Hijabi by Mona Haydar is a rap video aimed at countering Islamophobia and the discrimination that Muslim women face in their lives. Via Konbini:
Mona Haydar is 28 years old. She lives in the United States, but her parents were born in Syria. As the daughter of immigrants, she often feels like she doesn’t truly belong anywhere. She’s criticized from both sides, never really finding her place.
Living in a western country means being surrounded by a culture that threatens the traditions she was taught as a young child by parents who wanted to preserve their history and pass it on at any cost. This is Mona Haydar’s story, but also the story of countless immigrants.
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In the song, Mona talks about the discrimination Muslim women deal with on a daily basis and the feelings that result from those experiences. It’s not easy to be a Muslim women wearing a hijab in western society today.
As her husband explained in an interview with Fusion, he didn’t really understand Islamophobia until he married Mona. Sometimes people stop her in the street and stare at her, asking things like: “What’s your hair like? I bet it’s really nice. Doesn’t that veil make you sweat? Isn’t it too tight?”
Tired of having to answer questions like that, Mona, who is 8-months pregnant, turned her frustration into a rap, coupling English lyrics with Middle Eastern rhythm and instrumentation, proudly singing: “Wrap my hijab/Keep swaggin my hijabis.”
The video is 100% feminine, proving it’s possible to be modern, stylish and creative, and wear a hijab at the same time.