Mrs. Syed captures moments in the day-to-day lives of these Muslim women, moments that the average American can relate to once they "embrace" the fact that she covers her hair. The accompanying photo captions and personal quotes flesh out the dimensions of these women's lives. In the faces of a dancer, a surfer-girl, a biker, a tri-athlete and even a boxer you hear their voices, and touch their thoughts, dreams, struggles and fears. With each page, a stereotypes is shattered and the misunderstandings that surround the female followers of a faith of 1.3 billion diminish. iCOVER has garnered significant publicity both domestically and internationally.
Though the opening essays take a turn towards the defensive (and really, I can understand where the authors' are coming from), the brief bios of the women are poignant and diverse. The pictures are crisp, dynamic and everything you could possibly want from a photo essay. As someone who knows very little about Islam and it's practices, Ms. Syed offers a wonderful introduction to one of its most visible practices: hijab. It certainly has me thinking more about how I define my own faith and femininity and how the two intersect.