Muslims are getting recognition for their tremendous works and positive contributions in different aspects of life.
Last week, the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 published its list of honorees for the year 2021, and there are several Muslim faces on the list.
From Hafsah Faizal, the first niqabi to make it to the list, to Jameel Mohammed, whose jewelry line Khiry is a favorite of Michelle Obama, successful Muslims have become bright spots inspiring many across the globe.
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Below is a short profile for some of these promising young Muslims:
Science
In the science category, the following Muslim figures popped up among the world’s most successful.
Basem Al-Shayeb, 27
Al-Shayeb is a PhD candidate, University of California, Berkeley. As researcher at the lab of Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, Al-Shayeb has discovered multiple new groups of viruses with large genomes, including the record-holder for the largest bacterial virus.
Ubadah Sabbagh, 27
Sabbagh, a PhD candidate at Virginia Tech, is mapping how the brain process information from the eye, boosted by 6 years of funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Amir Siraj, 20
Siraj is a student in astrophysics at Harvard whose research has explored the impact of comets and asteroids on planetary systems, new ways to detect interstellar objects and efficient techniques to detect small black holes. He’s also a classical pianist pursuing a degree at the New England Conservatory.
Sport
Batouly Camara, 24
In a time of social distancing, hijabi Muslim Camara featured on the list in sports category.
Camara made three Final Four appearances with the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team and now plays professionally in Spain. She founded Women and Kids Empowerment (WAKE), a nonprofit to educate, equip and empower young girls through sport, education and social entrepreneurship. W.A.K.E. is working to launch one of the first all-girls elite boarding schools in West Africa.
Enterprise Technology
Ahmed Elsamadisi, 28
An Egyptian-born entrepreneur, Elsamadisi faced difficult times after launching Narrator, a database analysis software company. After some rethinking and reworking, the company found success at Y Combinator and has since raised $7.4 million.
Nabeel Alamgir, 29
Raised in Bangladesh and Kuwait, Nabeel Alamgir moved to Queens as a teenager and started his career as a busboy at the original Bareburger restaurant. A few years later, he returned to Bareburge, this time in the C-suite as its chief marketing officer. Alamgir launched Lunchbox Technologies in 2019.
Fareedah Shaheed, 23
At Sekuva, Fareedah Shaheed teaches online security to non-tech savvy people. Shaheed recently signed a five-figure contract with a multi-billion-dollar company to provide online security training for its employees on staying safe at work and at home.
Art & Style
Three Muslims made it to the Forbes 30 under 30 in the Art & Style category.
Hafsah Faizal, 27
An American niqabi author, Hafsah Faizal has made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. This Muslim-American author got fame for her fantasy fiction, We Hunt the Flame.
Faizal is the first niqabi woman to become a New York bestselling author. She is also the founder of IceyDesigns, which designs websites for authors and sells book-inspired candles, notebooks, and more.
Jameel Mohammed, 25
Mohammed founded afrofuturist luxury brand KHIRY as an undergraduate studying political science at the University of Pennsylvania. As a jewelry designer, Mohammed’s pieces have been worn by the likes of Michelle Obama, Serena Williams, Yara Shahidi, Ava Duvernay and Solange Knowles.
Mamadi Doumbouya, 23
Born in Guinea and fluent in four languages, Doumbouya draws inspiration for his photography from the people he encounters and places he’s traveled. He shot Spike Lee for the cover of New York Times Magazine, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for the cover of Port, Chance the Rapper for the cover of Fast Company.