HOUSTON, TEXAS – On the occasion of #MuslimWomenDay, several Muslim women have shared their success stories for others to inspire and offer an insight into a community usually misrepresented in the media.
Huda Fahmy, an American Muslim artist, who lives in the suburbs of Houston, is giving Muslim women a voice, by using her Instagram account as a platform to tell their stories.
“What do I care if they think I’m hot? I’m proud of my hijab. I’d wear it no matter what,” Fahmy told HuffPost in an email.
The 33-year-old is now the artist behind the popular Instagram account @YesImHotInThis, where she posts comics about life as an American Muslim woman.
“Muslim women don’t often get a platform to tell our stories or share the silly ― sometimes stressful ― idiosyncrasies of our day-to-day lives,” she said.
For her, web comics proved to be an “incredibly useful” way to share stories about Muslim life.
“They’re short, to the point, and usually get people to chuckle,” she said. “They make people laugh and think.”
Using her platform, she hopes to highlight the themes of solidarity in sisterhood, fighting Islamophobia, and breaking misconceptions about women who wear the hijab.
“One thing I hope my comics do for my audience is to make them more aware of the marginalized folk around them,” she said.
“Awareness gives way to understanding, which gives way to empathy, which gives way to compassion. And the world could definitely use a little more compassion.”
Created by MuslimGirl.com last year with the help of dozens of media groups and websites, the day is an opportunity to “hear from a community that’s often talked about but rarely given the chance to speak.”
This year’s theme, according to Women’s March, is “Muslim Women Talk Back to Violence.”
According to the Pew Research Center, half of Muslim women reported in 2017 that they have experienced at least one type of discriminatory treatment.