed with you?

With ‘She Wore Red Trainers’, I love hearing how boys enjoy the story. You expect girls to like romance, but when boys or young men tell me they identified with parts or learned from it, it’s wonderful. My own son inhaled it, but I didn’t expect so many to pick it up.

I also love hearing from readers whose voices I’ve adopted - whether boys in ‘Ali’, Somalis in ‘From Somalia with Love’, or Pakistanis in ‘Boy vs. Girl’. When they say I got it right, that’s the most rewarding thing. Writing first-person as another gender or culture can easily slip into clichés, so that validation means a lot.

How do you approach researching different backgrounds?

So much research—it depends on the book.

For ‘From Somalia with Love’, there wasn’t much literature about Somalis in the West. Somali forums were active, so I read sites like SomaliCat.com to observe speech and topics. Beta readers helped refine authenticity.

For ‘Black Sheep’, set in South London, I had access to academic studies, movies, books, and documentaries. I also drew on my experience with the Afro-Caribbean community in London. For ‘Far From Home’, I studied history books and novels from white and Black Zimbabwean perspectives, plus South African sources, for a well-rounded view. But ‘She Wore Red Trainers’ was the easiest. I knew that world intimately. The house? One I lived in. The park? I took my kids there. It was a community I knew well.

Do you have any upcoming projects?

‘She Wore Red Trainers’ came out in 2014 - over 10 years ago! I haven’t written another novel since. I’d love to, but capturing Gen Alpha or Gen Z feels tricky. My books were for millennials before social media took over. If I wrote something contemporary, I’d need a strong story to make it feel real.

Do you think we might see another book from you - maybe an adult novel?

I’d love to. But the more books you read, the less confident you feel. You see something brilliant and think, “How did they do that? I can’t!” But we’ll see.