Alia Youssef’s ‘The Sisters Project’ Gives Muslim Women a Safe Space to Thrive

Growing up in Canada post 9/11, Alia Youssef knew all too well the negative connotations that surrounded the narrative of being a Muslim woman in modern society. In an effort to counter the pervasive (and damaging) notion that all Muslim women are oppressed, she created The Sisters Project—a photo series that subverts labels and false associations and shows women in control of their lives. Her intimate portraits highlight Muslim women of all ages, backgrounds, and careers in order to combat stereotypical and monolithic representations of Muslim women and create a space of inclusion and belonging for them.

“I started this project feeling like I didn’t have a community, Muslim role models, or a sisterhood of my own, and now I’ve found that through my work,” Youssef says. “The women I have met have inspired me in my career and in my life, have told me stories that have made me laugh and cry, and most importantly have given me the sense that aspects of my own story are mirrored in other women’s stories. The women in this project have empowered me personally to own my story and to live my truth.”

Highlighted below are just a few of these women:

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Leila – Visual Artist, Curator, Gallery 44

Leila is a Visual Artist and the Curator of Education & Community Outreach at Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography. Her latest exhibition “In Pursuit of the Perfect Pose” highlights the importance of creating safe spaces and platforms for minorities to thrive. “In my curatorial practice I’m interested in offering a platform for PoC, specifically women, to take up space and consider issues and ideas that relate to their lived experiences,” she says. “It becomes an opportunity to encourage open conversations and exchanges while celebrating the work of minority artists.”

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Faye – Tattoo Artist

As a Vancouver based Tattoo Artist, Faye’s distinct black and white tattoos evolve from an exploration of her roots, incorporating Arabian/Islamic geometry, Indian mehndi, and textile motifs. “I step outside of others’ expectations,” she says. “I’ve been like that for a long time and I know it’s been a challenge for my family to witness. I never necessarily surpassed expectations but I also haven’t failed to fulfill any. I think I just learned early on to put them aside and look for answers to my questions.”

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Adama – Human Rights Educator

Adama is a Human Rights Educator and creator of The Lil’ Beez Project. “Through storytelling, arts and crafts, and dancing, our project aims to strengthen Black girls’ self-esteem and contribute to their social and academic success,” Adama says. She knows first-hand how being a part of and nurturing a community can be life altering. She credits finishing her graduate studies, moving towards her career goals, and raising her toddler, all while going through a divorce, to her community. “Being raised in an African Muslim household, divorce was not meant to be part of the equation of my life,” she says. ” I was not prepared for this possibility, so needless to say it was a challenge. But with the help of my community, family, and friends I got through it….Growing up in Conakry (Guinea) in the ’80s and ’90s, my parents were not as worried when we stepped out of the house, because they knew that the neighbors would look after us in the same way they looked after their children. And for me, community makes me think of safety, sense of belonging, self-confidence, solidarity, and love.”

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Wedad – Founder and CEO, Afflatus Hijab

As designer of Afflatus Hijab, Wedad created a fashion forward modest clothing line for women of all backgrounds. “Our business stands for women empowerment and spreading awareness around mental health,” she says. “I had an afflatus moment to create this line for both Hijabis and non Hijabis. Our motto at Afflatus is ‘Who says you can’t be modest and fashionable at the same time?”‘

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Idil – Writer

A passionate writer and advocate, Idil is a staple on media outlets championing for rights of marginalized and oppressed groups, with a focus on the intersectional experiences of Muslim women, and Muslim women of color in particular. “Communicating through art, writing, speech…is a way that we reach out and touch each other’s lives,” she says. “It’s how we catch sight of each other’s souls…When you see me advocating for the inclusion of black people in a space of power, it’s because of love. When you witness me taking up space in a traditionally white boardroom, it’s because of love. Love is an equalizer. It is magnanimous because it has stores of wealth that cannot be exhausted. It is forbearing because it is powerful.”

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Tasnim – Social Worker

Tasnim is a social and community disability worker. “Every intersection of my identity poses as a challenge—being a woman, a person of color, a Muslim, having invisible disabilities, etc.,” she says. “Fighting institutions and ideologies is not easy. I am more resilient from each experience of oppression and look forward to advocating and shaking up the systems that have been set to fail people like me….Dialogue and raising awareness is one part of liberation-based change…Educate yourself, raise your consciousness (what does being anti-oppressive, anti-capitalist, intersectional-feminist mean to you?) then be ready to bring receipts and organize…The world has the resources and capacity to change, to be kinder with one another, to not fall into moral blankness, or turn a blind eye on injustice and poverty. We can eradicate and dismantle the systems of oppression. We have the resources, the voices, it’s a matter of re-shaping society and building a culture where we do not negotiate with our morality. We should look out for each other because the fate of humanity depends on it.”

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Rayah – Olympian, Taekwando Martial Artist

Ever since Rayah began competing, her dream was to perform at an elite level and qualify for the Olympics. In 2012 she fulfilled her dreams and was one of 16 Taekwondo martial artists qualified in her weight category to compete from around the world—meaning she is amongst the top 16 in her field globally. “This sport shaped and revealed my character at its best,” she says. “Being an Olympian is a title for life. It’ll stay with me and I’ll always be proud of it. It’s who I am forever and no one can take it away.”

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Redab – PhD Student, Psychology and Education

Redab is a 33-year-old PhD student, mother of three children, and has her own social media following for her cooking tutorials. “It was my own personal choice to be perceived visibly as a Muslim woman,” she says. “I am proud of my faith, and I’m happy to be a symbol of it…I am always asked by people, ‘Are all muslims like you: friendly, sociable and always laughing?!’ so, it is us who are able to influence others and represent ourselves as strong members in any society.”

