With the images of Muslim women inundating our television sets and newspapers today, many think that all Muslim women are oppressed, uneducated, or irrational. I was once stopped by a man in the street who had brought into these messages. He curiously asked if I had been lucky enough to go to high school (I answered that I was finishing my masters degree) and if my father forced me to wear hijab (to which I responded that it was my own choice). Each question he threw at me was loaded with stereotypes and misconceptions and, walking away from him, I was filled with sadness and regret that Muslim women have the blessing to publicly show their faith, yet are still hampered by the countless negative images perpetuated by society.

Fighting those negative stereotypes, however, are inspiring sisters who are rising to the top of their fields, speaking their minds, pursuing their ambitions and providing a foil to the biases and propaganda about Islam and women's rights.

Standing at 5 foot 2 and 3 quarters is a young Muslimah who speaks this message not only to those in her community - but globally. Jeanann Khalife is only 21 but has found a medium that supports her voice and those of other Shia youth - Salaam TV. "I love doing the show," says Khalife, excitedly speaking about the program Roots that airs weekly on Salaam TV. "Because it's on satellite a lot of people will see the show. They may be atheist, Jewish, Muslim, it doesn't matter… the message is getting out there." Salaam TV, a non-profit Islamic television station based in California was started in 2005 by Sheikh Mohammad Hedayati and airs programming from both the Middle East and local segments such as the one Khalife works with.

"Roots is dedicated to the Muslim youth. Every other week a young Muslimah and a woman go on the show and the following week a young boy and a man go on the show," explains Khalife. "We try to pick topics like hijab or character. What we do is create a little interest in the topic, it's live and people call in questions and ask advice. We argue with them sometimes, they tell their stories, it's an interactive show."

Though her words often reach a global audience, Khalife's idea of an activist is not necessarily a person who speaks on television or leads a protest. "An activist can be a Muslim woman just walking down the street who wears the hijab or a brother who can speak well about his faith. An activist is someone recognized by their character. Who you are as a Muslim is shown through your actions and the way you dress. The image you create allows people to accept your faith and see your faith better than the stereotypes do."

On the opposite side of the Nation in Boston, Massachusetts is another young Muslimah who has found another medium for expressing her point of view. Nousheen Yousuf is a Masters student at Boston University where she is majoring in Religious Studies with a concentration on Women in Islam.

While she is active in her community through volunteering at local schools and training to be an advocate for victims of domestic abuse, her true prowess is in her academic success. She is a member of her undergraduate Honors College, Phi Eta Sigma, and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and exhibits a voracious passion for pursuing knowledge.

Despite Yousuf's accomplishments she remains humble and grounded when she discusses how she has used academia as a conduit for expressing her voice and sharing Islam. "Often the only Muslim women in the West whose voices we hear have very reformist points of view. They often have a personal issue [with religion] and jump on the bandwagon of people pointing fingers and trying to say there's something wrong with Islam. I want to be someone who has something positive to say, or at least a balanced and fair perspective."

Like Khalife, she also recognizes the importance hijab plays in her experience and identity as a Muslim woman. Wearing hijab is an immediate marker of one's faith and sends a signal about a person's beliefs and values.

"It is such an interesting element that you can physically show who are you are and how you deal with the world outside of your private space," Yousuf begins, "Hijab can be so fearful to certain people because they don't know how to deal with it, they don't recognize it as a form of identity." She turned to examples from history explaining how hijab bans tend to happen in countries that were once colonizers and where governments are trying to exert power on the people they once had control over who are coming back into their countries. "Controlling one's dress is just a way of someone trying to show that they have power over another person," she quips. "Being a minority you sometimes feel animosity from the majority who can easily pass judgment on you."

Nevertheless, Yousuf's inspirations help her to continue to publicly practice and learn about Islam, "Just looking at the life of the Prophet [s] and the Imams, and Sayeda Fatimah [a] and Sayeda Zeinab [a]-they lived very balanced lives. They were active in their communities and in politics but also they were very well known for having great knowledge." She remembers this in her work and recognizes that the stories of barriers faced by other Muslims through history are guides for Muslims today to gain inspiration and continue to try and live their dreams and use their talents in positive ways. She stresses the importance of continuing your education in what you are truly interested in, even when the pressures of family, society, and culture may push you to limit your education to a particular field. "Our lives are so short that we need to get as much education out of life as we can. Whatever our talents and ambitions are, we should be able to bring that to fruition."

Following that same idea is another young Muslimah in the great state of Illinois. Hannan Jassim is a graduate student in Speech and Hearing Sciences and plays for the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign's women's hockey team. She first joined the team as a sophomore after being introduced to the sport by a friend and has found a lot of similarities between her athletic training and Islamic values. "When you are an athlete you have to take care of your body," she explains, "Islam teaches the same thing. In order to help others in your own life you have to help yourself, and that includes taking care of your body." Additionally she says that training for a sport takes commitment and focus, and playing sports has helped her hone these qualities both on the rink and in other aspects of her life, including practicing Islam.

She admits that being an athlete and practicing Islam has not always been easy but stresses that it is possible to be active and healthy if you work to make sure your needs are addressed. She looks to an example from her own experiences playing sports in high school. "The [Illinois High School Association] did not allow girls to wear longer clothes, but my sister and I and a number of other Muslim girls petitioned so we could wear longer clothes under our uniforms. Even if there are rulings against what we need [in order to practice Islam] we shouldn't let that stop us. You can get around it. It may be hard but someone needs to take that first step." Sometimes, she said, as the first Muslim attempting something new you may face adversity and racism. In those incidents she says it is best to address them immediately rather than to let people's negative stereotypes continue. She also recommends joining a team or attempting a new endeavor with a friend because it makes it easier to deal with the pressures and barriers.

Khalife and Yousuf also shared these sentiments, both mentioning the importance their families and friends have played in supporting them. Yousuf credits her parents with supporting her and always treating education as a high priority. She also offers her thoughts about the role men need to play within their families stating, "The men in Muslim societies need to be better fathers, better brothers. They need to take their family roles more seriously and there needs to be mutual respect between both genders." She went on the mention how much a family's perceptions and support can empower or disenfranchise a young woman and the importance in remembering to maintain a sense of dignity for all people regardless of their gender.

Khalife, too, spoke about how her parents encouraged her and taught her a sense of independence from a very early age. She realizes it is not always easy to show confidence, but it is important in order to bring the Ummah forward. "I feel like a lot of women are very shy and not very open about their faith and I tell them just to be yourself," says Khalife. "Be a good Muslim woman and don't suppress who you are as a person, don't be afraid.

"When you are yourself, you stand out and when you stand out, you show people I'm not oppressed. I'm an individual. I'm a unique person. I have my rights."