Yemeni-American photographer, filmmaker and writer Yumna Al-Arashi has always hated Halloween. "A day from hell when white men and women find it OK to wear burqas for fun? I usually hide at home and pray to my ancestors for the power to just sleep through it.""The Halloween costumes I regularly see represent Middle Eastern stereotypes of women as oppressed, mystical, or sexualized figures—we are almost always boiled down to one of the three," she tells Broadly. "When it comes to stereotyping women from the Middle East and North Africa, all I see are burqas, Cleopatra, and Jasmine from Aladdin."
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Al-Arashi's photographic work usually interrogates the stereotypes of Muslim women in Western society, and her series "Northern Yemen" and "Face" has received critical praise for its depictions of Arab women as strong, powerful figures of grace and beauty.This year, she decided to apply that critical perspective to Halloween. She noted that spooky costumes aren't just about dressing up as scary or sexy vampires (or racist clichés, for that matter). They also serve as a way to celebrate beloved figures in pop culture and history.With that in mind, she says, "I dressed up as five of my female heroes from the region—not only to inspire readers to learn about them, but as a call to action for many young women to do the same." Working with Afghan-German illustrator Moshtari Hilal, Al-Arashi created a series of self-portraits and collages of herself as her favorite historical figures. Below, Al-Arashi writes about their stories and the impact of their lives on her own.
Fairouz
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During the Lebanese civil war, she refused to take sides and stopped performing altogether within the country. Her voice echoes the pain of the civil war and remains greatly applauded by Western audiences and the Arab diaspora today.Fairouz’s voice soundtracked my life when I spent time in Lebanon. Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese all adore Fairouz. I found her the glue which unifies them despite their political and religious differences—the humanity and beauty of her voice can pull anybody in. At the end of the day, Fairouz is the one thing they can agree upon, and that is a real superpower.”
Doria Shafik
In 1951, Shafik led 1,500 women in storming the Egyptian parliament to demand their socioeconomic rights. She then went on numerous hunger strikes to demand women’s voting rights and to protest then-president Gamal Abdel Nasser’s dictatorship. Soon after, Nasser placed her on house arrest. It sent Shafik on a downwards spiral, and she killed herself at the age of 66. She remains forgotten by most Egyptians, though the New York Times recently published her obituary in their efforts to honor those overlooked over the years.
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See also: Shafik’s mentor Hoda Shara’awi, who paved the way for many of her accomplishments.”
Umm Kulthoum
There’s nothing that more perfectly summarizes Arab identity than an Umm Kulthoum song. Each of her songs last up to an hour, with dramatic highs and lows. You can laugh and cry in a single song, and then go through it all again.Many people mistake Kulthoum’s music as romantic, but most Arabs argue that her work reflects the pain and suffering of a region falling apart at the seams. Today, her voice is still heard blasting from homes, taxis, cafes, and street corners, prompting listeners to dance with joy or hang their heads in sorrow.”
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Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba harnessed the gifts of the land to gain power throughout the world. She was said to be able to communicate with and through animals—one legend states that it was how she was able to talk to her beloved King Solomon when they were separated. Though the details of her existence are up for debate, the legends of her power and wisdom are indisputable. We need more Queens of Sheba.”
Update: Part of this photography series was removed as per request by the artist.