August 25, 2026 • 8 mins
Today we shine a light on the work of Amal Azzudin and the Glasgow Girls.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha. I'm loking to stuff
I ever told you your prediction of iHeart.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Radio And for today's activists around the world, we are
highlighting the works of Egyptian Scottish activists. Amal Azudin so
Azudd was born in Somalia and due to the persecutions
and hardships and wars that were happening at that time,
(00:32):
she and her family moved to the UK when she
was at the age of ten. So as a refugee,
she and her family were placed in Glasgow, Scotland. They
didn't know they just kind of got dropped off there,
but she had stated that this was one of the
best things that have ever happened to her. So there
she was able to continue her life and her education
with our family, and this included growing into her activistsm
(00:55):
SO at the age of fifteen, when one of her
friends and their family were detained by the government, she
and a group of friends came together to advocate for her.
Their activism grew and soon their group would be known
as the Glasgow Girls. So here's a bit from the
article in Seleid club dot com. A Zudin gay national
recognition in two thousand and five as one of the
(01:15):
Glasgow Girls, a group of schoolgirls who fought against the
detention and deportation of their friend, a felow asylum seeker.
Their activism sparked a national conversation about immigration policies in
the UK and demonstrated the power of youth LB campaigns.
And it was a powerful campaign. And here's a bit
more from The Guardian in which she is being interviewed,
(01:36):
and this is what she said. A friend who lived
at the top of one of the high rise blocks nearby,
saw the home of a girl I was in school
with Aroma from Kosovo being don rated by the UK
Board of Forces. She says. Fourteen officers in bulletproof fests
stormed the family's home. Her friend called immediately to say
that the family, who had lived in Glasgow for five
years had been carted away in a black doubt van.
(01:58):
The father in hancof Even though I had my leave
to remain, I couldn't just sit there. I had to
do something that could have been my family, Azudna says.
So she also had said this was in the interview
in like twenty seventeen. So this was Trump's first administration,
and she talks about how that was such a big
deal and when she saw it which happened. I believe
(02:21):
in much earlier years she knew something was wrong and
this was a human rights violation Amen Hello, and for her.
As the weeks went by, Azudin continued to advocate for
our friend and their family. Back to that Guardian article,
they say a group of seven school girls, including Azudin,
took matters into their own hands. They called themselves the
(02:41):
Glasgow Girls. Encouraged by Iwan Gervin, a supply teacher at
their school who had become a role model of Zuden's,
the girls formed their strategy online petitions to the Home
Office went viral and media got hold of the story. Finally,
Scotland's then First Minister, Jack McConnell agreed to a formal
meeting with them. How could he not now that the
story was being talked about throughout Scotland. So they made
(03:03):
a huge difference, and they were still in high school
like they were young young. So this movement brought international
attention and even it grew into being a musical, y'all,
a musical which was an award winning musical. BT dug
and soon after a show. From a BBC article featuring
a Zudin and the Glasgow Girls, they write, she says,
(03:27):
our story was originally captured in a BBC documentary and
was made into a stage musical directed by Cora Bassett.
Even though we already had actresses portraying us on stage,
it was still a bit surreal having other people portraying
us again. Once we spoke to the executive producer, Colin
Barr about what he had envisaged for the drama, we
felt reassured. The girls and I, along with our original
(03:47):
teacher mister Gervaughan, could see how much he cared about
the story. The production team were very patient with us
and always made sure that we were happy with how
things were going. One of the things I particularly liked
about the drama is that it shows the resistance we
came across and Bet Doves the girl at the time.
The girl now a woman who played a mall Leticia
(04:08):
Wright Wow. Yes, from a Black panther fame. Yeah, she
obviously grew into like an amazing actress and a Mall
does address that in another interview about like seeing her
go from portraying her in the show to like this
award winning actress. She's like, what, hey, I know her?
