About the Author

Recognized as a leading Muslim American artist by the White House, On August 13, 2010, Photojournalist Sadaf Syed joined President Barack Obama and interfaith leaders at the White House to mark the beginning of Ramadan. As one of today's feminist photographers, she is best known for breaking down stereotypes as she educates and inspires her audience through the eyes of photography and the perspectives of her subjects.
Born in Illinois and raised in Los Angeles, Syed graduated from California State University at Fullerton. After a few years of gaining experience in freelance photography, Syed married and returned to Illinois to work as a photojournalist at a local newspaper. It was after the events of 9/11 that Syed observed society's biased notions and attitudes about and toward Muslim women. After obtaining public nominations of participants for her photos, Syed set out to travel across the United States with her two young children and their double strollers, trekking state to state, going through airport scanners, and "random checkings," to photograph and capture the stories of covered women across the country. The result was a limited edition of a stunning photo documentary book, iCOVER: A Day in the Life of a Muslim-American COVERed Girl. It was sold out within months of being published. Now at the self-publication of her second edition, Syed is considering proposals to work on international sequels of iCOVER. Learn more at sadafsyed.com.