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When you think of strong, empowered and successful women you might not envision a woman from the Middle East living under a different form of government, maybe even wearing a hijab. Although it seems that Western media coverage on Muslim women focuses mostly on their dress, Arab women are making enormous strides as writers, artists, models and businesswomen. They are showing that even though their culture is different, they can be every bit as empowered as the women of the West.
Here are 10 female Arab entrepreneurs you need to know about:
Sabry and Zaki are two Egyptian women breaking down stereotypes about what business owners should look like. The two developed a company called Best Mums’ that primarily sells nursing pillows and covers. The company was started after Sabry had a child and was in need of work she could perform at home. Both Zaki and Sabry take pride in their ability to market goods to Middle Eastern consumers, according to the BBC. The two both dress in niqabs, a type of hijab that covers the face and proudly assert that their choice of dress doesn’t inhibit them from pursuing their dreams and reaching their goals.
Rama Chakaki is a woman powerhouse. Diagnosed with sarcoidosis – an auto immune disease – in her mid-twenties, Chakaki is still going strong and has helped found several large companies powering Middle Eastern media, entrepreneurship and youth education. She cofounded Baraka Ventures, a firm that invested in social and tech ventures and offered social entrepreneur mentorships. Then she founded BarakaBits, a news site that covered positive narratives of the Middle East. Last year she cofounded VIP.Fund, a nonprofit aimed at connecting youth globally through funding technology and education.
Maali Alasousi is originally from Kuwait but is now primarily focused in Yemen, according to the University of Pennsylvania. There, she works on social development projects like supporting anti-blindness campaigns, turning khat (a mild narcotic) farmers into coffee growers and promoting cancer treatments. Through the Tamkeen for Development Organization she helped provide scholarships for over 400 young women from rural areas.
Yasmin Altwaijri is one of Saudi Arabia’s leading scientists. She’s been on the forefront of measuring Saudi Arabia’s rates of mental health, diabetes and obesity, according to the Huffington Post. She’s also recently been looking into the impact technology has on mental health. Altwaijri is also chair of the Saudi Women in Science Committee, which aims to “link female researchers around the country and act as mentors for younger students interested in science.”
Al Taji wears the Abaya (a full body covering accompanied by a headscarf) full time. When she made the decision to cover her body, she felt discouraged by the lack of stylish yet modest options offered to her, according to the University of Pennsylvania. After obtaining a degree in Political Economy, working as a teacher and giving birth to her first child. Al Taji developed a boutique in Cairo offering stylish, practical and modest clothing for the Muslim woman.
Mansour started the Tunisian Center for Social Entrepreneurship in 2011 to encourage young people and communities to take social change and action into their own hands. Mansour has always been an active community member; she grew up in a conservative Tunsinian family but remained an independent thinker who pushes for cultural change. During her university years she often organized social rallies and campaigns. Her goal is to help the Tunisian region holistically through a stable, social enterprise ecosystem, according to Ashoka.org.
AbuSulayman is a television personality and cohost of the popular show Kalam Nawaem. She is also a Yale World fellow and Secretary General of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation. AbuSulayman works towards female empowerment and education in the Middle East and has worked as a lecturer and fashion designer, according to the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality.
Salah is Co-founder of Social Fruits, a social platform architect, Kerhna, a social networking platform for organizations dedicated to good causes and Egyptian Social Mediators, a community of social mediators dedicated to raising social media awareness. She graduated from Ain Shans University in 2007.
Al Shafei is a Bahrian civil rights activist, Ted Fellow, blogger and entrepreneur. She was one of Forbes 2014, “30 under 30″ and is the founder of CrowdVoice, where people can upload coverage of protests taking place all over the world. She also developed a forum to voice dissent in the Middle East and North Africa called Mideast Youth. That forum runs two other websites – mideasttunes, a website for activist musicians and Ahwaa, a platform for Arabic LGBTQ youth.
