Since February 1st was World Hijab Day, we thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight some amazing hijabi role models to show not only how diverse we are as Muslims, but how wearing the hijab does not limit or oppress the women who choose to wear it in any way, shape, or form! In fact, it empowers them to unapologetically be who they are and live out their dreams with fearlessness, confidence, and style.
And while many Muslim women struggle with wearing hijab, it’s not the hijab in and of itself that serves to limit these women and their potential, but rather it’s the stereotypes, discrimination, and racism they face because of it. Despite these hardships, they persevere and stand tall in their hijabs with determination and pride. We’ve rounded up ten inspirational hijabis you need to follow now, but trust me, there are so many more! Check them out below!
1. Ahdilah Haswarey, @modestly.ahdi
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Ahdilah is a fashion blogger racking up nearly 14,000 followers. She advocates for modest fashion, posting stylish and trendy OOTD pictures with incredible backgrounds to compliment her feed? She even has a ShopStyle page where you can shop her exact outfits! If you’ve been looking to enhance your wardrobe with some classy, timeless staples like neutral overcoats, beautiful pleated skirts, and colorful or patterned statement pieces, look no further– Ahdilah has got you covered!
2. Amina Al-Saigh, @hungrypaprikas
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Amina’s food blog is mouth-watering to look at. Her bio states that she offers “Middle Eastern recipes made easier.” Amina’s recipes are achievable for anyone from a beginner to an experienced chef, and everyone in between! On top of that, her food photography is top-notch making her feed a colorful array of perfectly constructed shots. Amina is also a contributor for the Food Network Canada, and sometimes provides food photography tips as well!
3. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir @bilqisabdulqaadir
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A former D1 basketball player, Bilqis has transitioned her career from Athlete into Athlete Activist. After college, her goal was to go pro in Europe, but after finding out that headgear longer than five inches was not allowed, her career path took a turn. Now, she advocates for hijabi women in the athletic world. She talks openly about her experiences as a hijabi basketball player and how it brought her closer to her faith in the end.
4. Saniyyah Bilal, @hijabimodel
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Saniyyah Bilal is a hijabi curve fashion model. She also has her own business called Curio Styling Consultants LLC @curiostyling, that offers professional wardrobe styling for TV, movies, red carpet events, musicians, as well as photo, video, and product shoots. Saniyyah has taken her lifelong passion for fashion and turned it into her career. Through her work, she is continuously breaking the mold in the fashion and modeling industries!
5. Dr. Alaa Ramadan, @alaa.rama.md
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Dr. Alaa Ramadan is a pediatrician. Her Instagram revolves around empowering women through stories about her experiences in and out of the medical field. Dr. Alaa’s captions are written with detail and care, as she shares hardships she endured during medical school as a minority Muslim woman, inspirational lessons she learns from patients, stories about life as a mother, and more! It’s no wonder she calls herself the “Real Talk Doc”–because her content is as real as it gets!
6. Tasnim Alam, @ukhttee
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Tasnim Alam is a motivational speaker. More specifically, she is a women’s empowerment coach. Through her own experiences, she empowers other women to take hold of their lives and become independent. She is an entrepreneur, running her own life coaching brand, as well as Good Tree Arabic Academy, where she teaches Islamic sciences and classical Arabic.
7. Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, @authorjamilah
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Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is a children’s book author. On her Instagram, she recognizes her own writing as well as a diverse array of other children’s books that she recommends. Her big, upcoming release is Abdul’s Story, which depicts the story of a young boy who wants to pursue writing. Jamilah’s passion for children’s literature seeps through her IG feed, providing lots of inspiration for anyone else who is interested in the topic.
8. Cathy Jane Van Lit, @tulipsandturnips
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CJ is a revert to Islam and a Clean Beauty Advocate for Beautycounter. Clean beauty has grown in popularity and has become a big movement in the beauty world, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out what clean products are actually worth spending the extra money on. Luckily, CJ has that taken care of on her Instagram. There, she talks about clean beauty choices, directing followers to specific products that might be good for them. Changing up your daily product routine can be stressful, but somehow it doesn’t feel that way while looking at CJ’s page.
9. Heba Moubarak, @hijabeeart
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Heba is an artist who, as simply stated in her bio, creates hijabi art. Her work is breathtaking, with each piece featuring a hijabi woman, most of which are accompanied by elements like intricate floral backgrounds, starry night skies and more, as well as poetic captions. Heba’s art is particularly beautiful in the way it represents hijabi Muslim women and illustrates her own thoughts, feelings, and experiences as a hijabi. She is definitely a talented artist you should follow for inspirational and powerful art.
10. Halima Jama, @halimajama_
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Scrolling through Halima’s Instagram feels like stepping into a different world in every post. Halima is a wedding and family photographer; her work captures some of the most special moments in people’s lives. It’s inspiring to look at all of the smiling faces in her photos and think about how she is creating lasting memories for the people in them so beautifully. Her talent and style of photography, which is characterized as being romantic, joyous, and gentle has helped her grow into a leading choice for people all over the world. Check out her work and consider booking her for your next photoshoot or event–you won’t regret it!
Follow all of these lovely ladies to learn more about them, their experiences and their work! Who can you relate to the most on this list? Is there a hijabi you are inspired by that isn’t included in this roundup? Share them with us in the comments below!
