Early early early early. Early. Early early. Early early. Early you know. You're an. Early. Early early. As the last post fades away here in Whitehall often it's the minute silence thousands stand still in the sun sign and the 1st of many wreaths of bright red poppies is laid at the base of the Senate office. By Prince Charles on behalf of the Queen. Her songs to the foreman of the nation. You're listening to 5. And the other news the joke which. The country has fallen silence to remember those who lost their lives in conflicts the royal family and politicians are taking part in a national memorial service at the Senate's half make ballsy served for 11 years in the British forces including in Iraq and Afghanistan it is the hardest few days of the year for me for a long time I found it difficult to read more about alls it was only last shit I started wearing the medals I turned the remembrance a High Wycombe I think it's important for people like myself to be seen also being a British Muslim it's a big thing so me as well to make sure that others see the work that we're doing thousands of veterans will launch 3 white soul Jim god names from the aba field all boys Association they can be emotional especially when you're your son at off I think everybody goes over to injuries this parade that live served on a layer representing the regiments their people as a wonderful experience those service men and women who have been injured are also being the man that Jack Cummings lost both his legs above the navy and an explosion in Afghanistan from maybe an amputee I woke up and I would go on and I kind of switch in that mindset then look around back crack on like some item like that one of the very lucky ones you know I said I will be a member and make specifically all the guys at their mica mine from Afghanistan have always tried to be cautious that what's happened is make or should be I'm very fortunate c.b. I want to make the most of my life and joy. His remembrance and in other news today there are still 7 severe flood warnings in place along the river dawn in South Yorkshire that means there's a threat to life water levels on the river trends are also expected to rise and a spending rose broken out after the Conservative Party claimed a Labor government would cost $1.00 trillion pounds I have a 5 year is the shadow chancellor is accusing the Tories of fake news as Labor hasn't yet published its money fester now the sport's history Thank you man of the match Jonny Bairstow says Engeland won't make a habit of super overs in cricket they defeated New Zealand in the early hours of this morning with the aid of a decider to clinch the t 20 series 32 Pep Guardiola says his Manchester City team won't be affected by the underdogs tag when they face Liverpool at Anfield this afternoon and could go 9 points clear of the champions with victory today you can hear it on 5 Live from 430 and how to set a new world record to win half face consecutive t 34100 metres title at the World Power Athletics Championships as fellow Briton Kerry Adenike and took silver. Only b.b.c. Radio 5 Live. Welcome back to the show I'm Laura Whitmore a reminder were pre-court show this week said don't call text email tweeting Sacha that goes for my parents as I've. Been revising and. Egg comedians even Bailey and broadcaster Lauren have read knowing me in this Ciccio and coming up in the final half hour live music from the clockworks you heard from them a little bit earlier on and a bit more from Taylor Hawkins as he gives us the last word but right now my next guest she is an Egyptian born London raised journalist his new book looks at not fitting in and being in between 2 cultures it's called the Greater freedom life as a Middle Eastern woman outside the stereotypes and the author is al your Morrow who joins. Now how I am good how are you going to go we actually met a while ago and you tell me about your book and you sent it to me and yes I just slip in your d.m. He said to me and I know everyone sliding into the can I get was I'm going to see our little son anyone can slide into my hands and he's all DNS later on but I. Was someone who can probably relate to on a different level just being divided by cultures and what you should be and how you grow up and I think I think ultimately ultimately it's about finding your individuality but I be Rice Yeah I think so I think you know there's so many things that the world I think especially as women tells us that we should be or what we should one tear you know what we should do or think or look like and I think what I wanted to really look at is you know when you have 2 different invisible juries I've called them in the book telling you what you should want how do you kind of make your own decisions ignore like tuning them out and kind of figuring it out for yourself and that's what I really wanted to do alternately was just kind of on pick all these ideas so I suppose when you come to look up you top this in a book like googling Arab woman and then the image that you get back was an image that you didn't relate to yeah I think it's very reductive at the moment especially you know it's very much like oh you have to be very old and you have to there's so many assumptions of what it means to be an Arab woman and there's so much Islam a phobia at the moment there's so much fear of the other and that's something that you know I was I kind of became a bit more confident with my words I've been a journalist for a number of years but as I kind of became a bit more you know I felt more comfortable that I was able to say what I wanted to say and as I kind of increasingly saw these reductive stereotypes I felt like I really needed to contribute and that's where the greater freedom came from ultimately is that I really wanted to provide an alternative narrative one that's true to my friends and the people that I know that you know I definitely don't find when I google Arab woman where you had to tend to write this book where you fret about. The backlash of any of any thoughts or ideas you might question I was definitely quite nervous but I had to teach out in target otherwise I definitely wouldn't have been able to write I think you know I'm very lucky in that my family are very supportive they're very open minded my parents are you know super proud and they agree very much with what I've written had they not been like that I don't know that I would have been able to write the book which is another reason why I felt like I had to because I was like you know I'm in a position of privilege essentially where I'm you know in between both cultures I have