What drives a modern Muslim Woman to succeed in modern society? In this issue of Destination, we’ve gathered a handful of incredible ladies who show us that being extraordinary is a matter of deciding to go the extra mile: Extra Grit, Extra Passion, and Extra Hard Work. Arab women are pushing boundaries, and as a whole, can get us across the finish line of progress.

Photo By Abdullah Almosharaf

After years of thinking she needed to change her physical appearance to be accepted by the general public, Laila Mourad urges her followers to be Extra Confident and accept themselves the way they are. “I wanted to get my nose done, and I thought that’s what I needed to go that extra mile and be better, then I slowly started to accept myself as I am and just really see myself as beautiful without having to change anything.” This shift in perspective allowed Mourad to get past her insecurities and teach others the importance of self-acceptance before going through her health and fitness lifestyle change. “If I were talking to my younger self, I wouldn’t want her to feel horrible about herself and have to go through plastic surgery to change something about herself. I thought I don’t want to give off that message, so that also helped me just accept myself and accept that I don’t have to look perfect. I can just be natural and be myself.” Mourad found social media to be more accepting than she had anticipated. With a diverse array of personalities and the large scale of social media, there is enough room for everyone to express who they want to be authentically. “I think you can be who you are and stay true to yourself without having to skew that. You will find a group of people who will love that and want to follow that.”

Instagram: lailamourad