Special Series: Interview With ‘Umme Taalay’ – The Mother of Syed Taalay Ahmed Shaheed, ‘A Diamond of Khilafat’

The Review of Religions Women’s Section is honoured to present an exclusive interview with Amtushakoor Tayyaba Sahiba, ‘Umme Taalay‘, the mother of Syed Taalay Ahmed Shaheed.

A brilliant journalist and documentarian with a special aptitude for story-telling, Syed Taalay Ahmed served under Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (MTA) and also worked in The Review of Religions. In August 2021, Syed Taalay passed away at the age of 31 during an armed robbery incident in Ghana, whilst filming for MTA. The shock of his martyrdom reverberated around the world and was covered internationally by various media outlets. He possessed many great qualities, which perhaps can best be encapsulated by the words of His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) who said, ‘He was a diamond which has now departed from us.’

The Review of Religions’ Mahrukh Arif Tayyeb had the honour to talk with Syed Taalay Shaheed’s mother, Amtushakoor Tayyaba Sahiba, to learn more about Syed Taalay’s life and childhood, and how his unique devotion to Islam Ahmadiyyat and Khilafat [the Ahmadiyya Caliphate] developed.