a bird's eye view of both I'm very familiar with Middle Eastern culture and with British culture on my parents are supportive and I'm a journalist so if I don't say this then I don't know who well and I just count wait for anyone to do that has any of your views changed from writing the book from doing your research I think what's been really interesting is that I feel like writing the book definitely made me feel a lot more myself and Mabel need to unpick you know when you're supposed to you know get married a stop you're not supposed to have sex like all of these kind of expectations I have same for Irish people. Cotton Ixia Yeah well that's the thing I think that's what I really realized as well in writing is that none of none of this is just limited to the Middle East or into being Muslim or any of those things actually as women we live in a patriarchal world so across cultures we're very much told the same things something I found interesting actually t.i. This week I don't know if you guys heard about this he came out saying that he takes his daughter who has just turned 18 to get tests to see if her hymen has been broken is a t. I drop or just around here our music yeah he was on a podcast and he was saying that and everyone was shocked and Twitter is going crazy and obviously it's shocking but for me I'm like yeah I know who this like what happened this happens all the time so I was really interesting to be like oh actually this is not just Islam or it's not just Middle Eastern people t.-i in America they're liars doing it to. Do you feel yourself like obviously coming from a journalistic background and you're comfortable with questioning but have you felt in your life up to this point the pressure to look a behave in a certain way because of the color of your skin or because of how people identify you I think so I mean that's really interesting that I'm really trying to get over actually is this assumption that I always need to like have my hair blow dried or like have my nails done and even today I have my eye I really struggle to not have my hair blow dried So I think it's more on the radio Yeah exactly and it looks great still to say you know thank you hair for radio for sure but yeah it's one of those things I think that you just have these expectations of how you should look and thing we all have to like perfect and I suppose I think we all have that in Western culture females particularly too there was I remember Louis Walsh saying this about looking after he'd rather look after a boy band than the girl band his girl band how to look better they have to be more pristine and the quite in the boyband Yeah. Although I would say sometimes now I look at Instagram go where's my 6 pack. As a performer do you feel pressure to look a certain way sometimes like I mean some Sometimes I think it's in your head like sometimes I do not care of I would drop the fried chicken and I'm just really happy to me and I completely accept I'm never going to have a 6 pack so don't put the effort in and no do I wish to go. Yes sometimes a day like an a and sometimes I think it's just like a mental thing for me like I lost 2 stone and then got my 1st t.v. Show and I was like it's because I lost like the one time I had for ages and I might have a confidence thing yet it wasn't actually the way it was how you hold yourself or what you thought it for yourself one thing that was really interesting in your book I was the beginning of one of the chapters you say I'm not a feminist explain I used to I think the word feminism has so many negative connotations associated with their youth. But you're like burning you're broad and you like hate men and you know all of these things which is not at all what feminism is it basically just means that I want to be equal and have the same opportunities as a man and not be limited because of my gender which now I'm like does but at the time you know I really didn't want to I didn't want to be contrary I guess I wanted people to like me I wanted to I wanted men to like me and I think it's just something that when you're younger you do have a lot more you do have a lot more desire to like fit in you don't want to be that person like causing a problem and being like contrary whereas now I'm like no I'm definitely feminist we should all be feminists we should all want to granting it's be owning a word isn't it is the word that. A loss in words even in the gay community you can take it back and let it mean something else so for me I shall go with the word feminism and I'm as in I'm being a feminist and the negative connotations with us but I say I'm like No I am a feminist because this is how I define a liar and have you kind of I thought even this book is Life is a Middle Eastern woman outside the stereotypes but we all struggle you know meaning some girl this I just I just think there is so often we're very fortunate. Because I thought we were on the cost of real change and we actually moved in the ball that we want for ourselves. Fortunate to be right and be at this time is hard like I've lived my feminist off and on not me saying I want to have the same rights don't speak to me like that about her appearance like it's value isn't a bad thing and it does have a negative connotation and it's called it can be really draining having to constantly unpick you saying I was just having this conversation with a friend though and we were saying how you actually have to call people out now you can just allow people to say things because I feel like I feel like we're really at this turning point where we can either go one way towards like openness and understanding or the other way towards like hatred and fear and we all have to do everything that we. And to go towards openness and an understanding. That includes calling people out when they say things that are inappropriate it includes kind of being the buzzkill as people might like to say and kind of just being like no that's not Ok it's just having a conversation that was in it like I have female friends and say I'm not a feminist probably for the same reasons when you said a but as eloquent as it is I don't know you are a feminist you just so you're not like the like. I think it's just having the conversation isn't it consensually all's we'll never it's like feminism like I like people of color it's just a quality full stop as I like across the board you talk there Ali about your parents being extremely supportive of the writing this book have you had any resistance from the keyboard warriors have you had to deal with much of a backlash in that regard I'm really scared to be like