Deeyah Khan

Deeyah Khan

Broadcaster

Deeyah Khan is an Emmy and Peabody award-winning documentary film director and founder of Fuuse, a media and arts company that puts women, people from minorities, and third-culture kids at the heart of telling their own stories.

In 2016, she became the first UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for artistic freedom and creativity.  She has received many honours for her work supporting freedom of expression, human rights and peace including the Ossietzky prize, the University of Oslo’s Human Rights Award and the Peer Gynt Prize from the Parliament of Norway.

Born in Norway to immigrant parents of Pashtun and Punjabi ancestry, Deeyah’s experience of living between different cultures, both the beauty and the challenges, shapes her artistic vision. Her 2012 multi-award winning documentary Banaz: A Love Story chronicles the life and death of Banaz Mahmod, a young British Kurdish woman murdered by her family in a so-called honour killing.  Deeyah’s second film, the Grierson and Bafta award-nominated Jihad, involved two years of interviews and filming with Islamic extremists, convicted terrorists and former jihadis.

One of Fuuse’s recent initiatives, born of Deeyah’s own experiences, is sister-hood, a digital magazine and a series of live events spotlighting the voices of women of Muslim heritage. Deeyah has also produced a number of critically acclaimed albums, including Listen to the Banned, a compilation that brought together musicians from around the world who have been subject to persecution, censorship and imprisonment.

The focus of Deeyah’s work and access to voices that are often overlooked and misunderstood has led to increasing demand as a speaker at international human rights events and platforms including the United Nations. She was described by The Times of London thus: “To say Deeyah Khan is an inspiration is an understatement. She is one of the bravest, most indomitable women… facing down bullies and extremists with intelligence and unflinching spirit.”

America’s War on Abortion is Deeyah Khan’s BAFTA-winning documentary with ITV exploring one of the most divisive issues in American politics – abortion. Khan heads to the frontline to meet those most affected by America’s abortion wars.

Behind The Rage is Deeyah’s second documentary with ITV which asks a simple question: Is it possible to reduce endemic levels of male violence in America?

Deeyah Khan @Deeyah_Khan

“They are out of their minds. I kick them and they hold me down. I hate them” People like her will continue to be victimized until we end this humanitarian crisis. How many more rapes, overdoses and deaths needs to happen before we do something?

are homeless but most are. She says most are younger and come in groups in the middle of the night. One man though comes in a nice car every few months. She thinks he is not homeless. He is older and tells her “sorry” afterwards. She said the younger ones are always on drugs.

*Trigger warning* I met a homeless woman who told me she has been raped “many times” on the streets. She said they come to her tent at night and “take turns”. She has called the police but stopped trying when the rapes continued. She doesn’t know if all the men that assault her

Our failure to understand & appreciate the global scale of authoritarianism and its international networks comes at a grave cost.

Guess whose birthday it is!

Celebrating another revolution around the sun for our wonderful co-founder, leader, and friend @GloriaSteinem! Join us in sending her well wishes for the coming year!

Every day, morning, evening we receive messages from desperate people eagerly asking when girls schools will open?!
I always give them some sort of hope that yes schools will open and for them to be patient. This is our right and till when we should wait. #PenPathGirlsEduCampaign

Sikh diaspora protesting in support of Amritpal Singh in front of the Parliament in London.

ISIS cells working out of South Africa are supporting the operational work of Islamic State more widely. h/t @Jason_Blazakis https://thesoufancenter.org/intelbrief-2023-march-21/

Two Jewish teens indicted on terror charges for January firebombing of Herzliya mosque - https://buff.ly/3Jy4kCe

For the love of humanity, these are people… people like you or I, whose only “crime” was being born in a place that became uninhabitable through no fault of their own. Stop treating desperate and vulnerable people like criminals for needing our help! They have suffered enough… https://twitter.com/skynews/status/1639544703975837699

#EU Ministers Working Toward Iran's Revolutionary Guard Terrorist Designation - @Michael_Lipin https://buff.ly/401ufJF

How can better dialogue change you? Watch the dialogue-event we had together with @Deeyah_Khan in November last year, on Youtube👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01RvJWWzWOU&t=13s @SchoepJeff https://twitter.com/Deeyah_Khan/status/1597699240288874496

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/met-police-told-rape-victim-29510917

U.S. Commander: #ISIS in Afghanistan 6 Months Away From Foreign Attack Capability - @PDShinkman https://buff.ly/40iEcSF

Israeli PM Netanyahu visiting the UK PM Sunak at Downing Street amid loud protests from hundreds of protesters.

Afghanistan beat Pakistan in cricket. What a huge victory for Afghan team 🏏

“Today my heart really felt broken, knowing that boys are allowed to go to school and continue their education” and girls are not, one Afghan girl tells me, as girls continue to be prevented from going to school.

“I’ve done nothing wrong… I only want my right to education.”

A quarter of world population lacks safe drinking water: UN - @EdithLedererAP https://buff.ly/40a5kUs

Taliban Leader Faces Blowback Over Girls’ School Ban—From His Own Movement - @SaeedShah https://buff.ly/3K3uJtr