“When I started my journey,
it was very evident that there
was a lack of people looking like me.”
What started as a pandemic-era online group to get Muslim and people from Asian backgrounds outdoors has blossomed into an international community that’s inspired thousands of miles of exercise, including Muslim Hikers, Muslim Cyclists and Muslim Runners. Elouise Hobbs speaks to the man behind the Active Inclusion Network, Haroon Mota.
Three years ago, seasoned hiker, marathon runner, and all-around adventurer Haroon Mota was, like the rest of the country, sat at home in lockdown wondering how he could inspire more people from Asian and Muslim backgrounds to get outside. In the subsequent years, he’s built arguably the largest community in the world for Muslims interested in the outdoors, and he’s only just getting started.
How Haroon Mota’s active empire was built
With a background in fundraising – it was Haroon’s job to organise charity hikes, runs, and cycling events – he was no stranger to getting people outside for charity, but when it came to inspiring people to exercise for pleasure and health, there was a problem.
“When I started my journey into the outdoors, it was very evident that there was a lack of people looking like me in these spaces,” explained Haroon, who in September 2020 decided to start the Muslim Hikers Instagram page. This rapidly grew into Muslim Runners and Muslim Cyclists – which now all fall under the umbrella of the Active Inclusion Network.
“Any excuse, I’m there.
Regardless of who
I’m with or what type of weather.”
Collectively, these pages have over 45,000 followers on Instagram alone, and thousands of followers have taken their engagement offline, to join an in-person event. Since the first event, which took place in July 2021 and sold out in two days, there have been hundreds across the UK. Taking place two to three times a month, they regularly sell out in hours, and despite the name everyone, regardless of background or religion, is welcome to join.
Haroon, who this summer has organised the Muslim Hikers’ first-ever walk along Wales’ world-famous coastal path, explained how the nation’s mountains have played a crucial role in the growth of the community.
“Our first-ever hike was in north Wales, up Snowdon,” said Haroon, who himself has climbed the mountain over 100 times. “Any excuse, I’m there. Regardless of who I’m with or what type of weather, it’s always an enriching experience.”
Despite some initial anxiousness (and lots of thinking “will people actually join?”), Haroon welcomed 80 people to the first walk and was inundated with requests to join similar events. The “incredible” reception to the event – which included one hiker who’d travelled through the night from Edinburgh to arrive for the 8am start – was a huge milestone, and in many ways “the birth of Muslim hikers.”
Events, Harron explained, was not what the network had initially been set up for, “but it’s what we ended up doing. The first time we activated community in person was just incredible – seeing people from different parts of the country coming together just to enjoy the outdoors and to connect with one another.”
First Wales, then the world
Exactly one year later, the summit of Snowden saw another milestone for the community; their first international walker. A young girl had travelled from Sweden with her dad, flying to Manchester and getting a lift with a fellow hiker, who they’d connected with through the online community.
This, alongside bringing his wife and two children on their first hike this February, was one of Haroon’s favourite moments since setting up the network. “If I ever needed any validation that I was doing the right thing, if I ever needed to demonstrate how important and how powerful community is, that was it.”
As the network has grown, so have the challenges of organising the events. Haroon, who organises most events himself, explained how coordinating with local organsations that manage national parks and walking paths is crucial.
“Muslim women have even
more barriers to the outdoors.”
For the next two Welsh walks (on Sat 1 and Wed 12 July, and both sold out), they’ve partnered with Wales Coastal Path – who’ve provided funds and supported planning the route – which Haroon is incredibly grateful for.
“The Wales Coastal Path partnership is a perfect example of helping our communities feel more welcome. We wouldn’t be organizing this hike in Wales if we didn’t have this partnership. We just wouldn’t know where to start.”
All this logistical planning sits alongside Haroon’s other passion: marathon running. This year, he completed the Boston and London Marathons within a week, training (and running Boston) during Ramadan, all while raising thousands for Charity Right – a non-profit that provides nutritious school meals to vulnerable children around the world.
“I wouldn’t normally run a marathon in the month of Ramadan, but because it was my final star [making Haroon a ‘Six Star Finisher’ for completing all six World major marathons] – the fact that it fell in the month of Ramadan wasn’t going to stop me. It was nice to complete Boston, rush back home for Eid, and the very next day run the London Marathon.” Haroon’s efforts even caught the attention of Rishi Sunak, who sent him a personal letter to celebrate his achievements.
Active Inclusion: creating space for everyone to thrive
With an accomplished marathon runner at the helm, it’s hardly surprising that Haroon has done a lot of work to reassure new hikers that high fitness levels aren’t a prerequisite to joining events. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that our events are a bit elite. The truth is our walks are for everyone. Our ethos is ‘get out of the door and have a good time’, not ‘come and get to the summit of a mountain’.”
Events are capped at 150 people and the ratio of mountain guides to walkers is 1:15, meaning “when people look forward and when they look behind, they’ll always see a mountain guide. It allows people to walk confidently, comfortably, and safely.”
“There’s a huge demand
for inclusive communities like ours.”
The secret to Haroon’s success? Simple. “There’s a huge demand for inclusive communities like ours. We’ve not reinvented the wheel, we’ve just created a space for people to be free. That’s what our events are about; promoting safety, confidence, and awareness in the outdoors.”
The majority of their hikers (around 70%) are women, and Haroon believes this is indicative of the nature of their walks, “Muslim women have even more barriers to the outdoors than the general community. The fact is: we are creating space for people to thrive.”
For the future, Haroon has high hopes of expanding its network internationally. He’s already had requests to start groups in Canada and Europe. But, ultimately, he wants the community to take the reins; “for people to gain confidence and feel empowered so that they can do these events on their own, and bring along their families and friends.”
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words ELOUISE HOBBS
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