Welcome to Newnham College!
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh! Welcome to Newnham, or as it’s unofficially known, ‘the Muslim women’s college’. Many congratulations on joining a long tradition of ‘witty and rebellious’ women at Newnham – here you can expect Victorian red-brick buildings, beautiful gardens and a safe & friendly environment, inshaAllah.
Your ISoc college reps are Naeemah Daud (3rd year, Engineering ) and Samayah Hussain (2nd year, Medicine). We are often the first contact for Newnhamite Muslims and want to make you feel at home, whether you’re a fresher, a postgrad or a current undergraduate.
Pros
A tight-knit community of Muslim women
Women’s college = hijabi-friendly living environment (NB: beware of maintenance men)
Only 15 minutes from town (fewer tourists!)
Newnham is the closest college to the prayer room on Sidgwick Site
Also nearby the natural beauty of Grantchester Meadows, Lammas Land & the Paradise Local Nature reserve
Beautiful library + gardens
Free washing facilities in Sidgwick, Old Hall, Piele, RFB and Dorothy Garrod (DG)
The Iris Cafe!
Gym free of use for college members! (also allocated hours of the day where only Newnhamites are allowed to use)
Kitchens with ovens and hobs
Cons
Ensuites are uncommon for freshers, but we recommend requesting a sink
45 minutes from Cambridge Central Mosque (we promise it’s worth the scenic walk though!)
Men in the Iris…
Prayer Space
No prayer space, but the ISoc prayer room on Sidgwick Site is just opposite the college, and bedrooms are all situated nearby.
Halal Food
Sometimes halal food is available - all halal meat is labelled on the buttery menu and the weekly menu allows you to plan your meals. Can request halal food at formals.
Fridge/Freezer Provision
All Sidgwick and DG rooms have fridges, fridges/freezers are permitted (and are allowed to be left in rooms throughout the holidays).
Extra Info
Rooms are allocated based on a ballot system, so everyone pays the same rent!
You can request a sink in your room for wudu, for which you are guaranteed one for faith provisions (but are unlikely to be guaranteed an ensuite).
Recently, Ramadan provisions have been made available such as a college paid taxi service to the mosque for taraweeh.
Newnham Akhawaat
At Newnham, we are fortunate enough to have our own society for Muslim women alhamdulillah. Newnham Akhawaat or NAsoc, only formally founded in 2020, has showcased what our small community is capable of: from casual socials to online spiritual talks, including Dr Tamara Gray of Rabata and Dr Tesneem Aleik of the Yaqeen Institute; ‘The Akhawaat Archive’, a single issue magazine funded by Newnham’s 150th Anniversary programme, plus its successful launch event and Open Mic in the Iris; intercollegiate iftars in Ramadan, and an infamous all-nighter bake sale, raising money to cover the medical costs for Syrian refugee women to give birth safely. Message us to be added to the NAsoc Whatsapp chat!
Ensuite
All rooms in Dorothy Garrod are ensuite, and a few in Sidgwick. Almost all Sidgwick rooms have sinks.
Concluding Remark
No matter your background, interests, or what point of your spiritual journey you’re at, we hope that you love this passionate and unapologetic community as much as we do. May Allah strengthen our ‘akhawaat’ (sisterhood) and keep us all on the straight path.
Feel free to get in touch with any questions, or just for chai and a chat.
Special thanks to our previous isoc reps (2022-2023), Imaan Irfan and Rija Imran for assembling this wonderful guide, to which we have only updated!
Duas from us,
Naeemah and Samayah x
nd493@cam.ac.uk
sh2214@cam.ac.uk