As part of Yahoo’s global coverage of International Women’s Day 2017, Yahoo Canada profiled women from various backgrounds and professions and asked them “What’s next?” What happens after Women’s Day — what would women like to see happen next in their personal lives, in their respective careers, and as a whole for females across the nation? Check out more of our International Women’s Day coverage here.

(Photo: Instagram/makeuphijabs) More

We first spoke with Saman Munir in 2016 as part of an ongoing series profiling first-person experiences in open letters. Munir is a Canadian-born fashion blogger and hijabi stylist who uses beauty, fashion and fitness to inspire what hijabs mean to Muslim women.

Since we last spoke, she continues to inspire her more than half a million fans across the world to “Be Bold for Change” through her hijabi fashion blogging and by keeping fit through easy to follow workouts.





“When I started wearing hijabs, I did feel uncomfortable because it was an “all of a sudden’ change,” said Saman, who started wearing hijabs in 2005, the day after her 24th birthday. She was working for an automotive company in the Greater Toronto Area, and got many questions from her coworkers. “I don’t think anyone knew much about hijabs (at the time),” she said “But now I feel like in 2017 there’s so many people who are wearing it. We all are very aware of the hijab now.“

When it comes time for her young daughter to decide whether or not to wear the hijab, Saman says she would guide her, but never push it on her.

“Islam is not supposed to be pushed on anybody or forced on anyone. So I will definitely tell her that ‘you should be wearing it,’ but if she does not want to wear it, I would not force her. Because I was never forced to wear it either.“

“If (my daughter) does not want to wear (the hijab), I would not force her. Because I was never forced to wear it either.“ (Photo: Instagram/makeuphijabs) More

Faced with a climate that many see as hostile toward members of the Muslim community in the U.S. and even in Canada, what Munir would like to see happen in the future is more unity amongst women across the globe — regardless of culture, religion or race.

“We need to unite together. I would hate to see us women criticizing each other and putting each other down. We should be encouraging each other and welcoming each other regardless of what our background is and who we are.”

Click here to read Munir’s full story: “My life as a hijabi fashion blogger.”

Watch the video to see Saman’s advice to teenage girls and what she’d like to see happen next for hijabi fashion blogging.

For more about Munir, visit her website: samansmakeuphijabs.ca

Let us know what you think by tweeting @YahooStyleCA!



