Being a Muslim woman in 2025 comes with its challenges, and with the way that modern society is, while in some ways it’s getting easier, in others it’s getting difficult. As a Muslim woman in her 20s, I thought it would be nice for me to discuss some of the challenges I have faced and how I’ve overcome them
It’s important to note that the way I do things might not be something you would like to do; however, this is what has worked for me and brought me closer to Allah while making life much easier to navigate.
Working Out
I’m sure you’ve seen all the conversations regarding Natalie B’s women’s only gym and her statement on making it a biological women’s only gym. From a religious Muslim woman’s perspective, this creates a safe space for me to remove my hijab and wear more comfortable clothes that allow me to keep my body and mind healthy without having to worry about my garments.
I think it’s a very unspoken, underconsidered and undervalued area for Muslim women, as we are 9 times out of 10 forced to work out in the comfort of our home as we don’t have access to safe gyms but also women-only gyms, so when it comes to areas like this, I have found that investing a little bit more into my gym experience has really helped me.
Stereotypes and Misconceptions
One of the biggest challenges I think we can definitely all relate to is the constant battle against harmful stereotypes. Especially with everything that happened last July and the hate towards our whole community that followed, even though the teenager responsible was English and not Muslim. This is just one example of what the action of one can do to our whole community with no link to us but fuels these vicious stereotypes and misconceptions about our religion and our morals.
I’ve overcome situations like these through my activism, online presence and willingness to speak out on these matters to people like my colleagues. But I also try my best to be a good person within my community and volunteer. Things like that, while they might seem little and insignificant, could be changing the narrative for a few people and that’s what matters. You don’t need to be a keynote speaker to make changes.
Balancing My Faith With Modern Changes
Having to navigate the complexities of modern-day life while remaining close to my Islamic principles can be challenging at times and I hope I’m not alone with this. As a strong, independent Muslim woman, I want to prioritise certain aspects, but it’s troubling to find time to do it all. Not only that, but the opinion of others within the community makes it feel like I have to choose, and I am unable to as I am a woman.
Areas of my life I am specifically talking about include my religious obligations, my career, a family life and other personal goals. In order for me to manage the stress and to maintain balance within these areas of my life, I have found that choosing a workplace that recognises my religious beliefs and accommodates them has been, having a strong support network and surrounding myself with people who believe in me and not being apologetic for wanting these things.
Lack Of Clothing Options
You know the struggle of being a modest, adhering Muslim woman; the options are just not out there and that accessible, while of course there are a few brands that I love and wear, such as Hawaa or Nimah for my clothes and accessories; however, the topic at hand is that there are nowhere near enough options out there for us.
However, I won’t do too much of a disservice to the brands that we currently have and I did see that modest fashion is getting its stage time in the likes of fashion weeks. However, it would be nice if more brands, more styles and options were available. While this is a harder one to navigate through and not something many Muslim women would like to do, however, I’ve become a little handy with a sewing machine thanks to my Umm. It has allowed me to create more options that are perfectly made to my taste, in colours, fabrics and shapes that I love. I have made many hijabs and a few abayas so it’s been a skill I would definitely tap into more to help me diversify my wardrobe.
Representation in Media
This is another key issue that we have, and it’s the lack of representation that we have of Muslim women in the mainstream media, politics and another influential sphere that can shine like on issues but also be a person other Muslim women can look up to. This can clearly have a negative impact on things such as stereotypes and misconceptions, and without that media representation, it’s feeding into it.
While this is not something that I am doing, I did want to shed some light on it as we are seeing more Muslim women actively seeking representation such as Sadiqah Khan in the UK, Rashida Tlaib in the USA and Nazanin Boniadi, to name a few, who are each doing their part to educate, fight and address these issues for the betterment of our community.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to challenges and making the choice to overcome them, it might not be as simple or straightforward as me telling you. These changes need to come within and they might not happen overnight, but what amazing things ever do? It’s a long road ahead for things like this but it’s a change worth making in my eyes.