MUSLIMAH
‘Muslimah’ refers to the Muslim woman. This project aims to explore the representation of young Muslim women; it is an exploration of identity, autonomy and how the Islamic faith influences them and their self-expression. ‘Muslimah’ aims to step away from the stereotypes and contexts which pre-exist in society of Muslim women and re-present a group of Muslim Women as they choose to express themselves.
The ideology surrounding Muslim women is often controversial and skewed in society, particularly Western society. These women are often subjected to stereotyping, prejudgement and assumptions. As someone who is not part of the Islamic faith but who has grown up around the Muslim community, and has experienced the greater diversity in Muslim women; the individuality in the way they act, dress and lead their lives, this has led me to want to represent this community of women.
I collaborated with young Muslim women I know and photographed them in the way that they wanted to be seen, encouraging them to focus on self-expression and how they wanted the world to perceive them.
'Muslimah' therefore acts as a visual documentation of this beautifully diverse group of young Muslim women that surrounds me and the power in the individualities and differences that they possess.
