By Ikram Abdi Omar
— As told by Noha AlGahimi
Ikram Abdi Omar is a British hijabi model of Somali descent. Ikram is breaking barriers as she works to change the perception of Muslim woman in the fashion industry, and in a larger societal sense. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue Arabia, and has modeled for countless popular magazines internationally.
Additionally, Omar has become the first hijabi to ever front a Burberry campaign and has participated in the unprecedented Nike Hijabi Swimwear campaign. Outside of a rapidly growing modeling career, Ikram runs a YouTube channel which gives her the opportunity to network with her fanbase in addition to allowing the public to gain an understanding of who she is as a person.
Ikram Abdi Omar has acted as a pioneer for the public cementation of the newly-understood Muslim woman, in all her facets.
Ikram has been successful in using all aspects of her platform to bolster the representation that Muslim women have in the media. Ikram is quick to make it known that her hijab is a symbol of the liberation many Muslim women feel when wearing it, opposing the traditionally Western belief of our universal oppression.
Ikram, like many of the other women on this list, is a force of change in a world that is slowly widening to fit the countless versions of “The Muslim Woman” that have always existed, but have never been fully accepted.
Ikram Abdi Omar has acted as a pioneer for the public cementation of the newly-understood Muslim woman, in all her facets. She acts a representation of the person that exists behind the hijab, and is capable of achieving anything there is to be achieved.