Once upon a time, in Egypt, women who recited the Quran on the radio were considered celebrities.

For one day, every week, their voices soared across the airwaves, broadcasting to the entire country.

They were household names in the 1920s and 30s.

Then one day, everything changed.

A religious ruling was issued, women's voices were banned,

and the era of female Quran reciters in Egypt came to an end.

Until now.

Welcome to the documentary on the BBC World Service.

I'm Salma El-Wodani, and for heart and soul,

I'm in Egypt meeting the women who are bringing female Quran reciting

back into the public

domain. I was born in Egypt. I'm Muslim, and like many other Muslims, I grew up listening to

the Quran. I learned it as a kid. It was played constantly in my home, and I heard it recited in congregational prayers.

But it was always male voices that I heard. In fact, I'd never heard of women publicly reciting the Quran.

It was always something that happened in private with other women, but never, ever in mixed company.

But now, thanks to a new generation and social media,

women are sharing their recitations online for the whole world to hear.

I started by going to meet Ayah Mahmoud,

who shares videos of herself chanting religious songs and reciting the Quran.

Her videos are beautifully filmed,

which makes sense, given her day job as a video editor.

Aya has been interviewed by the Egyptian radio station

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