Rana Abdelhamid tells Elle magazine that she wanted to break through the misconceptions of Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab so she started “Hijabis of New York.” The Facebook page began about a year ago and in recent months has far surpassed the initial goal of 8,000 likes. Ms. Abdelhamid says the goal is to use photography and social media to show the “vibrancy and diversity of the Hijabi women.”
“There are so many stereotypes around the hijab, both from within the Muslim community and the non-Muslim community,” says Ms. Abdelhamid. “People will assume that veiled women are really conservative, soft spoken, docile and not career-oriented. There is also the dehumanization of veiled women that has made us walking targets of anti-Islamic bigotry. Many people think that the hijab is oppressive. For me, the hijab is an empowering part of my identity and is my choice. There are so many badass hijab-wearing Muslim women. If people aren’t getting to know us, they’re seriously missing out! Get to know us.”
