Zahara Basir, one of the six wonderful women taking part in our "Positive Threads" campaign for our new Bamboo Woven Print Hijabs and Fine Pleat Hijabs, is known for always #DoinTheMost. In her own words, “I live intentionally without limits.” Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Zahara is a social worker by training and works in the field of children and family services.

Although service to others is her life’s mission, traveling the world is her passion. Zahara recently completed her goal of traveling to 40 countries under the age of 40, often with her four young children in tow. She wants women to know that starting a family and having young children doesn’t mean that life and adventures end. She emulates the importance of self care, self preservation, and living authentically out loud.

Zahara has recently embarked on her third business venture, connecting her love for travel with creating memorable experiences, always drawing upon her mantra of #DoTheMost. We spoke with her about longevity in being visibly Muslim, the beauty in being unique, and why traveling with children isn’t as hard as one may think.

Tell us about being a visible Muslim woman — is it something you think about when putting on your hijab and entering the world, what it means to be visible?

"It’s important for me to be a visible Muslim wearing hijab because representation matters. My hijab is like another layer of skin; it’s always been a part of me. From the time I was 4 years old, I wore hijab. My mother converted to Islam in the 1970s. This was during the height of the Black Panther and Dar-ul-Islam movements. It was important to be visibly Muslim at that time as well. My mother took her Islam very seriously. As she began to have children, she decided that she wanted us to be visibly Muslims as well. It was a source of pride.
I’ve been wearing hijab for almost 34 years now. I don’t think about it at all. I’ve never hesitated or struggled wearing it. I understand that many people struggle with it, but that has never been my story."

Why do you choose to be “visible” (meaning identifiably) Muslim with your hijab?

"I choose to be visibly Muslim for my 9-year-old daughter Anisa. I want to be an example for her. I want her to feel confident and supported in her decision to wear hijab. Ultimately, it will be her choice in the future to cover or not, however, I want to give her the foundation to feel supported.

I choose to be visibly Muslim because I’m proud to be Muslim. My hijab doesn’t limit me. It has never stopped me. At my last job, I worked at Delta Airlines. So many people stopped me in the airport and told me how amazing it was to see a covered Muslim woman working for a major airline. I felt so proud wearing my purple uniform with my black Haute Hijab."

Click the link below to read the full interview, and check out Halimah's video interview on the HH Instagram for a behind-the-scenes look at her photo shoot! 📸

Need help? Reach out to us anytime at hello@hautehijab.com!