Skip to Content
Portraits of Muslim families

Portraits

Razi Jafri

Photograph print on aluminum, 2020

What does a Muslim look like? How is a Muslim supposed to dress? From t-shirts to turbans, niqabs to skinny jeans, Muslims, like everyone else, are affected by social norms, familial expectations, popular culture, fashion, social media, and more. These influence how people dress and express themselves, but many Muslims also attend to distinctive ideas of modesty that are relative and varied. Clothing has long brought visibility to the Muslim American community, especially for women who wear hijab. In this series we see a melding of cultures from South Asian to Midwestern and from urban to suburban. We also focus on piety, family, fashion, and the joy of community. These portraits are an attempt to tell a story about self-expression, identity, and visibility. The portraits were taken throughout Metro Detroit in 2019.