Why Amani Al-Khatahtbeh created Muslim Women's Day

By Katy Scott, CNN

Updated 0111 GMT (0911 HKT) March 27, 2018

One of the ways Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of MuslimGirl.com, begins her talks is by asking the audience to search for images of 'Muslim women' in their phone browsers. The result is more often than not a wall of women hidden behind black cloth.
Photos: This is what a Muslim girl looks like
One of the ways Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, founder of MuslimGirl.com, begins her talks is by asking the audience to search for images of 'Muslim women' in their phone browsers. The result is more often than not a wall of women hidden behind black cloth.
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To begin changing this misrepresentation of Muslim women in the media, MuslimGirl.com partnered with Getty Images to produce a collection of positive images of Muslim women in March 2017.
Photos: This is what a Muslim girl looks like
To begin changing this misrepresentation of Muslim women in the media, MuslimGirl.com partnered with Getty Images to produce a collection of positive images of Muslim women in March 2017.
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The <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/search/photographer?family=creative&photographer=muslim%20girl&excludenudity=true&sort=best#license" target="_blank">collection</a> features images of Muslim women with and without a hijab going about their daily business at home, with friends, and in the workplace.
Photos: This is what a Muslim girl looks like
The collection features images of Muslim women with and without a hijab going about their daily business at home, with friends, and in the workplace.
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"We created stock photos of Muslim women that are shot by Muslim women, led by Muslim women, and the models are Muslim women," Al-Khatahtbeh told CNN.
Photos: This is what a Muslim girl looks like
"We created stock photos of Muslim women that are shot by Muslim women, led by Muslim women, and the models are Muslim women," Al-Khatahtbeh told CNN.
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The idea is to push back against misconceptions of the Islamic community by diversifying the depiction of Muslim women online.
Photos: This is what a Muslim girl looks like
The idea is to push back against misconceptions of the Islamic community by diversifying the depiction of Muslim women online.
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"Keyword searches for Muslim have gone up 107% on GettyImages.com over the past year, so it's even more important to ensure images like these are surfaced at the top of our results," Pam Grossman, director of visual trends at Getty Images, said in a <a href="http://press.gettyimages.com/getty-images-and-muslimgirl-com-partner-to-promote-positive-images-of-modern-muslim-women/" target="_blank">statement</a>.
Photos: This is what a Muslim girl looks like
"Keyword searches for Muslim have gone up 107% on GettyImages.com over the past year, so it's even more important to ensure images like these are surfaced at the top of our results," Pam Grossman, director of visual trends at Getty Images, said in a statement.
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"Positive imagery can have a tremendous impact by fighting stereotypes, celebrating diversity, and making communities feel empowered and represented in society," said Grossman.
Photos: This is what a Muslim girl looks like
"Positive imagery can have a tremendous impact by fighting stereotypes, celebrating diversity, and making communities feel empowered and represented in society," said Grossman.
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Story highlights

  • March 27 is Muslim Women's Day -- a day to celebrate Muslim women
  • Amani Al-Khatahtbeh says it is a day to "change the culture around how we talk about Muslim women"

(CNN)As a young girl growing up in New Jersey in the wake of 9/11, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh concealed the fact that she was Muslim to avoid negative judgment from her peers.

When she was 13, her family relocated to Jordan -- her father's homeland -- because they were concerned about rising violence against Muslim communities in the United States.
    Living in Jordan proved to be a transformative experience -- Al-Khatahtbeh grew to love her religion, and began slowly reclaiming her identity. But the family returned to the US when her mother was taken ill and wanted to be with her relatives in New Jersey.
      Amani Al-Khatahtbeh.
      Amani Al-Khatahtbeh.
      Back home, Al-Khatahtbeh found that Jordan had changed her attitude to her country of birth and she chose to wear the hijab as a mark of defiance against Islamophobia. She felt angered to see how the Middle East -- and particularly Muslim women -- were misrepresented in the news.
      So, at 17, Al-Khatahtbeh started a blog in her bedroom. She paid $7 for a domain name -- MuslimGirl.com -- to carve out a space for young Muslim women to take back the narrative.
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