Finding faith and academic direction
- 30 October 2025
- 4 minutes
A smile and sense of kindness radiates from Fatima Muman (Theology 2022), whose academic and personal life have changed markedly since she matriculated at Gonville & Caius College.
Fatima was in the first cohort of University of Cambridge Foundation Year students. She went on to study Philosophy, before changing tack and choosing Theology for her Part II (third year) of undergraduate study. She initially wanted to be a Lawyer; no longer.
Her academic journey is somewhat entwined with her personal one, of finding renewed meaning and direction through Islam. She became a Muslim in 2024 and feels blessed. She is delighted to be able to combine her personal and academic interests by studying Theology.
“It’s the best thing, I love it so much,” she says. “I’m so grateful. The lectures are so interesting and rewarding. I get to study Arabic too!”
Without the Foundation Year, which is intended to provide a stepping stone to Cambridge for students who have been prevented from realising their potential due to educational disadvantage or disruption, Fatima says she would not be at Caius.
Born to an Indian-Ugandan father and Polish mother she had a diverse upbringing, with the opportunity to explore both Islam and Catholicism.
She adds: “Faith was instilled in me, but it was on and off. Sometimes an aunt would take me to the mosque, sometimes my mum to church.”
When the time came to choose a secondary school, Fatima went to Gumley House, a Catholic school in south west London.
She says: “Catholicism was easier to understand and I was closer to it at the time. I started going to a Polish church and learnt my prayers in Polish. I really enjoyed Gumley, which was the best school for me.
“After secondary school I became disillusioned with faith. I had a belief in God, but I didn’t have a scripture to follow or a community. Without that, it’s very easy to get lost.
“In second year of uni, I had a great group of friends, but I was quite anxious, over thinking a lot and became a people pleaser. I was very impressionable and I didn’t have a guiding way in terms of values. I felt myself going down a pathway which wasn’t good for me.”
Her father died of cancer when she was 10 and her mother of illness four years later. But Fatima only expresses gratitude for the support of her wider family. It was an uncle to whom she turned when she was at her most anxious. He and his family had hosted her before travelling to Cambridge and she began to learn more about Islam.
Fatima says: “Things properly started to change when I was feeling very anxious and I called my uncle. He sent me a YouTube link and I didn’t know what it was and doubted if it would help me. He sent me a prayer in Arabic from the Quran. But I didn’t know that.
“I felt peace flood me and I felt so content. I had no idea why or where this had come from. Slowly different things guided me towards Islam and I wanted to convert.”
She is a member of Cambridge University Islamic Society (ISoc) and attends the Cambridge mosque.
“My Dad wanted me to be a Muslim, and I think he’d be happy,” she adds.
She is combining her personal passion with academic work this year, working on a dissertation thesis to explore the idea of justice in Islam, under the supervision of Dr Timothy Winter, the University’s Shaykh Zayed Lecturer in Islamic Studies.
“There are so many forms of justice – justice to yourself, to others, to God. It’s a very, very big topic,” she adds.
Fatima is a Caius access ambassador, giving back to the community by welcoming prospective applicants at open days and school pupils who visit the College. She hopes to contribute to changing people’s perceptions.
She adds: “People have preconceptions about what a student at Cambridge is – I had that. You realise it’s not the case. Everyone’s so different and from all over.
“There’s no one type of person here. You can learn something from everyone and you can grow in terms of your perspective, learning about different people and types of experiences. It opens up your mind.”