(04:28):
Why do we I mean, that's just bragging rights right there? Yeah, right,
Like I was her inspiration for this role, like col
On Now I love that. So she has talked about
her experience and she has stated that this has impacted
her thought and understanding and so much, especially when it
comes to how amazing communities can be. And she talked
(04:50):
about how it was a realization that this was her home,
a place where her family grew beyond just with her
relations such as her families, like it went beyond blood,
and how her heart was really at Glasgow and it
was good to see them standing behind her and how
big it was to have that kind of support. So
since then, Azudin has been working to advocate for refugees
(05:12):
and immigration rights. Azudan went on to get her degree
at the University of Glasgow for her bachelor's in Community
Development and Masters and Human Rights in International Politics. She's
been featured in her own TED talk where she talked
about the power of community, understanding about who is a
refugee and understanding the need to fight for those who
are seeking safety and happiness as well as everybody else
(05:34):
and how important that is for so many. So in
an interview with El Service GCC, she was asked what
young people can learn when it comes to activism and
taking a stand, and the first thing a Zudin mentions
is to grow in confidence. She talks about her own
shyness and anxiety, and she talks about that a lot,
like she was a shy girl, but she knew she
couldn't just sit back and about stepping up and speaking
(05:56):
out even if it's difficult. I understand that we know
that feeling right. And she's been busy with her activism
and advocacy and she's made sure to use any awareness
that her advocacy has brought to stay focused on these
important issues about refugees and immigration and asylum seekers. And
back to that Guardian article, she says, I strongly believe
(06:19):
that it's a character that defines us, not where we
were born, whether we are refugees, or whether we follow
a religion or not, says a Zudent, who speaks about
human rights in a school as an ambassador for the
Scottish Refugee Council. She's also an equality and human rights
officer at the Mental Health Foundation Clarity, where she runs
the Amon Project supporting asylum seeking and refugee women in Glasgow,
(06:41):
and of course she has been awarded a few accolades
as she deserves and deserves so much more. In twenty
sixteen Saltaira Society's Young Outstanding Women of Scotland, she was
a winner of the special Awards to commemorate their eightieth anniversary,
and then Aget in twenty sixteen Nate was named one
of the Young Women's We've been Outstanding Women of Scotland.
(07:02):
So this is just a few of the things. Obviously
she's grown growing in her activism. I hope to hear
more from her because obviously as we are in the
second term of Trump and seeing those tactics that she
had mentioned that she saw with her friend, we definitely
definitely have to continue to grow and it is our
young people who have done a lot in this movement,
(07:23):
so amazing to see. I also want to go back
to see the Glasgow Girls musical.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I love a good musical. Yes, I think that'd be
really fun, So if we can find it somewhere we should. Yeah, totally. Well, listeners,
as always, if you have any suggestions for future people
we should highlight or suggestions at all, Please let us know.
You can email us at Hello at Stuffannever Told You
dot com. You can find us on Blue Scott Momster
(07:50):
podcast or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I Never
Told You. We're us on YouTube. We have some merchandise
to Compierreau and we have a book you can get
where we get earbooks. Thanks Zoways too, our superducer Rima
and our executive Pruce Maya. Thank you and thanks to
you for listening stuff Never Told You structure of my
heart Radio. For more podcasts in my heart Radio, you
can check out the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
where you listen to your favorite shows
Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha. I'm loking to stuff
I ever told you your prediction of iHeart.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Radio And for today's activists around the world, we are
highlighting the works of Egyptian Scottish activists. Amal Azudin so
Azudd was born in Somalia and due to the persecutions
and hardships and wars that were happening at that time,
(00:32):
she and her family moved to the UK when she
was at the age of ten. So as a refugee,
she and her family were placed in Glasgow, Scotland. They
didn't know they just kind of got dropped off there,
but she had stated that this was one of the
best things that have ever happened to her. So there
she was able to continue her life and her education
with our family, and this included growing into her activistsm
(00:55):
SO at the age of fifteen, when one of her
friends and their family were detained by the government, she
and a group of friends came together to advocate for her.
Their activism grew and soon their group would be known
as the Glasgow Girls. So here's a bit from the
article in Seleid club dot com. A Zudin gay national
recognition in two thousand and five as one of the
(01:15):
Glasgow Girls, a group of schoolgirls who fought against the
detention and deportation of their friend, a felow asylum seeker.
Their activism sparked a national conversation about immigration policies in
the UK and demonstrated the power of youth LB campaigns.
And it was a powerful campaign. And here's a bit
more from The Guardian in which she is being interviewed,
(01:36):
and this is what she said. A friend who lived
at the top of one of the high rise blocks nearby,
saw the home of a girl I was in school
with Aroma from Kosovo being don rated by the UK
Board of Forces. She says. Fourteen officers in bulletproof fests
stormed the family's home. Her friend called immediately to say
that the family, who had lived in Glasgow for five
years had been carted away in a black doubt van.
(01:58):
The father in hancof Even though I had my leave
to remain, I couldn't just sit there. I had to
do something that could have been my family, Azudna says.
So she also had said this was in the interview
in like twenty seventeen. So this was Trump's first administration,
and she talks about how that was such a big
deal and when she saw it which happened. I believe
(02:21):
in much earlier years she knew something was wrong and
this was a human rights violation Amen Hello, and for her.
