Look around you and it’s difficult to find good role models these days, especially good Muslimah Role Models. Any person who has a positive effect on others could be considered as a role model. She could be a powerful women of influence or could be any ordinary women that we encounter in our day-to-day life, whom we deem as admirable or inspiring.
Role models could be women of difference who are making a meaningful impact in other women’s lives. Women of courage, confidence and grit. Women who are fiercely individual and not scared to challenge the norms. Women who don’t endorse a picture perfect, everything-going-right image. These are women who aren’t scared to speak openly about their fears and are ready to portray their true self.
These are women of substance, women with a voice and those who have the power to transform an entire generation. They are not only world influencers such as authors, scholars, activists, entrepreneurs or political leaders but are also everyday people, including our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, teachers and employers.
It’s time that we recognized these incredible women and acknowledged their contributions. This #InternationalWomensDay and Women’s history month, we request you to use the hashtag- #MuslimahInspiration and #Muslimahlnfluencers to share with us your Muslimah role models.
To start with, here are some of the truly inspiring and influential contemporary Muslim women that we could look up to as our role models:
Tawakkol Karman
First Arab Woman and Youngest Nobel Peace Laureate.
She is a mother of four children, a Yemeni journalist, politician, and human rights activist. She became the international public face of the 2011 Yemeni uprising that was a part of the Arab Spring uprisings. She has been called the “Iron Woman” and “Mother of the Revolution” by Yemenis. She is a co-recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first Yemeni, the first Arab woman, and the second Muslim woman to win a Nobel Prize and the second youngest Nobel Peace Laureate to date.
To know more about Tawakkol and her work, visit her website, http://www.tawakkolkarman.net .
Nadiya Hussain
A British baker, columnist, author and television presenter. In 2015, Hussain appeared on and won the sixth series of The Great British Bake Off TV show. The mother of three is regarded as a role model for young British Muslim women to look up to.
Through her success story she hopes to break the stereotypes about the Muslim community and wants to change the ‘stigma attached to arranged marriages and being a housewife’. She was chosen as one of the 100 influential and inspirational women around the world by BBC in 2016.
To know more about Nadiya, visit her website http://www.nadiyahussain.com .
Manal Rostom
She is a 37-years-old Egyptian athlete who has climbed four mountains, can speak four languages, and has completed twenty-six 10 K races, eight half marathons, three full marathons [and] one ultra-marathon, and recently became the first Egyptian woman to complete China’s Great Wall Marathon. Also, she is the first Hijabi woman to have climbed the highest mountain in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro, and the highest mountain in Europe, Mt Elbrus.
She has founded a Facebook women only support group called “Surviving Hijab”, to empower and support women who want to learn about hijab.
Jackie Ying
Professor Ying is a Chinese-Muslim and her exceptional work the field of nanotechnology has earned her many awards and accolades. She recently became the first female recipient of the Abdeali Tayebali Lifetime Achievement Award since it was started in 2012.
She is the first woman to receive the award since it was launched in 2012, and was recognized for her contributions to society through research and for nurturing future generations of Singapore researchers.
Ying received her PhD from Princeton University, and was Professor of Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is currently the Executive Director of the Institute of Bio-engineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Singapore.
She has authored over 310 publications and has over 150 primary patents issued or pending. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Nano Today.
With an impressive career and breathtaking achievements she is a role model for all Muslim women.
Ibtihaj Mohammed
She is an African- American Sabre Fencer who made history this year as the first U.S. athlete to compete at the Olympics in a hijab. She won the bronze medal and also became the first American woman to win a medal at the Olympics while wearing a hijab. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people of 2016 and she is currently ranked eighth in the world. In 2014, she launched her modest clothing line for women-Louella. She has become the face of change and diversity in America and wants to inspire other women to follow in her footsteps.
She is a unique role model for all women who want to break stereotypes and realize their dreams against all odds.
Share your #MuslimahRoleModels and Influencers by using the hashtag #MuslimahInspiration and #Muslimahlnfluencers and don’t forget to tag #MuslimahMINA on social media.
References
Muslimah Inspirational Network 
As Salam Alikum sister, wow thanks for this very great article about Muslim women who are making a difference
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We should be aware of such role models this is a first in the list of inspirational women, watch this space as there is more to come.
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Yes true , thanks for sharing, I’ll keep my eyes out for more
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Definitely a beautiful list. Women in Islam has so much respect and recognition, its the society that degrades it. One of the all time scholars in Islam is Aisha (RA), wife of Prophet (PBUH). It is to show us that woman are more than housewives. May there be more inspiring women from our Ummah in the future!
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Absolutely sister we have such incredible Muslim women around us and yet we sometimes fail to recognize them thanks to the media and society. May we be inspired by these women and become a source of inspiration for others. Aameen!
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Ma’sha Allah, all of these women are so inspiring. Role models like them keep young girls like me motivated to achieve success! Jazakillah for compiling this post, it’s amazing =)
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Jazakallahu khair for stopping by to read this article and there’s more to come I have just scratched the surface. They are more women out there whom we are hardly aware of and need to bring them to the fore.
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Out of these ladies I had only heard of two. Will look into the other sisters in sha Allah
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True sister before compiling this article I had only heard of three of them, the whole idea of this article is to recognize these incredible women whom we hardly read or know about and to be inspired by them.
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The best thing about knowing about these women and why they actually inspire us is because how very much alike we are to them. And this is whether knowing or not. They put the spark of what is within us — whether it be a single flame that was put out long ago or a flame that needs to combust more to fire or to even create an explosion.Their stories are a reflection of what we could be or what we can be. A reminder that women are great.
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Absolutely these women are so driven and at the same time religious too that they inspire you to break all norms and aim for the sky.
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Talk about breaking stereotypism. So many muslimahs to inspire us. The hijab shouldnt withhold us. It is our empowerment. الحَمْد لله
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Indeed these awesome Hijabi sisters inspire us to aim for the sky👌
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Seriously, the world needs to know that Islam or hijab is not an impediment in the way of success.
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It never was and never will be even in the past we had such great role models we just need to look up to them and follow in their footsteps.
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These women are truly an inspiration ❤
Love how they are making a difference by playing their role in the world Mashaa Allah ❤
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MashaAllah loved to research and write about them in fact they have accomplished so much that this article doesn’t do justice to them.
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I hadn’t heard of three of these ladies before I read your article! JazakAllahu khairan for sharing, this was a really good read mashaAllah!
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Even I wasnt aware of these incredible women until I researched on them for this article, , why look up to others when we have such stellar role models within the community ✨
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Thanks for sharing this. I learned about a lot of new inspiring Muslimahs!
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Your welcome please feel free to share the post with other sisters😊
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It’s so good to read about accomplished Muslim women! Just the kind of motivation a girl needs on a Monday morning 🙂 Thanks so much for compiling this list!
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The pleasure is all mine dear, thanks for reading the article.
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