There are inspiring women from across the region who wear many, many hats, and Rawdah Mohamed is definitely one of them. A Somali-Norwegian model famous for her street style modeling, Mohammed is also an avid advocate for the rights of Muslim women, and as if all that wasn’t enough, she is an online influencer and blogger, a healthcare professional, and activist as well.
Mohamed’s life has been filled with experiences that were key in shaping who she is today. From a young age, she and her family moved to Norway where she completed her education. Having graduated with a degree in behavior analysis, she worked as a healthcare professional working with children with autism, and patients with mental disabilities.
In 2019, she broke away from her profession to try her hand at something new, She getting a start in modeling after attending the spring season of Oslo Fashion Week that year. By August, she signed up as a model recognizing her style and unconventional features. Today, Mohamed a street style model with emphasis on modest dressing, and she has engaged in various modeling campaigns over the years that placed Arab style front and center.
In May of this year, Mohamed announced that she’d be working as fashion editor of Vogue Scandinavia, the 28th global edition of Vogue set to release in August. The magazine will be covering the Nordic region, and Mohamed’s new position makes her the first hijab-wearing editor for a fashion magazine.
Prior to modeling, Mohamed was active on Instagram as a social media influencer, primarily using her account for online modeling. With time, she also used her account as an activist advocating for the rights of Muslim women in Europe, and touching on several key issues. Having firsthand experience with prejudice over her hijab and the color of her skin, especially at school, she initiated the #HandsOffMyHijab campaign following France’s decision to ban minors from wearing the hijab.
"It is our duty as the people to stand up and fight for each other’s rights. The hijab ban is hateful rhetoric coming from the highest level of government and will go down as an enormous failure of religious values and equality," she was quoted as saying in an article by Middle East Eye.
The hashtag campaign garnered support from around the world, with #PasToucheAMonHijab trending within France.