As the weeks went by, Azudin continued to advocate for
our friend and their family. Back to that Guardian article,
they say a group of seven school girls, including Azudin,
took matters into their own hands. They called themselves the
(02:41):
Glasgow Girls. Encouraged by Iwan Gervin, a supply teacher at
their school who had become a role model of Zuden's,
the girls formed their strategy online petitions to the Home
Office went viral and media got hold of the story. Finally,
Scotland's then First Minister, Jack McConnell agreed to a formal
meeting with them. How could he not now that the
story was being talked about throughout Scotland. So they made
(03:03):
a huge difference, and they were still in high school
like they were young young. So this movement brought international
attention and even it grew into being a musical, y'all,
a musical which was an award winning musical. BT dug
and soon after a show. From a BBC article featuring
a Zudin and the Glasgow Girls, they write, she says,
(03:27):
our story was originally captured in a BBC documentary and
was made into a stage musical directed by Cora Bassett.
Even though we already had actresses portraying us on stage,
it was still a bit surreal having other people portraying
us again. Once we spoke to the executive producer, Colin
Barr about what he had envisaged for the drama, we
felt reassured. The girls and I, along with our original
(03:47):
teacher mister Gervaughan, could see how much he cared about
the story. The production team were very patient with us
and always made sure that we were happy with how
things were going. One of the things I particularly liked
about the drama is that it shows the resistance we
came across and Bet Doves the girl at the time.
The girl now a woman who played a mall Leticia
(04:08):
Wright Wow. Yes, from a Black panther fame. Yeah, she
obviously grew into like an amazing actress and a Mall
does address that in another interview about like seeing her
go from portraying her in the show to like this
award winning actress. She's like, what, hey, I know her?
(04:28):
Why do we I mean, that's just bragging rights right there? Yeah, right,
Like I was her inspiration for this role, like col
On Now I love that. So she has talked about
her experience and she has stated that this has impacted
her thought and understanding and so much, especially when it
comes to how amazing communities can be. And she talked
(04:50):
about how it was a realization that this was her home,
a place where her family grew beyond just with her
relations such as her families, like it went beyond blood,
and how her heart was really at Glasgow and it
was good to see them standing behind her and how
big it was to have that kind of support. So
since then, Azudin has been working to advocate for refugees
(05:12):
and immigration rights. Azudan went on to get her degree
at the University of Glasgow for her bachelor's in Community
Development and Masters and Human Rights in International Politics. She's
been featured in her own TED talk where she talked
about the power of community, understanding about who is a
refugee and understanding the need to fight for those who
are seeking safety and happiness as well as everybody else
(05:34):
and how important that is for so many. So in
an interview with El Service GCC, she was asked what
young people can learn when it comes to activism and
taking a stand, and the first thing a Zudin mentions
is to grow in confidence. She talks about her own
shyness and anxiety, and she talks about that a lot,
like she was a shy girl, but she knew she
couldn't just sit back and about stepping up and speaking
(05:56):
out even if it's difficult. I understand that we know
that feeling right. And she's been busy with her activism
and advocacy and she's made sure to use any awareness
that her advocacy has brought to stay focused on these
important issues about refugees and immigration and asylum seekers. And
back to that Guardian article, she says, I strongly believe
(06:19):
that it's a character that defines us, not where we
were born, whether we are refugees, or whether we follow
a religion or not, says a Zudent, who speaks about
human rights in a school as an ambassador for the
Scottish Refugee Council. She's also an equality and human rights
officer at the Mental Health Foundation Clarity, where she runs
the Amon Project supporting asylum seeking and refugee women in Glasgow,
(06:41):
and of course she has been awarded a few accolades
as she deserves and deserves so much more. In twenty
sixteen Saltaira Society's Young Outstanding Women of Scotland, she was
a winner of the special Awards to commemorate their eightieth anniversary,
and then Aget in twenty sixteen Nate was named one
of the Young Women's We've been Outstanding Women of Scotland.
(07:02):
So this is just a few of the things. Obviously
she's grown growing in her activism. I hope to hear
more from her because obviously as we are in the
second term of Trump and seeing those tactics that she
had mentioned that she saw with her friend, we definitely
definitely have to continue to grow and it is our
young people who have done a lot in this movement,
(07:23):
so amazing to see. I also want to go back
to see the Glasgow Girls musical.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
I love a good musical. Yes, I think that'd be
really fun, So if we can find it somewhere we should. Yeah, totally. Well, listeners,
as always, if you have any suggestions for future people
we should highlight or suggestions at all, Please let us know.
You can email us at Hello at Stuffannever Told You
dot com. You can find us on Blue Scott Momster
(07:50):
podcast or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I Never
Told You. We're us on YouTube. We have some merchandise
to Compierreau and we have a book you can get
where we get earbooks. Thanks Zoways too, our superducer Rima
and our executive Pruce Maya. Thank you and thanks to
you for listening stuff Never Told You structure of my
heart Radio. For more podcasts in my heart Radio, you
can check out the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
where you listen to your favorite shows
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