Time magazine has released pictures from their upcoming issue and people were in for a shock—the good kind—because a Muslim woman has graced the cover for the very first time. Women generally—Muslim women specifically—are rejoicing for this major step forwards in the world of acceptance.
Above: The cover is pure class. (Time)
Their theme is “Firsts,” and we’re super excited about it, because this is not a normal print magazine issue, but a 12-cover one that features 12 different women, each one having achieved something in her field that’s a first.
“Our goal with Firsts is for every woman and girl to find someone whose presence in the highest reaches of success says to her that it is safe to climb, come on up, the view is spectacular,” said the introduction to the project on the official website.
Selena Gomez, Hillary Clinton, and Oprah Winfrey are a few of the women featured in the magazine alongside the woman on the cover herself, Ilhan Omar, who is the first Somali-American woman to become a legislator. This spread is inspiring: to Muslims, to women, to any marginalised groups aspiring to greatness.
“Life in Somalia before the civil war was beautiful. When the war happened, I was 8-years-old and at that stage of understanding the world in a different way. We fled to Kenya and ended up living in a refugee camp for four years. We arrived in the US when I was 12. I had to figure out what it meant to be a bridge builder — what it meant to forge relationships that never really existed,” says Omar about her journey.
Above: Ilhan Omar. (Star Tribune)
This issue is a must-read for all women who aspire to greatness. There’s still hope for change and acceptance.
In a time where Islamophobia is spreading like wildfire, this is an upturn for all Muslims just as much as it is for women. It’s a sign that Islamophobia won’t be as vicious as it is now, which is a rleief. It’s acknowledging what we all know: a Muslim is not necessarily a terrorist, and a terrorist is not necessarily a Muslim. It’s a sign that we are moving forward, that the hatred we face can one day end, and that our dreams will no longer be hindered or blocked by the prejudice we face.
WE SAID THIS: This is a major steps towards a better world, and we cannot help but allow ourselves to hope so.
Article edited from its original form by Al Bawaba
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