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Muslim woman’s appearance in Playboy stirs debate

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[From Instagram]

Photos of Noor Tagouri in the pages of Playboy is turning heads, and not because she’s exposing skin, but because she isn’t.

Tagouri is a Muslim journalist and appears in the magazine’s current issue fully clothed and wearing a hijab. The images are accompanied by an article in which she shares her thoughts on being a female Muslim journalist in the world today.

Tagouri tweeted a link to the story with pride:

And with that, the internet erupted in a cacophony of opinionated posts and tweets about the appropriateness of a Muslim woman appearing in a magazine so closely associated with female nudity and sex.

Some, like writer Nishaat Ismail, questioned whether the story was a step in the right direction for Muslim women. In an op-ed for The Independent, Ismail wrote:

“Do we really need to go down the route of associating with an institution based on the objectification of women in the name of challenging perceptions and celebrating female empowerment? Is this really how we reclaim our own narrative?”

But while many decried the Playboy article, others applauded Tagouri’s willingness to bring her message of modesty to an audience it might otherwise not reach.

One hijab-wearing Twitter user going by the handle @19mer75 posted:

Others pointed out that numerous prominent male Muslims, like Mohammad Ali and Malcolm X, have appeared in Playboy’s pages without the Muslim community batting an eyelash.

As for Tagouri, it looks like she’s waiting for the storm to settle before wading into the fray: