Activist and student Rana Abdelhamid hopes to dispel common misconceptions about the hijab — a highly-politicized head covering worn by some Muslim women — with her Tumblr and Facebook page “Hijabis of New York.”

In the face of rising Islamophobia and intolerance of Muslim Americans, Abdelhamid started the project with several fellow activists in October 2014 in order “to raise awareness, to humanize and diversify the image that people have of Muslim women,” Abdelhamid, 22, told The Huffington Post. Abdelhamid based her idea off the popular “Humans of New York” blog and social media project that celebrates the city’s diversity through photos and interviews.

When she approaches “hijabis,” or women who wear the hijab, with questions about faith and identity, Abdelhamid said she often finds that “women want to talk about this stuff.” The challenge, she said, is creating safe spaces and platforms for them to do so.