This Women’s History Month, we’re elevating and celebrating the women who broke barriers and showed the world what they’re made of. Whilst research has long supported the truth that fewer women pursue careers in STEM than men, this norm is changing slowly but surely. According to a Stanford study, women only count for a quarter…
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6 Influential Muslim Creatives to Keep an Eye On
As we enter the month of March, we open our arms to Women’s History Month and Muslim Women’s Day. We take this month to celebrate all the women that have broken barriers and welcomed a new squad of women who are following in the same footsteps, or paving their own unique paths. In this listicle,…
Meet the Four Muslim Women That Have Inspired My Soul
There have been so many notable Muslim women in history that have inspired me greatly. Growing up in a Muslim household that upheld the standard that female empowerment was incredibly important, I always gravitated to looking outwards for inspiration; looking for women who represented what it meant to be a trailblazer. I’d like to say…
Why Does This Woman’s Victory Bring Hope to Future Afghan Generations?
Safiya Wazir is a mother, daughter, wife, refugee, and recently, she has added “politician” to the list. Wazir beat out longtime Republican Dennis Soucy, who stooped to the racist lows typically associated with President Trump during the election. But she did not let that bother her. Wazir, who was pregnant with her third child at the…
Meet Pakgaystani, an Artist Empowering Muslimahs to Reconcile Their Intersectional Identities
Pakgaystani is a bisexual, Sh’ia, and Canadian Illustrator who has her followers wrapped around her finger. Her art is an oasis in cyberspace, where LGBTQ+ Muslim representation is either having white folks cry “Muslims are homophobic and stone gays,” or wallah bros trolling the comment section with “Haraam,” thus completely dismissing Muslims who exist within…
10 Modest Fashionistas Reshaping How We See Style
When it comes to fashion trends and what to wear, it can all seem so daunting. Being expected to navigate through the minefield of pleats, frills, psychedelic geometry of prints, florals, pastels, and daring PVC, is no easy task. And that doesn’t even begin to cover color combinations, hemlines, layering, or the question on most…
Meet the First Muslim to Lead a Presidential Campaign
At the start of this week, Bernie Sanders announced that he is running for the office of the President of the United States for a second time. Along with that announcement, Bernie also announced that his 2020 campaign manager is going to be Faiz Shakir, a progressive, Muslim advocate, and National Political Director of the…
Afghan Women Are Rocking the Law Scene and We’re Here for It
These past few years, Muslim women have been dominating the workforce! America elected their first Muslim congresswomen, Vogue launched their first cover featuring a hijabi, and now, Afghan women are taking over the judicial side of their government! Afghanistan has been known to have a rough history with women’s rights in the recent past, but that is set to change!…
New Jersey Town Swears In First South Asian Muslim Mayor
We are only ten days into 2019, and it’s already looking great on the representation front. We can add one more amazing Muslim woman to the list of those who have recently broken a glass ceiling in politics. Sadaf Jaffer, a postdoctoral research associate at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies recently added…
Leo Kalyan: Why Being Gay and Muslim Aren’t Mutually Exclusive
It’s 2019, the air is still laced with that New Year optimism as we enter another year of the unknown. Whatever 2019 may bring, we can be certain young people will be at the heart of coming change as millennials continue to set the standard for social transformation. This past year saw the rise of…
Halima Aden: What Does It Take to Go from Refugee to International Icon?
On January 26, 2018, the Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA) at Wayne State University (WSU) hosted a program titled, “From Refugee Camp to Runway,” featuring breakthrough model, Halima Aden. The event was attended by student members of the campus community, eager to learn about how Aden beat all odds on her meteoric rise to…
Do We Really Need More Creative Spaces for Muslim Women Writers?
As it was my first trip to Canada, it is fitting that I covered the first time Daybreak Press’ Muslim Women’s Literary Conference was in Toronto, Canada. “There is a space to fill!” Daybreak Press and Rabata founder, Tamara Grey, uplifted the audience. Rabata provided the space, both for writers, and women of faith, with…
How Sheila Nortley is Bringing Social Change Through the Film Industry
Sheila Nortley is a British writer and producer who is responsible for creating several internationally award-winning pieces such as Zion, Victim, and the feature film David is Dying. Sheila’s impressive history also includes launching Kingdom Drama School – one of the U.K.’s leading drama schools – at the age of 25, along with Najan Ward and…
This All-Female Team Won the Hajj Hackathon
Hajj is an incredible time for Muslims all around the world, but with an estimated 1.3 million coming in from abroad to participate this year, safety is clearly a concern. In the past, deaths during Hajj have climbed upwards of 2,000 people due to stampedes, crime, and pretty extreme conditions. While the Saudi government has…
Miss England 2018 Features First-Ever Hijab-Wearing Finalist
Representation is having a moment, and it’s about time! For the first time in its history, the Miss England pageant has featured a hijab-donning finalist. Sara Iftekhar, a 20-year-old law student, recounts that her participation in her first pageant was fueled by a desire to prove that “beauty doesn’t have a definition” and that “everyone…