Sister Spotlight: Attia's Journey from Skeptic to Advocate

In our Sister Spotlight series, we share the real stories of women in our community who are transforming their relationship with money through faith-aligned financial planning. This month, we sit down with Attia — a human rights student who went from deeply skeptical about finance to becoming one of our most passionate advocates for halal investing.

A World Away from Finance

When Attia first heard about Her Islamic Finance, she was deep into her human rights studies at university. Her world revolved around social justice, advocacy, and systemic change. Finance? Investing? Those felt like the domain of the very systems she was studying to critique.

"Honestly, I thought investing was something for people who already had money — and that the whole financial system was rigged against ordinary people, especially women of colour and Muslims," Attia recalls. "I had this mental block where finance equalled exploitation. The 2008 crash, predatory lending, corporate greed — that was my frame of reference for what 'the financial world' looked like."

She had never considered that there might be a way to participate in financial markets that was not only ethical but deeply rooted in her own faith tradition. The concept of halal investing was entirely off her radar.

The Moment Everything Shifted

A friend from her university Islamic society shared a link to a Her Islamic Finance webinar. Attia almost did not click it. "I remember thinking, 'Islamic finance is probably just conventional finance with an Arabic label,'" she admits with a laugh. "I was so wrong."

What struck her first was the values alignment. The webinar explained how halal investing inherently excludes industries she had been campaigning against — weapons manufacturing, alcohol, gambling, exploitative lending. The Shariah screening process was not just a religious checkbox; it was a comprehensive ethical framework that filtered out harm and prioritised real economic activity.

"I sat there thinking — this is literally what I have been advocating for in my human rights work, but from an Islamic lens. It was like discovering that my deen had already built the ethical investment framework I was searching for in secular spaces."

That evening, Attia signed up for the Her Islamic Finance programme. She did not have much money to invest — she was a student, after all — but she had something more powerful: a burning curiosity and a newfound conviction that halal finance was not a compromise. It was an upgrade.

From Doubt to Deep Understanding

The early weeks were not easy. Attia was honest about her struggles. Financial terminology felt like a foreign language. She did not know the difference between an ETF and an index fund. The idea of opening a brokerage account felt intimidating.

"I remember messaging in the community group at midnight asking what a 'ticker symbol' was," she says. "And within minutes, three sisters had replied with clear, patient explanations. No judgement. No condescension. Just genuine support."

That community element was what kept Attia going. The Her Islamic Finance sisterhood — over 700 women across seven countries — became her support network. She found sisters who were doctors, engineers, teachers, and entrepreneurs, all at different stages of their investing journey, all lifting each other up.

Week by week, the fog lifted. Attia began to understand how compound growth works, why starting early matters even with small amounts, and how Shariah-compliant ETFs provide diversified exposure to global markets without compromising her values. She opened her first investment account, funded it with a modest amount from her part-time job, and bought her first halal ETF.

The Advocate Emerges

"The moment I made my first investment, something clicked," Attia says. "It was not about the money — it was about agency. I realised that financial literacy is a form of empowerment. And for Muslim women specifically, it is a form of empowerment that our deen has always encouraged."

She started sharing what she was learning with her friends — first casually, then more intentionally. She organised an informal halaqah at her university about women and wealth in Islam, drawing on the examples of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) and other women from Islamic history who were financially independent and strategically minded.

The response was overwhelming. Sisters who had never considered investing were asking questions, downloading screener apps, and opening brokerage accounts. Attia had become exactly what she never expected to be: a halal finance advocate.

Attia's Message to Sisters on the Fence

When asked what she would say to a sister who feels the way she once did — skeptical, intimidated, or convinced that finance is not "her world" — Attia does not hesitate:

"If you care about justice, if you care about your community, if you care about leaving the world better than you found it — then you need to understand money. Not because money is the goal, but because money is a tool. And the more Muslim women who know how to wield that tool ethically, the more powerful our community becomes."

She pauses, then adds: "And honestly? It is not as hard as you think. You do not need a finance degree. You do not need to be rich. You just need to start. The Her Islamic Finance community will catch you. I am living proof."

Attia is now in her final year of studies and manages a small but growing halal investment portfolio. She continues to volunteer her time mentoring new sisters who join the programme, paying forward the support she received.

Her journey from skeptic to advocate is a testament to what happens when faith, knowledge, and community come together. And it all started with one click on a webinar link she almost ignored.