Now more than ever, in a world filled with violence and uncalled for hatred towards Muslims, art can be used as a much-needed instrument to shatter stereotypes and fight discrimination.
Soufeina Hamed, a Tunisian-German Muslim artist, decided to use her talent to fight Islamophobia and change hijab-related misconceptions.
She narrates everyday struggles of Muslim women through humorous and relatable illustrations that show just how similar we all are despite our differences.
'Prejudices'
“At an early age, I had recognised that me being religious in my everyday life was different and therefore irritating for the majority of the German society. I found comic art to be a suitable medium for creating dialogue and empathy by using honesty, sensitivity and humor.” -Hamed writes on her blog.
'Alien'
Through her drawings, Hamed - who goes by the name Tuffix - aims to highlight everyday prejudices she's faced throughout the years.
'Daring rescue'
'Turn around'
She also uses her art to voice out about political and social issues, to make difficult topics simple and easy to understand.
We all go through the same things
She portrays the simple struggles of women who wear the hijab emphasizing just how similar they are to other women's struggles.
'Bad hijab day'
'Helpless and useless'
“A large part of our current problems such as Islamophobia and xenophobia are based on the lack of contact to or knowledge about 'the others' – that’s something I’m really convinced of. And that’s why the topics of my works are often very ordinary, very simple. I show the banalities, as well as the special features and problems of a young Muslim girl,” -Hamed tells Sufi Comic - an online platform of traditional Islamic history made into comics.
'All the effort...'
A remake of Roy Lichtenstein's pop art
“I draw remakes of famous portraits by Lichtenstein or Monet by just adding the hijab to play with the 'flair' of it. My work is inspired by my faith, by displeasure and joy, by misunderstandings, and interesting conversations: by life itself,” -She tells GlobalFundForWomen.org - a network to help women with their rights and projects.
A remake of Vermeer's 'Girl with a Pearl Earring'
A remake of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa'
A remake of Grant Wood's 'American Gothic'
A remake of Howard Miller's 'We Can Do It!'
Meet Soufeina
Soufeina Hamed is a young Tunisian-German psychology graduate with a Masters in Intercultural Psychology.
She's been an artist since a young age and was encouraged by her friends to share her drawings with the world.
Hamed has participated in workshops and conferences and seems to be on a mission to change the world.