In 2012, The Guardian published an op-ed by Aslam, where she describes all the factors a modern Muslim woman has to consider when she decides whether or not to wear a hijab.[3]
In 2014, Aslam and her friend Irna Qureshi, an ethnographer, author and oral historian specialising in British Asian arts,[4] founded the Bradford Literature Festival.[2][5][6] The festival has since grown to be a significant event in the country's literary calendar. The Bradford Literature Festival is celebrated for its socio-economic and ethnic diversity, attracting over 115,000 visitors annually. [7][8] Syima Aslam was motivated by her observations that people who needed to be present at cultural events were often absent. Similar festivals often cater predominantly to white, middle-class audiences in terms of content and ticket prices. This issue promotes an environment of exclusion where the mental wellbeing, inspiration, and overall benefits of arts and culture become accessible only to the privileged few. With the Bradford Literature Festival, she aimed to create something accessible and aspirational, bringing crucial conversations to those who needed to be part of them. [9][10]
In 2018, Syima Aslam was announced as the winner of the Hospital Club H100 Award in the publishing and writing category. [15] In the same year she was also awarded Professional of the Year by Yorkshire Asian Business Awards. [16]
In 2023, Aslam was awarded 'Disruptor for Good' at Northern Power Women's Award for the work of the Bradford Literature Festival in challenging the norm and striving to make positive changes for society, with the vision to change lives through access to world-class arts, literature, and education for all. [20]
In 2024 and 2025, Aslam was recognised in the Muslim 500 list as one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World.[21]
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Alison Flood (5 November 2019). "Discworld dishes Moby-Dick: BBC unveils 100 'novels that shaped our world'". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2019. There's no Wuthering Heights, no Moby-Dick, no Ulysses, but there is Half of a Yellow Sun, Bridget Jones's Diary and Discworld: so announced the panel of experts assembled by the BBC to draw up a list of 100 novels that shaped their world.