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Aya – Journalist

“For me, a storyteller is someone who’s curious about other people and their inner and outer journeys,” Aya says. “This is why I love listening and interacting with the people around me…My mom was someone who deeply respected and admired the journalism profession. I remember her saying that good stories can have a strong impact. All of that captivated me, especially as a young girl who found it very hard to fit in at school. I didn’t feel like what I said or wrote mattered, so the idea that I can be part of a platform that values my voice and the voices of others appeals to me.” Aya’s biggest hope is “to see more diversity in newsrooms across Canada. To see more people of colour, LGBT folk, and people with disabilities as journalists working in television, radio, and web.”

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Aliza – Actress/Producer

Aliza is a 26-year-old full-time actress, most widely known for her role as Layla on CBC’s hit series Little Mosque on the Prairie. Recently, she has played roles on CW’s iZombie and Fox’s The X-Files. “I get asked a lot if I am frustrated with being typecast, but in all honesty I don’t feel like I am being typecast at all,” she says. “To me, I feel great when I play a doctor or a nurse on television because I feel like I am representing a group of intelligent diverse women, and hopefully that will inspire all types of young girls that they too can be doctors, teachers, scientists, actresses or anything they choose. The world is their oyster and I am simply a way for them to see the possibilities..I think I am perceived as a westernized Indian woman…I find that whenever a person makes the assumption that I am Muslim, it is based on my skin tone. I actually get the assumption of not being Muslim more often, because of the notion that I don’t ‘look or act Muslim,’ whatever that means to them.”

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Haniya – Counsel, Department of Justice Canada

Haniya is a litigation lawyer at the Department of Justice with over 17 years of practice in multidisciplinary areas of the law. “I can honestly say that leaving the world in a better state than when I first entered it is something that has always been my driving force,” she says. As Board Member of The Silk Road Institute, Haniya focuses on creating cross-cultural dialogues that help dispel myths. The Institute hosts speaker events, spoken word, music, monthly discussions, photography, and art in order to inspire, connect, and build bridges.

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Shahin – Mental Health and Trauma Counselor

Shahin is a mental health professional at Victoria Mental Health and Addiction Centre, a trauma counsellor at Victoria Women Transition Program, and has a private practice as an art therapist for women experiencing trauma related issues. She is also the founder and coordinator of Haqq Education & Resource Services Foundation (HERS), a non-profit program developed for marginalized ethnic women who are receiving Social Assistance Services. The program offers free community education and resources in the client’s first language. “I have faced many challenges in getting jobs I believe I have the skills set for a very long time,” Shahin says. “So, that’s why I chose to return back to school to advance my knowledge and skills. I believe discrimination continues to exist for women of color in the work force even though it is not verbally said out loud. To be successful here one has to be self-employed and work part time as well, or you have to have connections to get the good jobs.”

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Asalah – Youth Activist

At just 16-year-old, Asalah juggles her fine arts degree and being an advocate for the Real Acts of Caring organization. Through podcasts and high school speaking tours, she teaches the importance of spreading acts of love and kindness in everyday life and how it should be a teaching focus in schools. Asalah even advocated for a proclamation to instate a Real Acts of Caring week in cities across Vancouver’s lower mainland. The one thing she knows for sure is that “[t]hat animals aren’t food, that Muslims aren’t terrorists, that women should have equal rights and that kindness is everything.” When she’s not helping the people around her, Asalah loves to spend time with her horse. “The barn is my happy place, it’s where everything else that happened in the day doesn’t matter anymore, because the only thing I need to focus on is myself and my horse. It’s such a therapeutic place. Sometimes it helps me to control my emotions and sometimes it helps me to release them, because you get to be one with nature and your horse.”

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Mehnaz – Pharmacology Graduate Student

Mehnaz is a Pharmacology Graduate Student and a senior mentor with the FITF Peer mentorship program, which aims to inspire students that are the first in their family to pursue post-secondary education. “In most environments I find myself in (college, a lab, airplanes, other countries) I believe that I am perceived as a minority,” Mehnaz says. “Sometimes I think people see me as a token… a representation of the ‘Muslim woman’, almost like a prototype for how most Muslim women act, what they do, and what they aspire to be…I would like to be perceived as a capable, intelligent, confident person whose determination, perseverance and resilience amounted to any success I am fortunate to receive…I hope to one day be perceived as a kind, generous, philanthropic leader who just happens to be a follower of Islam and is a good role model.”

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Salimah – Yogi, Director and CEO, YogaVision Centre

“My yoga centre is my OM away from OM,” Salimah says. “It is my sanctuary, it is the place I have created for others to feel connected to themselves and each other.” Born in Kenya, and of Indian descent, Salimah immigrated to Canada when she was 4-years-old. She created YogaVision Centre to “lead, heal, teach, and transform” through the power of Yoga. Asked on how she is often perceived, she responded: “Lesbian, Yogi, Brown, Muslim aka Human” but she would prefer to just be perceived as human.

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Katherine – Figure Skating Coach, Dietetic Intern

Katherine is a certified figure skating coach and training to be a registered dietician. “The rink is a place I grew up in—it was my favorite place to be,” Katherine says. “It taught me to never give up on what you love—it’s where I learned dedication, determination, resilience, and hard work. I love being on the ice. I love coaching. I love seeing happy skaters advance and tell me they are thankful for me. I love seeing their smile.” As an athlete and coach, her passion lies within sports nutrition and community health. Her Food and Nutrition blog, Kat’s Happy, Healthy Life, focuses on sharing self “developed recipes, cooking adventures, and tips and tricks on how to live a healthy lifestyle.”