No because I really don't want to jinx said but I'm so far honestly I'm so happy with the response to the book I feel like everyone's really getting a even you know my mom's friend's mom who's like this 80 year old Egyptian woman read the book and she was like I wish that I had read this when I was younger it's completely changed my mind sat like actually why should I care what people think why can't i just be myself and it's been really amazing to to see that a lot of people have been saying to me like you basically just said what we've all been thinking but didn't have the courage or the ability to say so so hopefully it continues and they'll be a little girl who will Google like you did Arab women and see a picture of you and then feel that relations so as I said it's just about putting out options it's not taking away from what you want your culture to be and some people will live the traditional culture but it's just having that openness and diversity Yeah I think it's there are so many different narratives and so much as humans there are so many nuances of what we who we are and what we want and I feel like it's so important to have all those different examples. Being shown because you know I always say it's easier to be yourself if you can see yourself in it. At the same time it makes you know it's it's hard to otherwise someone if you see the human to that and that's what I really wanted to do with the greater freedom was to kind of give a human face to this story that no one's talking about. And yeah I'm really happy with so far so good it's a great way to even get some kind of an Irishwoman reading I really find that there were so many narratives in there that that really were up to my life as well thank you very much and the greater freedom life is a Middle Eastern woman outside the stereotypes by Morrow is I thank you Erin thank you so much oh no forget this squad is up at half 11 with Nick bright and it's a massive day a premiership force each day on 5 life what Liverpool and Man City Time now for my truck of the week this is all the boys are jealous This is the pockmarks. Cars. That is the clockworks ad that was incredible guys where can we find out more. On Instagram or Instagram's to talk or expand our Twitter has done good for lots of d.m.z. Yeah the last filled up and I work we see you next are you getting at the moment I think yeah she was told blue turns out moment. And they were playing a couple of gigs 9 and next month you have over here now you've made the move we've made the move high finding London life growing fast. So yeah like it's a bit quicker than the bar you know a. Lot of us sometimes that we're playing London when the new year in the new year so keep an eye out to keep an eye on Ok so that's the clockworks there graduations on old success so far thank you so much more. As we are I forgot you're in the corner so. That area was out of wood in the corner there you are hiding and this happened a lot with the yeah it's Brian is the guy I requested that you've asked for so yeah . The radio is finally. Taking up too much funding their time in the spotlight Holcomb's was my bros this week and as always as we near the end of the show it's time for the last word so this is Taylor's last words which starts with the last time he was scared. I was Time scared. Have you seen this Ok I have children. No it's this doctor there's a 2020 I don't want to have 2020 here but you know Michael Douglas actor that. Documentary about him and his son it's so heavy it's and he does the interview at stats Watson and Diane Sawyer. And if you have a child and you watch that you're just like oh my god. Please don't let this happen to my child I really don't want my son to go to jail for 20 years 1st dealing drugs. Hold our eyes watching the ads. Scare the crap out of me having children is the scariest thing you could ever do ever in your life I'm telling you right now it's like bungee jumping 25 times a day so well. The last movie I watched was I watched half of Goodfellas on the way here and I think. The last song you listened to. Them or do you actually kind of check out what else is going on I mean it's it really is hard for me to listen to sort of just computer generated music it's just it just doesn't appeal to me I'm going to be honest like I like to hear musicians play I'm not bad mouthing and I understand why people like it I get it it just doesn't really appeal to me so when Queens a stone age come out when they record a listen to our tech monkeys come out with a new record. And Jack White record something new I'll listen to it and you know I'll try and you know my son you know he's he's always trying to turn me out of some little Yardy or something like that he's 12 so you know I get it though that's his rock n roll at this point that's the that's the rebellious music of the time so the last time you cried. If you watch in like the Elton John movie or something like that. Yeah and the last book you read you reached Yeah I just read Roger Daltrey's biography and then I just now with him the other night I don't really hang out with them I was like high road tour or you are if you're going he's like hey. Whatever finally the last sporting event you watched. Definitely it was the Vikings kicking the crap out of the Redskins. Or did I watch. That no no the last it was a World Series and the Nationals won Are you a sports fan Yeah yeah absolutely and he can learn proper football Hawkins' there at the last word I just kind of feel like I want to be I made a kind of you know maybe we are friends I think you can claim that yeah yeah I think that and I love as well his wife was in the room during that interview in the corner and everything he said he kind of look at her approval. That is a man who knows how to treat a woman. And that's it the end of the show thank you to all of my guests Stephen Bayley you're a busy man at the moment you've got a tour yes pull the dough into spring next even Bailey come in please buy tickets because if I'm in Leicester alone I will be at the south side and that's not how Les is meant. This is a fun place Ok 1st place every d.j. Had a great night it was actually I didn't know what so amazing and then finally tell me about the show is a coming back seventy's on the farm I just have some of the things that we just so fingers crossed fingers crossed I've got live at the Apollo. Coming out so serious . Celebrity must. Be Dolly Now table because I'm not like get. So close but now is a girls I'd go. Girls Aloud Lauren thank you so much for coming. On the show and coming back on the show we did a great she rece