Leyal Khalife: Mona Haydar, a Syrian Muslim-American poet and activist, released her first-ever single and rap music video in honor of the world’s first-ever Muslim Women’s Day on Mar 27 … all while she’s pregnant.
Given the current rise of Islamophobia around the world, Haydar wanted to fight the hate. And what better way to do that than with music?
This wouldn’t be the first time Haydar challenges stereotypes surrounding Islam.
Haydar alongside her husband Sebastian Robins, who converted to Islam in 2012 after meeting her, have been trying to “conquer fear through conversation.”
Following the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, the couple started the #AskAMuslim initiative, where they set up booths around Cambridge, Massachusetts to talk to people who have questions.