Model: Nadiyah Seraaj
Outfit and Head Wrap from: Gambia
Shoes: Steve Madden
Scarf from: NYC
Sunglasses: Christian Dior
Often, people ask the Seraaj sisters where they are from, because either they know that we’re Muslim or are intrigued by the name “Seraaj”. We, with the exception of Vernelle, are from Alabama. The people inquiring usually think that we’ve been confused by the question and ask where our parents are from. Yet again, we state that we and our parents are from Alabama. Some Africans we’ve encountered – the ones that know exactly which country they came from – actually say that we look like we’re from certain countries based on our facial features. We’ve heard that we look Sudanese, Gambian, Moroccan, Guinean, etc. But we are African American Muslims. We don’t know exactly what country in Africa our ancestors came from because of transatlantic slavery.
Apparently, many people are unaware of the ethnic diversity of Islam. They seem to think that all Muslims are Middle Eastern or African, as the media would like them to think. But Islam is a global religion. It’s interesting to see that many people think Muslims are mainly from the Middle East when the largest Muslim population is in Indonesia.
Fortunately, social media platforms like Twitter and Snapchat are helping enlighten people about Islam and how diverse its followers are. If you haven’t seen the hashtags already, lookup #BlackMuslimRamadan, #BlackOutEid, and #Mecca_live. The posts under these hashtags show some of the diversity within Islam, and are helping to kill the stereotype that most Muslims are Middle Eastern.
Seraaj Sisters' Lookbook 