Sophie Ashraf: The Burkha Rapper by Ruhani Kaur
  • Of Beep Beep Beep Beep/ Even this song has been censored/ You just can't talk free and unfettered.Of Beep Beep Beep Beep/ Even this song has been censored/ You just can't talk free and unfettered.

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Its like when you really like a band, you wear T-shirts of that band, Well we really, really like Islam, so we wear the burkha. I rap because I cant sing. But I love music, so it had to be rap. Soon, the burkha and the rap formed an identity of itself, and people started recognizing me as the burkha rapper. The Justice Rocks Concert was the first platform where I felt the setting and the timing was right to talk about Islam. The Mumbai attack had just happened and everyone was waiting for a proactive Muslim to come out and say what Islam was about. I was just blown away by the response. There are those who are not convinced about the burkha, sure. Now that we wear it, we feel empty without it, naked. There is a line in the quran that says, “To you, your religion, and to me mine”. And so they are letting me express myself the way I want to. People tend to think that someone who tries to be different and someone who breaks the rules are the same. I work within the rules, but I find those little loopholes that allow me to do my thing. There is this cool anime (Japenese animation) called The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in which the entire world is made just to amuse her, the main character. Sometimes i feel the world is created just to amuse me. Because things, mashaallah always go right.

- As told by Sophie Ashraf, 21-year-old Rapper

The following pictures were taken for Open magazine.

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Jun 11, 2009 | Filed under Photography, Photostories, Ruhani Kaur.

16 Responses Subscribe to comments


  1. ayesha

    hey ruhani…

    love your story… i’m a documentary film maker and photographer based in new delhi…. would love to chat about this. if you can could you please get in touch with me…?

    Jun 15, 2009 @ 8:28 am


  2. gudus

    Great work. Wish there were more images…i understand the limitations of a print magazine where we have a limited number of pages, but a web magazine dedicated to photography, we yearn to see more…

    Jun 15, 2009 @ 11:10 am


  3. girish

    i read that sophie (sophiya?) ashraf is from Kerala. this is a great story.

    Jun 15, 2009 @ 11:11 am


  4. Vineeta

    Great story, neat pics.

    Jun 17, 2009 @ 3:02 am


  5. Christine Bethea

    Super! Can you get some video for YouTube? Keep us posted.

    Jun 18, 2009 @ 9:35 am


  6. onear

    Very nice work. I think you managed to capture quite a bit of what the rapper said. Like gudus mentioned i was looking forward more images.

    Nevertheless, its an antidote for all prejudices prevalent against the religion.

    Jun 18, 2009 @ 11:58 pm


  7. Nauman Umair

    MAY ALLAH BLESS HER, AMEN! =)

    Jun 19, 2009 @ 2:26 pm


  8. hafni

    weldon ruhani,
    ur work is great. expecting more pictures of her concert. u not mentioned her web address.

    Jun 20, 2009 @ 8:04 pm


  9. Abdussamad

    She is very smart. senseful abt islam. tries to undress islam from all myths. And wrap her with islamic dress. May allah bless her in two world..

    Jun 21, 2009 @ 7:42 am


  10. Blog voyageur d’Arnaud Contreras» Blog Archive » Sophie Ashraf: The Burkha Rapper by Ruhani Kaur

    [...] À découvrir entre autres, la série Sophie Ashraf: The Burkha Rapper par Ruhani Kaur. [...]

    Jun 22, 2009 @ 2:58 pm


  11. The Burkha Rapper: Sophie Ashraf « Muslimah Media Watch

    [...] seems central to her art. This comes across clearly in her following statement on the Blind Boys website: Its like when you really like a band, you wear T-shirts of that band, Well we really, really like [...]

    Jun 24, 2009 @ 1:02 am


  12. A burqa-wearing rapper « Dating Jesus

    [...] June 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment That would be Sophie Ashraf. [...]

    Jun 24, 2009 @ 10:55 am


  13. Krista

    Just letting you know we recently discussed this article on Muslimah Media Watch: http://muslimahmediawatch.org/2009/06/24/the-burkha-rapper-sophie-ashraf/. Come check it out, and let us know what you think!

    Jun 24, 2009 @ 9:12 pm


  14. Raven’s Eye

    [...] seems central to her art. This comes across clearly in her following statement on the Blind Boys website: Its like when you really like a band, you wear T-shirts of that band, Well we really, really like [...]

    Jun 25, 2009 @ 5:09 am


  15. A Primer on ‘Hijab Debate 2009′. « Human Rights in Ireland

    [...] Even as it becomes a visible part of European popular culture and lived multiculturalism;  in rap music, art and sport, ‘the veil’ excites ever more exclusionary policy-making. This post [...]

    Sep 09, 2009 @ 1:33 am


  16. bands t shirts

    Hi there ! Thank for posting.

    Jan 11, 2010 @ 7:26 pm

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