Being Muslim and wearing a headscarf meant you had to let go of all your dreams, at some point, but these girls have fought the fights for us and paved the way to make most veiled girls accomplish whatever the hell they want to.
With Islamophobia on the rise, many veiled Muslim women have been turned down, not only because of their choice of religion but also because of their dress code and personal choice of wearing a headscarf. But these women who have made history are the first ones in the field to reach their goals as a hijabi.
First Hijabi Model: Marriah Idrisi
British Mariah Idrissi of Pakistani and Moroccan origins, is a 23 year-old hijabi who lives in London and runs a henna salon. She was chosen to taken part in a campaign by H&M video, Close for Loop, which promotes the concept of diversity in fashion.
First Hijabi Weight Lifter: Kulsoom Abdullah
Kulsoom Abdullah, a Pakistani American, has been wightlifting at national and international levels for the past 5 years in her hijab.
Although she is a computer engineer by profession wit a Ph.D from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Abdullah participated in the U.S. NAtional Competition in 2011 and represented Pakistan at the 2011 World Weightlifting Championship, where she was not only the first Pakistani female to represent their country, but also the first woman wearing a hijab.
First American Hijabi Police Officer: Kadra Mohamed
On March 1, 2014, Kadra Mohamed of Somali origin, aged 21, became not only the first Somali-woman police officer in Minnesota, but also the first police officer wearing a headscarf.
First Canadian Hijabi in the Navy: Wafa Dabbagh
Wafa Dabbagh was not only the first member of the military to wear a hijab, but she also managed to become the first Canadian hijabi to be appointed Lieutenant Commander in the navy.
First Hijabi to Win Nobel Peace Prize: Tawakol Karman
Known as “The Mother of The Revolution” in Yemen, Tawakkol Karman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 as a result of her work in nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for her impact as a journalist and women’s rights advocate, making her the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman and the first veiled woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
First Hijabi Appointed in the White House: Dalia Mogahed
41-year-old Dalia Mogahed is an American scholar of Egyptian origin. In 2009, Mogahed became the first hijabi in the White House after being appointed to a position in Barack Obama‘s administration. Mogahed was faced with the difficult task of improving the United States’ perception towards Muslims.
First Hijabi Figure Skater: Zahra Lari
The 25-year-old Emirati Zahra Lari made figure skating history in 2012 when she became not only the first figure skater from the Gulf to participate in an international competition, but also the first veiled figure skater.
And last, but not least, the efforts of a teenager hoping to become the first ballerina dancing in her hijab should not go unrecognized. 14 year old, Stephanie Kuldrow converted to Islam and when she couldn’t find a place to study ballet and pursue her dreams, her mother opened a performing arts academy for Stephanie and anyone with the same difficulties to get the chance to become the dancers they aspire to be.
The young ballerina has launched a fundraising page on LaunchGood.com to raise $10,000 so she can train full time at ballet scholl, become the first hijabi ballerina and be certified to open her own performing arts School in Sydney, Australia.
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